How much yearly is it to maintain a ferret?

Question

i want to buy a ferret for my boyfriend but i'm not sure if i want to give him trouble budget wise. are there any other pets besides a fish that arn't too expensive?

Answer 1

around $310 per year

but this list might help you pick out the perfect pet for his price range.

http://www.practical-pet-care.com/article_view.php?ver=22


Good Luck

Answer 2

Ferrets are expensive to buy and maintain. I do not keep a tally of my yearly expenses for my 3 ferts but I can tell you that they are a main expense in my budget.

Why don't you steer away from a pet as a gift? Its kind of rude to get someone a gift that is in turn going to cost them money for the rest of their life. If you insist...at least make sure he is aware of what you are doing, that way, he can stop you if he feels the need.

Answer 3

Ferrets can be costly pets b/c they need regular vet care like dogs and cats b/c they need annual vaccines. It was really costly for me to buy my ferret set-up and ferret proof my house too. Ferrets also can need emergency care (if they eat things) and are prone to a few diseases that can be costly in the long run. They make great pets, but if money is an issue, I may suggest something else. They take a great deal of care and need to be trained too.

First, does your boyfriend want a pet? I see you are being responsible by asking about care, but animals don't always make good presents unless you really know that they want one. I might let him ultimately choose too b/c he is gonna be responsible for it. I'm only saying this from bad experiences myself in the past.

Other great pets that aren't too expensive and are great fun are rats. Before I got my ferrets, I got rats. They are just as fun b/c they learn tricks and are really smart. If you get young ones, they train well and if you handle them a lot, they will learn not to bite and will be less likely to poop and pee on you. They aren't very expensive and they don't have a lot of major health problems but only live about 2-4 years altogether.

Hamsters, gerbils, guinea pigs may fall in the list of not too expensive. G. pigs and rabbits have a lot of dietary specifics that can make them a little costly and they can get sick and require vet care. They tend to live longer than rodents.

Reptiles like snakes can be cool too. Initial set-up can be costly but then they require feeding and some monthly extras. It does depend on the reptiles. Bearded dragons and uromastyx make great and fun pets, but their dietary requirements can make them costly. Annual vet care is recommended for these animals and these also live a really long time.

Hope this helps.

PS - snakes/reptiles, like all animals, can get sick. Ball pythons are actually one of the worst starter snakes, b/c they can and will starve themselves to death. Be careful when you get any snake to make sure that they are captive bred (vs caught) and are proven eaters (meaning that they have eaten a few times for the people that you are buying them from). There are so many things that can make them sick, but they are cool pets and aren't always too expensive and needy.

Answer 4

Be sure to get a ferret from a pet store only. If you are buying from anyplace else, then call a pet store and ask if its legal to have them where you are. You would be surprised at the places that you cannot legally own a ferret.

Answer 5

Get a reptile. a snake is really cool. They are not always expensive (they get from $25- to $20,000!) If you get a ball python all you need to spend is $8 a month for it's food. They most expensive thing is probably the caging and sometimes ( like with all pets) the vet. They don't get sick alot though. Just google it for care and you'll know.