I am thinking about getting a ferret , I have always had cats and now I can't will it work out for me?

Question

My boyfriend is allergic to cats,and I think a ferret is a close as i can get. Are they loveable, are they trainable?

Answer 1

Depends on the individual ferret, but I just love them. THey are like a cat and dog wrapped up together. Fun loving and they can get into all sorts of things. THey sleep a *lot* (about 20 hours a day) but when they are awake they are *busy* ;-) THey do have a smell, and some people don't like that. See if there's a ferret rescue around you (I have had 2 rescues), and if you can spend some time with them. That way you will find out if one is for you and whether the boyfriend can be around them.

Answer 2

They are very cute little guys/gals. They run and jump about and make happy little "oo-oo" noises. They're very curious. I wouldn't say they are cuddly, since they mostly like to be exploring. (They may surprise a guest by trying to crawl up their pants leg.)

But for the downside: Even though they have been descented they will always have a strong odor about them. If you let them roam the house, the house may get an odor which you may find objectionable. They can more or less be trained to use a litter box, but the two ferrets I had weren't nearly as good about that as a cat. Once they "go" in an area, I found it impossible to do anything to stop them from "going" there again, except putting a litter box on the spot. (My impression was that ferrets "go" a lot.) I kept mine in a large cage and I found cleanup to be a hassle. But that was me. Much of the problem may simply have been that I had two ferrets at the same time for a while. Since I was leaving my single ferret caged a good deal of the day, I thought he might need company while I was out.

I don't think I would have them again. One may be managable for you, though. Some people I know adore their ferrets. I think I'll stick with the more common pets.

If you have any way to "borrow" one or can be around a ferret for a while, I think it would be good to do that first and see how it works out.

Answer 3

Ferrets are closer to dogs both biologically and in regards to their need for human interaction. If you are a cat person, I would not recommend a ferret. Ferrets can be litter trained fairly easily, but they require at least an hour per day of human to ferret direct interaction. Also know that ferrets are prone to illnesses around age 5 and that you should plan on spending about $5,000 on each ferret for medical care as it gets older.

Answer 4

I am a new ferret owner (6 weeks) I live in Manchester England. I got my ferret from a rescue center, he is about 1 yr old and is neutered. I think I may be really lucky cos my ferret doesn't seem to be typical of other ferrets. He LOVES cuddles and will jump up at me constantly when I'm sat on my sofa until I pick him up then he will lie down on me and let me pet him for ages!!
Also - yes he does smell but it's not vile it's just a bit of a musky kinda smell but I may be wierd cos I quite like it!! Now and then he will make a stink a (like a skunk would) and this DOES smell vile but he doesn't do that all the time. He bites but not hard at all and his pee and poop doesn't smell at all.
The only problem I have with him is getting him to pee and poop in his litter tray but I am trying soooo hard and will not give up.
I love my Freddie lots and I think he is a great pet but NOTHING like a cat!!
My daughter is allergic to cats but she hasn't had a problem around Freddie.Good luck!! x

Answer 5

Ferrets are fun. I just got one about two weeks ago. They are trainable but you have to remember that ferrets take alot of time. ferret also like to get into EVERYTHING!! they can be loveable but not like a cat. If you are getting one you should get a baby. she/he may bite but you can teach them not to. and i would only get one cause ferrets will team with each other if you get more then one and not want to play with you as much. you can also teach them things like walking on leashes. mine loves to. I also get a towel got and she rides on the end of it while i drag it across the floor. Mine is not as lovable as my two cats are but i think that she has lots of learning to do yet. Just a baby. Hope that i have helped you and good luck in your search for answers

Answer 6

Cats and ferrets are pretty much the same. Yeah, very smart and trainable. There is a smell involved even in a descented animals.

Answer 7

It may. ferrets are like cats and toddlers on way to much sugar, they get into everything..drag the most amazeing things about the house and STINK LIKE ALL H-LL! It is also very inhuman to de-stink-gland a ferret, but they are lovely inquisitive funny and loveing little creatures if you can handle effectively haveing a very hyper 3 year old in furry clothes. And you can train them just as well as you can train a 3 year old. remember simple repetitive commands. and they are very loveable, they need lots of attention. rememver to ferret proof the house before you get one!

Answer 8

Ferrets are a lot like cats almost like brothers and sisters. They will take time to train but so do cats so if you can train a cat then you can train a ferret/

Answer 9

Yes ferrets are very lovable and somewhat trainable. They are smart, just stubborn. But be aware that ferrets stink. I mean they have a musky odor that no amount of bathing will help. They can be trained to use a litter box, but once again, their urine stinks to high heaven. You can hardly stay in the room with it. I had one as a teen-ager and I had to keep it in my room because of its odor nobody else in the house wanted to be near it and when my clothes started to smell like ferret pee, I got rid of her. And I hear the males smell ever worse because they have musk glands and rub on everything. Think about a sugar glider or flying squirrel, both are good pets, quite and not smelly and so cute or a pygmy hedgehog....they are great pets and are so cute and once again no smell.........good luck

Answer 10

I've only met one person who had a ferret. He said it was the greatest. One word of warning. If you give a ferret a rabies shot, nothing happens. It can still get rabies.