Ferrets and there upkeep?

Question

How often do you have to take them to the vet? How much does it usually cost? or do you not ever have to take them? Do the boys smell worse then the girls or do the girls smell worse then the boys? I've been reading up on them..and it says not to put wood shavings in there cause it messes with there breathing and stuff is that truth? Sorry people i need a little help im really ify on this...

Do they get sick a lot?

Answer 1

Ferrets are very high maintence animals. Once a year you need to take them in for vacatinations and general check up. (in canada its like $65 per ferret). You also need to keep them on a very high quality kitten/ferret food and/or a raw meat diet. Ferrets are prone to a number of very costly diseases. If you have a ferret you should plan to have about $1000 in a seperate bank account to pay for medical bills. You will need to provide a number of litter boxes. one will not do. I have 6 in one room and still have accidents. Most ferrets are descented so the smell is not bad. they have a musky smell and the smell gets stronger if you feed fish based food or bath them alot.

Now for the housing needs
you need a very very very large cage for these guys. They need to run and play and rough house. On top of a large cage you need to allow them out of the cage to play in the house/room for a min of 4 hours a day. Ferrets sleep for 18-20 hours a day but not all in one stretch. They tend to be versitile and will be awake when your around but they do need a lot of sleep. Any room you allow your ferret to play in needs to be ferret proof. And I can promise you once you ferret proof a room the ferret will spend the rest of its life proving to you it is not ferret proof. They will get into sports you never expected them to. They will steal your stuff and hide it and they will love you like there is no tomorrow.

The cage is not covered with chips or anythig like that. Ferrets need soft snuggly places to sleep, perferably a mixture of on the ground ones and hanging hammocks. The floor should be solid not bars so as to not cause injury to thier feet. never ever ever ever ever use cedar chips near them.

Kitty litter should be something non dusty like yesterdays news or the wood pellets they use on the horse stall floors. Never clay or those clumping types of litter.


I have 3 of them and I love them to bits. My 3 live in a home made cage that is 5.5 feet high 4 feet long and 3 feet wide. It has 4 floors in it. And even with that much space they need to spend a lot of time out of the cage.


The american ferret association has some good reading and it also has a yahoo group you can join and learn all you want about ferrets.

Answer 2

Not counting anytime the ferret may get sick or hurt, they are required a distemper and rabies shot in most states. This is done once a year. My vet charges $30 for the exam and $10 per shot.

To me the males have a stronger scent that the females.

It is true about the wood shavings. I personally use old sheets and towels. (but keep nails trimmed to keep them from catching on the towels.) They love to bundle up in the towels and old sheets or clothes anyway. Just throw it all in the washer once a week and reuse.

As far as getting sick. I have had 3 ferrets. 2 have died of cancer and 1 has never been sick. Of the 2 that died of cancer 1 was male and the other was female.

Answer 3

I have a cheap vet (in comparison) I pay about $50 per ferret per year (that's if nothing else goes wrong) just for the shots. Ferrets need to get destemper and rabbies shots every year. Since most ferrets at pet shops and shelters have been fixed theres no difference in the smell between the females and males. Wood shavings can cause upper respritory problems. Get the book ferrets for dummies. Every good ferret owner should have one. It's full of great advice and can answer most of your questions. Also try this website. http://www.thechipster.com/fert-man.html

Answer 4

have no idea,,call the vet and ask