General ferret question?

Question

I have never owned a ferret (only rats, hamsters, and dogs) and was just wondering what their level of care is. I know they need lots of attention (would love to give it!) but what else? I can leave a hamster in a cage with plenty of food and water for the weekend and they enjoy that better than being toted around, but a dog would definitely rather come with me than be at home. If we went camping, for instance, would we leave the ferret at home with provisions or take it with us? Thank you!

Answer 1

Lots of attention is a HUGE understatement! And they are smart/curious/persistent enough that I agree, leaving them with provisions for the weekend could be disastrous (I personally know of three different instances in which ferrets found their way into the "bowels" of a house, as in between the walls/between the floor and ceiling; only one of those three ferrets was "found" and that involved hammering a number of holes in the ceiling).
If you have a sizable cage they could be transported in to the camping place, and you don't plan on doing extensive or difficult hiking, and the season/weather is such that overheating/freezing isn't a problem, that could be a good plan. I've taken my ferret on short hikes (30-45 minutes one-way car trip, 1-2 hours of "hike" time) before, and she thought it was fantastic. I did carry her some, and spend some time standing still while she smelled around.
Kind of think of the ferret as a cross between a small very energetic dog and a young child just at the age where they want to run around and investigate everything. They can get into and do things you'd never imagine. Watch out for their sweet-tooth and stealing habits too.

Answer 2

Do not leave your ferret at home in a cage unless you have someone who can come in and check on him/her and let her out to play for a few hours a day. If you know your life style is that busy, do not get a ferret.
I've known people who took their ferret camping, but unless you know what you're doing that is not a good idea. It is hard to 100% secure any animal while camping and by that I not only mean keeping the animal contained, but also keeping all other wildlife away from the ferret. There are many predators who would love to get their teeth and claws into a ferret. Then there is always the weather factor. Ferrets cannot handle heat well at all, so keep that in mind.
Ferrets are expensive to keep(vet bills), time consuming and labor intensive, but still the greatest pets I've ever had.
Though wonderful animals, they are most certainly not for everyone.
Do some thorough thinking before you go there

Answer 3

Ferrets are interesting animals I should know since I worked at a nature center with four of them. Having one as a pet is like having a kid. They always get into things. Some people take them out like a dog with having their ferret on a leash and special harness others leave them at home in a ferret cage where they can't escape. It depends on what you want to do.

Answer 4

i've had a ferret and they are like dogs. they are sneaky and if you do leave them at home alone, they will get bored find a way out of the cage and make a huge mess around your house. you need to take good care of one but i wouldn't recommend taking it with you on a camping trip. find someone you trust that can come by your house and feed and play with the ferret for at least 30 minutes twice a day. they are very playful and surprisinly take a lot of energy out of you. my ferret slept during the day and would want to play at night so that can be difficult as well. good luck

Answer 5

as the different man or woman printed, you could clip their nails even as handed the fast, or in case you word they're getting stuck in any fabrics. I sparkling my ferrets ears each and every time I bathe them, and both use the answer they promote at puppy shop or use alcohol with a Q-tip and it extremely works basically as strong. you extremely dont elect to bathe them too regularly, each and every 3-4 weeks is sufficient, notwithstanding we elect to do it better regularly. I attempt no longer to, thou, yet they sense so tender afterwards that you favor to carry them longer. Mine get extremely playfull after bathtub. They run round to warmth themselves and get dry, yet I towel dry them and blowdry them too. you need to be careful that it's not too warm, no longer strong for them. in case you obtain yours from breeder or puppy shop, that's going to be already spayed/neutered adn descented.