anyone that has or had a ferret please tell all the good bad and the ugly. thanks?

Answer 1

Ferrets make great pets if you stay home alot, they're very mischievous and are excellent escape artists.

Answer 2

My ferrets are wonderful. They do not bite anyone and are the sweetest things. But............. They do stink. If the cage is not cleaned out every day they will stink the house up with their poop and pee. This is the only thing i have against ferrets, is the odor. They constantly have a musky smell even being fixed. You do not want to get a male or female that isn't fixed. The male has a very strong odor and the females will die if not bred when they come in heat, i found that out the hard way.

Answer 3

I had an albino ferret for a while. They are really neat creatures, but they are a lot of work. Kinda like having a really small, smart, fast toddler. Mine had a good size cage, about 5 ft tall. They need a place inside there to bed down, like a hammock. And they use a cat box for the restroom. I locked mine up every night in the cage and he always wanted to play around and make noise. Soon after I started treating him like a parrot and would drape this huge thick, dark colored blanket over the cage. That did the job. Their food is easy I always went to the pet store for it and it's fairly cheap. For treats or snacks mine liked green grapes. Their smell is pretty strong. So you cant hide that you have one, no matter how you try. They are dead clever though. You gotta watch out for them a lot. They get really curious and can get in tight spots, places they shouldnt be, and make messes. On occasion mine would bite if he got irritated at me, but I'd just give him a little flick and he would quit. They hardly ever sit still. But they are toooo cute and pretty smart. They are a lot of fun.

Answer 4

I'm currently trying to sell mine. I thought it would be a good idea, and a nice change from my guinea pigs and my rabbit. I spent 100.00 on him, 85.00 for the cage. I got him as a baby. I soon learned after a few weeks that he is the most annoying animal alive and a waste of money. They say that ferrets will go the bathroom in one spot, so i got him a litter pan in his cage, which i put some of his poop in so hed go there. But noooooooooo, he takes dumps wherever he wants and it looks like DOG DIARREA every time. He shakes cage constantly and smells like crap. When I let him out, he gets into everything and bites my feet. It is the only animal I have ever had that I didn't like, and I have had a million critters.

Answer 5

Ferrets are incredibly entertaining! but a lot of care. I have had 7 of them and they are kind of musky, even if they have been descented. Mine always dug in the potted plants! lol and if you get a good one, from a breeder, then they are tame, playful, active vibrant little critters. They do like to bite, but its not in an aggressive way, they just have rough play. But you can teach them not to do that. They can be litter box trained, but sometimes miss. Ferrets are great, but they are not for everybody, so make sure you know what you are getting into before you own one. But you are being a very responsible pet owner by doing your research first! kudos!

Answer 6

I never had a ferret, but I stayed with some people once who had three. All I can say is that your entire house will SMELL, and it is very expensive to treat them to a veterinarian. They also require special ferret food.

Answer 7

Bad:
- Ferrets always have a musky smell about them, but you can minimize that by keeping their bedding clean(I use old t-shirts and change them at least weekly, along with their hammocks). Scoop their potties at least daily, better is twice daily and do a thorough clean up of them weekly when you clean the cage. Only bathe them when necessary, once a month or less is good. The more you bathe them the more they smell.
- Vet care for ferrets can become expensive. They need check ups and shots yearly and as they get older they are prone to certain diseases that are not cheap to treat(insulinoma, adrenal disease, lymphoma etc). It's also not easy to find a knowledgeable vet when it comes to "exotics" like ferrets.
- Ferrets need you to spend time with them. They'll get bored easy and either start making messes, get into trouble or they might even get depressed. One way to possibly avoid that is to get two. Four hours out of the cage is a good average to strive for. I cage mine when I'm sleeping or when I go to work, but I'm getting ready to set up a ferret room and then they'll be able to stay out when I'm sleeping(I sleep days).
- Most ferrets won't be cuddly like a cat, they are way to busy for that. They are always on the move and require you to ferret proof your home or at least a room for them to run in.
- They like to sleep a lot, up to 20 hours a day if you let them. However they don't mind being woke up to play and they are flexible enough to let you decide when.
- Some ferrets tend to bite. I adopted a biter, but retrained him and now he goes for days without having to be reminded to "NO BITE!!" It largely depends on how they were treated in their life and on their age and temperament, but it can be fixed.
- Adequate ferret cages are not cheap, but sometimes you can find a used one on line.
- Ferrets are not for everyone. Only get one if you are sure you are up to cleaning up after the little critter, because most ferrets are not 100% on the potty thing. Make sure you want to spend the time with them and of course decide if you're willing to spend the vet money eventually.

Good:
- Ferrets are cute, very cute..........okay, I know, so are puppies and kittens.............but ferrets are different.
- Ferrets are very smart. They can be potty trained and you can teach them tricks. Mine are learning "roll over" and "stand up" right now.
- Ferrets are very entertaining. They jump and run, make their little noises (dook!) and war dance. They like to play games with their favorite hooman bean. Seems like where one ferret is fun, two's a riot.
- Ferret food and litter is fairly easy to come by and fairly reasonable in price. I order mine at ferret.com online and get it delivered straight to my door.
- People that are owned by ferrets are really cool folks. There are lots of groups and web sites and people generally offer help and support to get you started.

I suggest you read "Ferrets for Dummies". It's a good book, full of good info, and really not for Dummies anymore.

Oh, and as far as the UGLY?? I can't think of anything.
I bought my two girls and then adopted two boys I found on petfinder.com. They were at a Humane Society shelter a few counties away from here. I just love them.

Answer 8

They are very smart and funny little critters. They do have an odor even when they;ve been descented and they have a bad habit of backing into corners to go potty. They take alot of attention but it pays off cause they're great little pets.

Answer 9

Bad-sometimes the ferret stinks and it can give you a good nip at times
Good-it can often be playful and nice if treated nicely!

Answer 10

good-they are wicked cute. Kind of like slinkys with fur. Bad - they have small intestinal tracks and have to poop every 2 hours which means they can stink and you have to clean the area every single day.