Ferret Care - is it hard and difficult?

Question

I was about to get a Ferret, when people told me they are hard to take care of - others, on the opposite side, said they're just about as easy to take care of as a hamster...Help? Please post only serious comments, if you are either 100% sure or have own experience.

Answer 1

If the ferret is socialized it won't bite, but they do like to nip, they don't understand that it hurts us.

You'll need high protein ferret food, they need 36% protein levels or higher, so most cat food won't work. Dog food would starve them. You need kitten chow or ferret foods.

You need a vet that's familiar with ferrets too, they're considered exotic animals and not all vets are trained for ferrets.

You'll need the largest cage you can get, these animals require exercise every day. They use a litter box but are not even 80% dependable when outside the cage to go back and do their business in a box, they want to back into a corner and do it there. Be aware of this if you have wall to wall carpets.

They need at LEAST an hour of exercise per day out of their cages. You need to ferret proof EVERYTHING!!!! If it's the size of a quarter, they can get their head in, and if their head fits in, their body will too. This means blocking off the backs fo the refrigerator, stove,dish washer, dryer, washing machine, NEVER using a recliner chair if the ferret is out, making sure the ferret is not INSIDE the couch when you sit down. Make sure they can't get into the air and furnace ducts. NO holes under the kitchen cabinet overhangs (mine found that the first 5 minutes he was out for the first time). No holes inside your mattress from the underside of the bed.

They can climb. You'll find them up on the top shelf of your closet if clothing hangs almost to the floor in there. They'll eat any gerbils, hamsters, birds they can reach (they are predators). They WILL repot all your plants and attempt to tip over and empty ALL garbage containers.

They are not cats or dogs. They can see only 3' away but their hearing and sense of smell is phenominal. They will stink (they're mustelids, they have scent glands and heavy body odors). They will try to tip over all food and water bowls, so get the non-spill dog types. If they find anything rubber they will try to eat it, which causes severe life threatening vet problems--NO rubber bands, rubber gloves, balloons, rubber dog toys, etc. should be allowed in their reach.

They will take dry and wet food and try to hide it behind or under things, so watch out for that. They steal small moveable items like watches, socks, jewelry, pens, kotex, books, shoes, car keys - anything they can carry, and try to hide those in small places.

No collar will stay on them, their cheek area blends with the neck so there's nothing to stop a collar from sliding off. Figure 8 harnesses can be pulled out of almost that fast too. A figure H harness should be used with a leash, which has two separate buckles, but be prepared for that to slip down to their groins in one tangle if they pull and twist enough. Be very cautious when you have them outside, because of this.

Also be very cautious around dogs, most dogs think these smell like wild animals and terriers and hunting dogs will go for the ferret very fast.

They are not afraid of anything but the vaccum cleaner (sensitive ears, they can't stand the volume). They are trainable but it takes a lot of patience. The more you handle them the easier they are to handle, but some never get out of the biting/nipping stage.

They live about 6 years before dying of cancer, unfortunately. Our pet stock came from fur stock in the USA, they were bred for generations to produce a coat, not for longetivity,so they usually self destruct within 6-8 years. One that reaches 10 years is ancient. In Europe their stock was for hunting so 15 year lifespans are normal there.

They are prone to two very expensive diseases--Aleutians and Adrenal. It cost about $1,000 to fix either one of those.

They HAVE to be spayed before their first heat if female, or the hormone shift usually causes cancer that will kill them. If male, they need to be neutered or they'll stink to high heaven and get more aggressive.

Be aware these are high maintenance pets that are not cheap to keep. Get the book Ferrets for Dummies, it's good. Join some ferret bulletin boards and talk to owners.

Be aware that ferrets bond to people and go into depression if given away or re-adopted out. They do this far more than dogs or cats, you can have one give up the will to live if it's bonded to you or to litter/cage mates and then circumstances change. You need to be the owner for life, if you're considering a ferret---these are not and have never been 'throw away' pets.

Answer 2

Its consistant! Only a mature 'kid'/teenage/adult would be able to take on all the responsibilies that come with having a ferret, they include.

4 hours of playtime outside of its cage
food and water provided the entire day
cleaning out the litter pan twice a day
teaching the ferret to use the litter pan or/and not to bite
cleaning the entire cage and bedding once a week
Also being very knowledgeable about ferrets in general, the certain do's and don'ts

I'd say they require more time then a cat or a dog.

Answer 3

no, they honestly are not hard to take care of and i am only 15. i've had my ferret for about a year. all they need is somebody to play with daily, somebody to clean their cage weekly (more if needed), somebody to make sure they always have food and water. if you have had a hamster, i'm sure the only difference you will realize is that the cage will take up more space and they are more lovable. you do have to play with them though, you can't just put it off because they are naturally playful animals, almost like puppies! when it comes to the smell, mine is in my room (not too big) and the smell isnt horrible if you keep up with the cage. actually most of the time you wont even realize it. they do have sprays that you can spray on your ferret and it's toys to help with the smell. just make sure it says you can spray it on the ferret and it wont irritate it's skin. i think a ferret is a great pet, hope i helped.
good luck!

Answer 4

Ferrets are NOT 'easy' pets at all. They are also expensive to keep. I think that I can safely compare ferrets to a puppy or kitten that never grows up. I highly recommend that you research 'ferret proofing', ferret diseases, and general ferret care BEFORE purchasing. I have some sites listed in my profile that you can check out. I also have recently checked out http://www.ferretuniverse.com and I have found that site to be suitable for owners or would be buyers. If my memory serves me correctly I also think they have a message board.

Answer 5

No, not like hamsters at all! They aren't rodents. Rodents are their natural prey food. They are more like a puppy that never grows up.
And just like puppies or kittens, a kit (or baby ferret) will bite more often out of playing and testing limits. Tell them NO! firmly and stop playing with them. They'll learn quickly. The majority of ferrets outgrow biting unless they've been mistreated or haven't been handled. Even they can learn not to bite with a great deal of loving and patientice.

Housing: We let ours roam the ferret proofed house but put them in the cage at night. Mostly in case of fire and so they don't find trouble. They need a MINIMUM of 4 hours a day out of the cage though, if you decide to use a cage. The bigger the cage, the better. But keep in mind some cages are very tall and you must modify them with hammocks so if your ferret falls, it won't be injured.
As for bedding, you can use anything from an old blanket or t-shirt, to spending hundreds on hammocks and hanging cube sets.

Use of litter boxes is essential. They tend to use the rectangle ones better than triangle ones and the bigger the better. Some people use a tote box with a large square cut into the side with great results, if your cage is big enough. One or two litter boxes in the cage, and more scattered around the house where you've found accidents is ideal. Some ferrets use the litter box perfectly. Others never get the hang of it all the time, kind of a hit or miss situation. Good thing they aren't the size of a Great Dane! Never use clay or any clumping/crystal cat litters. They can cause upper respiratory infections and can become impacted in the anus or urinary tract. Use types like Yesterday's News (cat type is cheaper than ferret but is the same thing). Never house them in wood shavings due to serious repiratory problems, even though you might see them in petstores with wood shavings. They much prefer curling into an old sweatshirt or blanket and it helps potty training to avoid covering the bottom of their cage with wood shavings or other bedding material used for rodents anyway.

Diet: They are carnivores. This means they ideally require a raw whole prey diet. If you don't want to feed raw, there are good ferret foods out there but you should do your research. Some good foods are:
Wysong archtypal 1 or 2, Innova (kitten food), Natural Gold, 8 in 1 Ultimate (the other 8 in 1 brands are bad), Barking at the Moon (dog food), for examples.
Always use a blend of at least two kibbles (dry food) since ferrets imprint on foods at a young age. If the manufacturer of a food you've fed your ferret for years suddenly changes the ingredients or it's no longer available in your area, you will have a very hard time getting your ferret to eat a new food. Feeding a blend at least will keep your ferret eating the other type you mix in it's diet.

We also feed Duck Soup, which is a blend of slightly cooked whole chicken, egg, olive oil, Nupro, etc. depending on the recipe, mixed in a blender or food processor. I freeze the whole batch in ice cube trays, then put the cubes in freezer bags and heat a few with a little water in the microwave for a warm nightime meal. This is mainly used for any illness when they are less likely to eat. Sometimes ferrets refuse to eat due to illness, depression due to a loss of a ferret buddy, or human friend. If they've been taught to eat duck soup before this occurs, it may save your ferrets life. Our ferrets come running out of any hiding spot when I call "Soup Time!" which is a great way to find them without crawling all over the house.

Ferrets also need some type of hairball treatment. Since they can't cough up hairballs like cats, they become a blockage which must be treated by sugery most of the time. The best type is plain old petroleum jelly with a little Ferretone or olive oil for taste if needed to get them interested. Other types usually have too much sugar and sugar is very unhealthy for ferrets and can lead to disease.
That's another reason to get 100% meat based treats. Nothing like raisins, cheerios or dried fruit like some books say is alright to give. It's just not healthy for them and can cause blockages that require surgery. Ferretone is great for a healthy treat and as a training aid that keeps their coats nice and shiny.

They are very intellegent and can learn tricks and to come when called. But like a cat, it's more at their whim and not yours. This also means they bore easily so they need enrichment like daily walks, new toys (even a box or bag is a toy for them) and change their bedding around in the cage.

They need yearly vet checks. They need distemper vaccines especially since it is always fatal for ferrets to contract distemper. Rabies is also usually advised. And though a lot of vets think ADV testing isn't required, I believe it is. It's a terrible way for a ferret to die and it is contagious to other ferrets. By age 3 it's a good idea to have bloodwork done at least yearly from then on to catch diseases before they become life-threatening .
Another thing I'd like to add is they overheat so easily! Temperatures over 80+ degrees can lead to a dead ferret, so please keep that in mind when taking your ferret outside.
As the ferret ages, you're looking at more vet bills and probable surgery, adrenal or insuloma disease, so please consider having a savings account set aside just for that purpose.
As you can see, ferrets are not an inexpensive pet.


Grooming:
The more you bathe, the more the oil glands produce, the more they smell.
We give ours baths about every 3-4 months, but some people do it 1-2 a year and others never bathe their ferrets. They love a good brushing with a soft bristle brush and it keeps shedding down. They usually shed 2 times a year and you might be suprized to see your ferret changes color with the season or when they age.
They need their nails trimmed once a week or once every two weeks depending how fast they grow. Same for ear cleaning and teeth brushing.
They get a red waxy buildup in their ears, but if you see black it's a good sign of earmites, which must be treated by a vet.
In my opinion, they don't smell any worse than a dog or cat. The litter box odor isn't any worse than a cats either, just different. And if you change and wash their bedding weekly, keep the litter box cleaned once or twice a day, there is no reason they won't smell wonderful. Some people compare the smell of ferrets to Fritos or grape soda! In petstores, they tend to smell more due to inclosed spaces, not cleaned often enough, and fed a poor quality ferret food. Poor diet has a lot to do with a smelly ferret.

Ferrets certainly have brought a great deal of happiness to our home with their goofy antics and cuddles. Though some ferrets never like to cuddle. It's said males like to cuddle more and females are more active, but that's really up to the ferret and not a real guidline.
Ferrets aren't for everyone, but for the right owners, they are a constant source of joy and amazement.

Answer 6

im pretty sure you have to squeeze some gland of theirs once a week...pretty gross.

plus they are vicious.