Im thinking of getting a ferret?

Question

Everyone I talk to says that I dont need to get one, even after it's been descented. I think they're really cute, can anyone tell me about owning one, or anything about them, as a pet?

Ive heard they they CAN be house trained, like a cat. And the one im looking at has been descented, declawed, has all its shots, and is house trained. I just dont know, because I know that they are primarly a wild animal, and my b.f. isnt to thrilled with the idea either. He said i could get one, no probablem, he just isnt as excited as i am about it.

Do they really bite all the time, and escape easily?

Answer 1

I own a ferret, and here's my advice:

Before you buy one, check these things:

Do you have enough time to exercise/spend with him? Ferrets should be exercised at least 2 hours a day, and you need to be committed to providing them with that play time!

Can you ferret proof your house/room where the ferret is staying?? You'll need to make it safe and tidy, just as if you had a baby crawling around. Ferrets get into EVERYTHING.

Are you going to college or moving? Is your life up in the air at the moment? As anxious as you might be, sometimes getting a ferret is just not practical at a point in you life. Ferrets generally live about 7 years, so if you are going to college within that time, or something like that, consider you plans for then. Will you have to ditch your ferret in a shelter? Don't rely on relatives/friends to take up the ferret for you when the time comes. Will you still go to a college if you can't bring your furry friend? If so, I would suggest waiting until after college when you won't have to desert your ferret.

Now, of course, the cost. Are you financially prepared to take on a ferret? I don't want to scare/discourage, but I do want to be truthful. Many ferrets do develop a medical issue, and all ferrets will need to be vet checked yearly. Can you pay for any unexpected medical fiascos? Or will you be forced to avoid medicine for your buddy because of costs? If your budget is low, I would NOT suggest a ferret. Ferrets are costly: they need a well-maintained, large cage, food, PLENTY of toys, plus vet bills, grooming, treats, etc.

When you've considered the above, learn all you can about ferrets first. Don't rush into the decision, you've got time. Read books, magazines, articles, talk to other ferret owners, spend time with ferrets, visit pet stores, etc.

Good luck with your decision!!!!!!!

Answer 2

Owning a ferret is big decision. They are great pets if you have the time a dedication to train them. Do they smell YES even after they have been descented. All ferrets have a naturally musty smell to them but with proper care they don't smell your your entire house. The more you bathe a ferret the more oils it will secrete and the more it will smell. Bathe a ferret once a month that will suffice. Marshalls sells a product called Daily Spritz. Spray them once a day not only is it ferret cologne is conditions their hair and makes them incredible soft.

Please do not listen to people who have never had ferrets and go spread the unture rumors that ferret smell and poop everwhere. ferrets were actually one of the first domesticated pets. It is very simple to train a ferret. They are pretty much just like cats they are naturally trained to use a litter box. It is human error that confuses them and causes them to make mistakes. First thing you want to do is buy a large highback litter box (square in shape) Do not use the corner ones or round ones. The best litter to use it horse stall pelets called Equine Fresh (about $4 for a 40lb bag) if you do not have store around you that sells them try wood pellets they do a much better job of absorbing the odor. Also they sell stuff called Bi-odor you just put two pumps in their water bottle and it reduces the odor of their feces and urine. The biggest mistake people makes it using bedding on the floor of a ferrets cage (such as Yesterdays New (brand name) or just the shredding cardboard looking stuff) DO NOT DO THIS. it confuses the little guys they think it is litter. put towels or old blankets on the bottom of their cage. Ferrets are clean animals they do not want to sleep where they go to bathroom. Their food and litter should be kept on opposite sides of the cage.

Another way to reduce the smell is to clean the litter daily or everyother day. I have a diaper genie and small pet waste bags. I scoop the litter everyday and put into the bag and into the diaper genie. twist and the smell is gone then at the end of each week I dump the diaper genie and the litter box cleaning both throughly with HOT HOT HOT water.

Ferrets are sleepers for the most part. 18-20 hours a day but the 4 hours to 6 hours they are up it is HARDCORE playtime. I think sometimes they bounce off the walls literally. But trust me the 4 hours they are up are so worth it!!!!! They are furry slinkies.

As far as biting that is how ferrets play. Their skin is much thicker than a humans so they do not mean to bite hard they just don't know the difference. They can be taught to not bite out of anger only in playfullness.

The best suggestion of all is buy "Ferrets for Dummies" even before you get your ferret it will help you make a very educated decision. You don't have to read it from cover to cover just find the topic you want more info on.

Good Luck!!

(And trust me your B.F. will love them once he interacts with them mine didn't like the idea at first and now we have 4 he claims they are HIS ferrets)

Answer 3

My family always had a ferret when I was growing up and I think they make great pets. We would let it run around the house and also cage it when we were not around. We had ours litter trained. They need less attention then a dog or cat but yet have a lot more personality then a hamster or guinea pig. As long as you clean the cage regularly they do not smell.
Growing up I had nothing but a great experience with ferrets. Everyone that came to our house usually change there opinion too.

Answer 4

well, my first bit of advice would have been to have it descented, because they smell so bad, even if you bathe them daily. My aunt had one for years and she was constantly bathing it and it just always smelled! Other than that, hers was extremely friendly and playful. I don't know how most ferrets are as far as biting goes, but I don't think theirs ever bit any of them once, and they are a family of 6 who had children at the time. They bought a big cage for it, and it never escaped once. Now, they did let it out every few days to run around the house, and once they get loose they're FREE SPIRITS!!! That thing would run and prance around the house all day if they let it, and he could get into some pretty tight spaces. I know they really enjoyed having theirs for years, and other than the smell, they never had any other problems with it. Good luck, and who knows...your boyfriend will probably love it more than you do! :)

Answer 5

My Daughter had 3 and they OK. One (Albino) was descented. She keep them washed regular, and had to clean the cages regular, they were in the house. We interact a lot with our animals. So, the ferrets went outside when we did and stay around us. Great snake killers. Only once we see this, but, they took on a copperhead snake and had him down. Real exciting to watch and after as we tell people a man tell us how he has used ferrets for "snakers" (As he called it) for years. Ours actually went to a litter box behind the toilet when loose in the house.
We give them a ferret food, but, as we also had 2 cats they also ate cat food with no problems. Fresh water every day or two. We used water things similar to what Hamsters use.

Answer 6

Yes, they bite and they smell awful. You CANNOT bathe the smell away, you just have to be accepting of it.

They are very crafty and can escape through tiny, tiny holes anywhere.

The poop constantly- one ferret is tons of work!

I love mine, but they aren't good pets for everyone! They are not rodents and cannot be caged all the time, mine is never caged, I think it would be like caging a cat!

Do you have your own place? Then it would okay, but if you don't, don't do it.

Answer 7

Well.. they tend to be nocturnal - which isn't very fun if you're required to keep it in your room, as I was when I got one when I lived with my parents. They are NOT smelly if you bathe them about once every other week, but their bowels smell something rank - so you have to religiously clean out and sanitize the litter box if you don't want to deal with it. I think they're cute, and they're fun.. but they're not nearly as sociable as something like a dog or bird and they can be quite mischievious. It really just depends what you're looking for in a pet.

Answer 8

They're are incredibly cute, but they cannot be trained. Think of having a squirl in your house.

Answer 9

Here is the 'go to' site. It will have all the info you will need. With a little reading you will learn a lot from this site.

http://www.ferretuniverse.com

Answer 10

I used to date a guy who had one, and it burrowed into his couch. It chewed through the fabric and would sleep in the couch so sometimes you would sit and the couch would start moving under your calves