Your ferret needs a constant supply of food and water to live healthily, you cannot ever forget to feed them or leave them without fresh water for long periods of time. The food and water dishes need to be the right size for their cage or housing and you should clean them everyday. Fresh water should be provided throughout the day, at least twice daily. If you are using a water bowl and notice any objects floating inside, you should immediately change the water and rinse out the bowl.
When purchasing a food dish it is a good idea to look for a heavy dish, a lightweight dish will soon be turned into a toy and get flung around the place; ferrets are very strong for their size. If you do have lightweight food dish it is advised to secure it to the cage so it cannot be moved. The food dish should be placed near the sleeping area of the cage, not near the litter area as to ensure it does not get soiled.
The same goes for water, it should be located near the sleeping area. You can give them water from a water bottle that fixes to the side of the cage ensuring that it is low enough for the ferret to reach. If you have a brand new baby kit, you should hold their nose to the nozzle on the water bottle so that water dispenses and they can make the connection that this is where they get a drink. At first it is wise to use a water bowl until you are certain that your baby ferret can get water from the bottles by themselves and is using it regularly. A baby ferret can easily become dehydrated even though there is water available, because they do not know that they can get water from the water bottle.