Help with potential FERRET pet?

Question

Are ferrets easy to potty train? Do they bite? Are they loving? Can you let them run around your house all the time, or do they have to be put in a cage? Do you recommend a ferret as a pet? Thank you!

Answer 1

I love ferrets, but they definitely aren't for everyone. If you purchase from a good breeder; they are generally potty-trained by the time you get one.

I recommend caging them when you aren't watching them, are sleeping, or are out of the house, simply because of the trouble they can get into. And whether or not I recommend a ferret as a pet depends on the person who I am recommending them to. I've owned four of them, and here are some of the pros and cons.

Pros:
1. Very playful, smart, and affectionate if trained well and handled regularly from a kit.
2. Enjoys human interaction, and is often good with other animals. Mine would romp with my cats and small dogs without even the tiniest hint of hostility between them.
3. Can be trained to use a litter box.
4. Very fun to watch them run around the room dooking, dancing, getting into mischief and otherwise enjoying life.
5. Can be a great apartment pet for someone whose landlord doesn't allow dogs or cats.
6. While they do need to be vaccinated, they aren't 'disease and bug ridden'. Most of them are actually very clean, and for every 20,000 cats that get rabies, 10 ferrets do.
7. While their up-front cost is expensive, they seem to be cheaper to keep over-all than a dog or a cat.
8. No matter how bad of day you are having, it is impossible not to smile with them running around excitedly, trying to get you to join in their games.
9. If you have a rodent infestation in your house, it will be no longer. Ferrets are exceptionally good mousers.

Cons:
1. As I am sure you've heard, they DO have a natural musky odor to them. However, the smell actually really doesn't stay on the ferret, and if someone cleans out their cage and litter box every day or every other day, then they hardly smell at all.
2. They are higher maintenance then say, a dog or a cat. They need lots of attention, someone to spend hours a day with them playing and keeping them out of trouble, and they need to have their litter and bedding changed a minimum of five days out of the week.
3. They will never be 100% on litter training like a cat will. They will occasionally have an accident, and if someone can't handle that, this isn't a good pet for them.
4. They get into EVERYTHING. I always say that if beavers are the architects of the animal kingdom, then ferrets are the interior decorators. Cupboards will need child proof locks, you will find them in places that it astounds you they could even reach, they will dig up potted plants, they will "reorganize" their cage, they love stealing phones, remote controls, car keys, pencils, feather dusters, water bottles, and anything else they can get their paws on. Ferret comes from a Latin word that means "little fur thief". This is not a cute little moniker. This is an omen. Putting things up and out of the way of a ferret will become a way of life.
5. You really need to get two or three of them. Most of them don't do well alone.
6. If ANYTHING goes wrong in the handling or training of a kit, you can have a monster on your hands. They need to be nip-trained, played with, and handled for hours on end when they are babies to make sure they are the friendliest they can possibly be.
7. They are illegal in a lot of areas, and there is a heavy fine for anyone caught with them somewhere that they aren't allowed. In California it is a 2,000 dollar fine per ferret.


Over-all, if someone has the right household, then the pros definitely outweigh the cons. They certainly aren't for a lot of people though. They need to be with a very tolerant, responsible, patient owner who is tidy enough to keep up after them but not so much of a neat-freak that they get upset when the ferret decides to demolish a roll of paper towels all over the living room floor. But to be honest, the biggest thing that a ferret owner needs is a sense of humor to deal with these pesky yet adorable little critters.

Good luck; I hope this helps!

Answer 2

1. Ferrets normally choose to go in their litter pans. (Though they like to poop in corners.) Sometimes you'll run into the stubborn one who would rather go on his bedding. It's always fixable with some training though.

2. They bite when they're babies. It's not a very painful bite though. (They bite same way a kitten or puppy bites when they're babies. Except it's much less painful.) You just simply teach them not to bite. Most of them outgrow the biting phase anyway.

3. Some are cuddlers, some aren't.

4. You *can* let them run around your house all the time, but it really isn't safe for the ferret. They LOVE to explore EVERYTHING and can easily get crushed in a box spring, recliner, or find a way out of the house. The easiest thing to do is to buy a decent sized cage for it's down time. (Ferrets NEED a cage.) When you want it to come out (Which should be at least 4 hours a day), you can buy one of those 8 or 11 pannel ferret playpens. You can also buy it a leash and harness if you would like to walk it around the rest of your home.

5. I, personally, recommend a ferret as a pet. They're fun and funny creatures and are not that much different from dogs and cats in their personalities.

A couple important things you should know, if you don't know them already is that: The medical care/basic needs of a ferret cost about the same as a dog. Also, some people say they stink, some don't. It depends on your sense of smell. Personally, I don't think ferrets stink and I don't mind their scent at all.

Answer 3

I don't suggest letting them have the run of an entire house 24/7. If you have a room available for them, that is great. They are fairly easy to litter box train, but it takes some time on your part. Litter boxes should be put in corners as they like to back into corners to "potty". They will try to bite, but it can be stopped easily by telling them no and keeping a spray bottle of water handy to squirt them when they do it. When I had ferrets, they were in a 3-story cage when I was away from home and let run loose when I was inside. They will get into potted plants and can squeeze into holes you would not expect them to be able to. They sleep about 14-18 hours out of every 24. I highly recommend them if you have the time to put into them.

Answer 4

Young ferrets are easy to potty train, but it's easier just to leave newspaper in the corners where they like to potty. They bite as much as dogs do. they can easily be trained not to bite. DO NOT let them run around the house all the time. they're tiny, and can get into almost anything or easily be stepped on. You need to have a cage for them. You also need to have time to let them out of their cage for supervised play time. One ferret needs at least three hours of out of cage play time a day, with two ferrets, you can get away with around two hours out of cage a day.
I would definitely recommend a ferret as a pet, but make sure you do your research first. They're fabulous pets, but they do require a certain amount of care. They also have a different kind of body language than cats and dogs, and have special nutritional needs.

Answer 5

It's not hard to potty train ferrets, but you have to be consistent. Newspaper work well and should be placed in a corner of the room. Smear some of the ferret's poop on the newspaper and every time you see your ferret backing up in a corner to poop, immediately put the ferret on the newspaper to let him/her know that's the right place. There should be a litter area for ferrets in each of the rooms that they have access to in the house. The ferret should learn in 3-4 weeks time to use the newspaper.

Ferrets bite playfully, but they may bite harder because they don't know that it can be painful. Every time, you ferret gets too crazy and bites harder than he/she should, pick the ferret up and gently flick his/her nose with your fingers. With repeated reinforcement, the ferret will learn not to bite too hard next time.

Your house needs to be ferret proof because ferrets can and will get into everything! Trashcans, behind the refrigerator, etc. They are like toddlers and are very adventurous. So, you need to monitor them. They can run around the house for a few hours a day to play, but the rest of the time, they should be kept in a cage.

Ferrets are loving animals, but not quite as interactive with humans as dogs or cats. They can be great pets, but they are definitely not for everyone. I do recommend them as pets if you don't mind having a little buddy get into your stuff all the time. They can be trained to do tricks, too. (Mine does) They can be better pets than dogs or cats if you only have a few hours to spend with them because they can entertain themselves. :)

Answer 6

Ferrets are great-- they're smart, friendly & *extremely* playful. We had one for over 7 years & loved her a lot. Ours bit when she was a baby (in play, like kittens or puppies do) but she learned quickly that 1 bite would bring the play session to an end.
Litter-training was more of a challenge, but once she learned she was meticulous about using her box. Regular baths & cage-cleaning kept odor under control. Some ppl do give their ferrets the run of the house 24/7 but we only let her out under supervision &when she got tired she's return to her cage by herself for a nap in the hammock.

Answer 7

Potty training is pretty simple if you do it right and well. They're loving, but they're playful, so they will play bite and sometimes it hurts. You can put them in a cage or let them run around, but it's good to have a cage for them, even if you don't put them in it all the time. They like to get into many things and chew stuff like cords, so you will have to keep a watchful eye on them if you don't cage them ever. Do research on them before you buy one. They are more work than people realize. They get annual shots like dogs and cats and things like that. I recommend them if you want a playful, fun pet but don't want to go as far as a dog or cat. Many people think they stink, but a HUGE majority come with their stink gland removed and they don't smell. Make sure you keep their cage clean and the litter box or it'll stink, but that's common sense.

Answer 8

O my ferrets are like my children. they have such aw some personalities and are so inquisitive. they make good pets as long as you can accommodate your life style to them. they need a changing enviorment so you'll need to have a cage that can be changed around like the Marshall Folding Ferret Mansion from PEtco or something along those lines. i would say for first timers a adult ferret is best. Marshall ferret food is what i use for my pets. its around $17 (us) but it last me about 3-4 weeks for 2 adult ferrets. they are semi nocturnal if you ask me but will play any time of the day. i let my ferrets out of their cage and the wander around my living room for an hour or so. most ferrets sleep from 18-22 hrs a day. they smell a little musky but if you keep their litter box clean it will be fine. their urine is like cat urine so its very ammonia smelling (and harmful for pregnant women). i have a boy and a girl ferret and personally i wouldn't have just one because they seem to be happier with a companion. i buy cat toys with bells and shiny things for them. like like to steel my socks nd hide them behind the couch. ferrets like to poop in corners and it can be projectile so make sure and buy a litter box with raised side. i hope you enjoy them! (theres a ferrets for dummies book in petco too)

Answer 9

You have to really keep you house, the cage and the animal itself very clean. Ferrets are smelly animals and will stink up your house if you're not careful.

Answer 10

You should let them round your house like you would a dog. And yes, they bite. They're vicious creatures, I wouldn't recommend one if you have children in the house. They can be loving, but it takes time and patient to tame them.