Ferret Questions

Hey all you ferret owners or those who have thought about getting a ferret.

A few questions:

1. What do you consider the pros and cons of owning a ferret?
2. What do you think of clothing designed for ferrets? Like it? Don't? Why?
3. Walking harnesses...can they be left on a ferret 24/7 like you would a puppy? What about a collar with a bell?

Thanks.

I've never owned a ferret myself, but I've cared for them quite a bit in stores and at the zoo (educational animals). Here's what I would say:

The pros would be how playful and smart the little buggers are. They are so cute to watch and fun to interact with. Just be sure to get them young so you can train them out of the bitting stage, or get an adult already trained. Either way get them from a trusted source.
Cons would be that you have to bathe them at least once a week or get the scent glands removed (unnecessary but lots of people look into it) especially with males. They are the consummate escape artist, and can get into ANYTHING so you have to ferret-proof your entire home, rather like having a destructive toddler. Also, you need the biggest cage you can afford, or you have to take them out for exercise and play time quite a bit. They need companionship and attention.

The clothing...it's just like the clothes for dogs: totally unnecessary. Mostly it's made for girls who want to dress up their pet all cute. Leave that stuff on too long and it will be shredded in no time. Plus the difficulty in getting it on them in the first place...it's not for nothing my BF calls them furry slinkys.

No, those harnesses should not be left on all the time. Heck they shouldn't really be left on a dog ALL the time, but I know it's for training purposes. Collars, harnesses, and other such things are put-on-when-needed, take-off-when-not items. Since ferrets can compress themselves to fit into the smallest spaces, if they have something around them all the time they could get it twisted and choke. Ferrets are so much like little babies or toddlers it's not funny. :)

Hope that helps.

Thanks for the tips. I didn't know about the weekly bath thing, I heard it maybe nessicary, but not to over do it.

Also I am considering getting one from a petstore. Yeah yeah yeah I know, but they look very young and I believe come from Marshell Farms, so they are usually altered and descented at least here in Ohio.

So thanks, if anyone has anything to add that would be great.

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Originally Posted by Reptilian

Hey all you ferret owners or those who have thought about getting a ferret.

A few questions:

1. What do you consider the pros and cons of owning a ferret?
2. What do you think of clothing designed for ferrets? Like it? Don't? Why?
3. Walking harnesses...can they be left on a ferret 24/7 like you would a puppy? What about a collar with a bell?

Thanks.

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1. I'll just list the cons from my past experience with owning ferrets.
They are master escape artists and "ferret proofing" your house is an enormous task... and an on going one.
They can squeeze through an opening an inch wide (get the idea how difficult ferret proofing can be? ;) )
They have an oder even if they are de-scented.
If you play rough with them, expect them to play rough back (and they're much better at it than you are).
Even the best litter trained ferret won't always use the litter box.... if he/she decides at that moment that the box is too far away.
They do NOT make good pets for children (remember the playing rough thing... a ferret's jaws lock and don't unlock until they are darn good and ready to unlock them)
You have to bathe them every week. Yes that IS necessary.... truuuuust me. ;) You *will* need an appropriate "shampoo". I always use/used "Oatmeal conditioning all breed pet shampoo". It is NOT an actual "shampoo" because it does not contain soap and *that* is what will dry and irritate your ferret's skin, or any animal's skin for that matter. It is an all natural moisturizing cleanser the rinses clean and does not leave a perfumed scent behind.
They WILL try to get to your snakes and kill/eat them if given even a remote opportunity.
They are excellent thieves and will take off with anything from your slippers, watch, ear rings and even the potatoes and hide them in the hole they made in the bottom of your sofa that you didn't even know was there.
There are others but my brain is nearly mush right now.

2. Clothing... never used it, never saw the sense in it. They're animals, they have fur, they don't need a jogging suit. They should NOT be taken outside in extreme weather, and "humanizing" an animal in general just kind of bugs me.

3. Walking harnesses... only if you can find an actual ferret harness (they're not cheap). You can NOT use a cat, rabbit or similar harness for a ferret. Their heads and shoulders are more slender than their body and thus, they can squeeze out of a harness very easily. A collar with a bell.... don't even waste your time, they would have that off in a heart beat and it would either be a toy or would disappear for the next 10 years until you moved your fridge and pulled up the old tile to replace it, thus noticing the little cubby hole they made in the wall that extended to your sub flooring and, hey, waddaknow.... there's that dang collar.... and that $50 that came up missing back in 07 that I blamed my S/O for swiping.... oops!!!!.
As far as leaving a harness on ANY animal 24/7 :O why on earth would you do that???? That's a good way to cause a lot of problems (hanging and/or choking/cutting off circulation being only some of them). You should not leave a harness on any animal 24/7. Plus, with a ferret, they will try everything to get it off... from chewing it to death to chewing on themselves.
Permanent harness=bad idea.

P.S. I see in your sig that you have rats and mice... a ferret will try and "play" with (eat) them as well.

ferrets pros there cant be any cons with something that cute.

cons read above.


its cute i just ordered the bomber jacket

no do not keep harnesses on 24/7 if they get caught on something and you cant find them or hear them that can mean big trouble.

collar and bell same thing unless its a break away

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Originally Posted by Shadowspider

P.S. I see in your sig that you have rats and mice... a ferret will try and "play" with (eat) them as well.

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Thanks for the info both of you! Yeah that is a concern for me, so maybe I'll wait till the rats and mice pass on. Ferretproofing seems like a huge job. I'd be worried they get stuck behind the fridge or something. What are some ways you can ferret proof wires? My idea was to get some thick clear or colored hose and cover the wires that way.... I've read they need shots, yearly. For rabies and something else...that's another concern.

It's so hard to get over the cute factor though......


Off to think more. Thanks again.

Yes, ferrets need their vacs just like a cat or dog, however, there *are* things that ferrets are prone to, I'll have to look it up and get back to you with the specks because I can't remember what it's called at the moment.

I have not owned a ferret since marrying my second husband and having kids (he doesn't care for ferrets and, as I said earlier, they don't make good pets for kids).
Ferret proofing is indeed a huge undertaking!!! :O The best thing you can do is, don't let the ferret have the run of the whole house. When it is out and about, always have it in your sights and be actively playing with it. If it opts to play with your cats, keep an eye on all of them as ferrets can be bullies and bitey ones at that.

Wires, uggg. What I did was, I tapped up all wires for the TV stereo, VCR etc. to the back of the entertainment center, then secured a piece of press board onto the back of everything where the wires were.
Insulating the cords in heavy tubing is also a good idea, but either way, you *will* need to keep an eye on a ferret. They are very sneaky and very fast and are often hell bent and determined to do what *they* want and ignore you altogether. :O

I've had my ferrets get back behind the fridge as well as the stove and I gaurentee you, that only happened once!!! It can be difficult to completely secure every possible cubby hole in your entire house and the kitchen can be one of the hardest so, keep them out of the kitchen. Oh, and they're very good at opening cupboards too so.....keep them out of the bathroom. ;)
Have designated rooms for the ferret and have designated "out" times when they are out of their cage and zooming around the living room.

I've been reading that ferret food (dry mix) spoils quickly. Is that true? Is there anyway to prolong it, by putting it in airtight containers adn maybe freezing it, then thawing out what is needed the night before?


I know wet/moist food will go bad very quickly, so to remove that as soon as they finish.

I do best buying all of my animals food at the beginning of the month (we when get paid), so I will buy a big bag of cat food, the rats mixture and blocks all in the beginning of the month. So I'd be buying a big bag of ferret food at the beginning on the month.....

I can't tell you anything about pre fab ferret food as I never fed it to mine and know nothing about it (heck, I don't even know what's in it). I always fed mine a species appropriate raw diet.

Ferrets are the schiznit. I have two. Only bad thing is getting them to use a litter box when you let them run and you have to bathe them about once a week but dont' over do-it, their skin dries out really easily. And I HATE the clothes.

Ferret 'dry' foods are not entirely dry, that's why they spoil faster than regular dry pet kibbles. Ferrets are total carnivores, which is why you were warned that they would "hunt" the mice and rats, even the snakes to a point. Refrigerating the food would be alright, but don't freeze it as that destroys the nutrients. At the zoo, we fed the girls a base diet of ferret kibble with a different meat source each day. Some days we'd give them crickets chilled but not frozen in an egg carton with hay as a kind of toy. It was so much fun watching them grab the crickets as they wandered out of the carton. :)

I'm glad someone knows about ferret kibble! :D
I always fed mine raw meat of various types (organ and muscle meat) and F/T feeder mice and rats...and fish, especially salmon and sardines (raw of course)... two great sources for omega 3 which is very good for their skin and hair.

they are prone to adrenals decease . one of mine passed away from it. no fun

the food does spoil fast i put it in containers and put it in the freezer. also look for innova evo ferret food. its on of the best out there unless you can get wysong

here is a site for it
http://www.craftycreatures.com/forfe...chetypal1.html

and once a month i will boil a game hen for them and let them "play with a mouse". in a controlled enviornment of course.

Oh yeah, ferret health issues, duhhh, I was going to dig them up from my dust covered files.
Anyway, here's some of the more common problems that can effect ferrets.
*Note I said "can", not "will"*
You DO want to make sure that you get a good healthy, sound ferret though from either a reputable breeder or reputable rescue, just like any other animal you get.

* Adrenal Disease
* Heart Disease (Cardiomyopathy and Congestive Heart Failure)
* Epizootic Catarrhal Enteritis (Green Mystery Virus)
* Insulinoma (Islet Cell Tumors)
* Lymphosarcoma
* Skin Tumors
* Splenomegaly (Enlarged Spleen)
* Gastric Ulcers and Helicobacter mustelae

I had 2 ferrets that came from Marshall Farms. They already are nuetered/spaded and descented. You can tell if it is from Marshall Farms as they will have two dots tatooed in thier ear. And yes, just because they say they are descented does not mean they won't smell. Just like any animal it requires alot of work.

If you are going to keep them in a cage then be sure that for a few hours every day they are out to play and roam. this will tire them out a bit so they are not so restless when in the cage.

Be sure to put litter boxes and corners of rooms since they like to go potty in corners. To help keep the smell down make sure you clean the litter boxes a couple times daily. And bath them about once every two weeks so it doesn't dry or damage thier skin.

and not only they are masters at escaping and disappearing, they also are master thieves. Don't leave your car keys laying around where they can get them or you can kiss them goodbye for a while.

Also if you want to get more then one it's best to get them very close to each other. If you get one and just one it might become more territorial and when you try to add another to your family the older one might not like it too much. They will also play extremely rough when playing.

I really miss my ferrets. I had to surrender them to the SPCA after a storm last year flooded my basement destroying thiere cage and all thier stuff as well as about $20,000 in other belongings. For like a week and a half I had to keep them in a cat carrier. It was very hard for me to surrender them but I couldn't take care of them while I had to rebuild my basement and recoup my losses

Ouch, that sucks. *Comfort*

I know how you feel, tho. I ended up giving my G.Pig to the local rescue because I just couldn't give him the time and attention he needed. Which is why I now own all animals that are mostly "self sufficient" or don't need a lot of human interaction.

The basic rundown is that ferrets are rather like owning a puppy: a very tricky, messy, and uber-playful puppy. You have to give them quite a bit of attention and care, but they are worth the effort because they are so cute and sweet (once they get used to you). It's the same commitment as getting a dog, but without the space or noise issues. :D
All in all, ferrets are great little pets. You just have to research and shop around like you would for any new animal. Good luck.

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Don't leave your car keys laying around where they can get them or you can kiss them goodbye for a while.

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LOL One of my ferrets took off with my house keys. It took me a month to find them and when I did, I found them in the BOTTOM of the box of laundry detergent!
Don't ask me how Spaz accomplished that one, to this day I have no clue.

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Originally Posted by Shadowspider

LOL One of my ferrets took off with my house keys. It took me a month to find them and when I did, I found them in the BOTTOM of the box of laundry detergent!
Don't ask me how Spaz accomplished that one, to this day I have no clue.

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it's quite amazing what the little buggers can do.

I had a ferret who would drag everything under my bed. When I put her away I'd have a stockpile of toys, shoes she could drag under there, and once my wallet. As far as "ferret-proofing" as long as you have one room, or an area of a room you can secure you are set. And instead of washing a lot you can change the bedding more often (washing a lot can dry out the skin and cause them to produce more oils and such). They are very entertaining to watch and it's suggested to have two as they will play with each other.

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Originally Posted by Reptilian

Hey all you ferret owners or those who have thought about getting a ferret.

A few questions:

1. What do you consider the pros and cons of owning a ferret?
2. What do you think of clothing designed for ferrets? Like it? Don't? Why?
3. Walking harnesses...can they be left on a ferret 24/7 like you would a puppy? What about a collar with a bell?

Thanks.

---

1. pros- of course they'er cute, they pick one corner to potty in becuase of this they are easy to litter train (pine litter only), and very very smart, if buy bulk at a feed store (live stock feed store) a 6month supply 50lb bag only costs around 25$ (as soon as you open the bag store food in zip lock bag in fridge). cons- because they are so smart they get board easily and look for entertainment and they are escape artist (trust me!), if you have a female that's not fixed when she goes in heat you HAVE to breeder her or fix her ASAP or she will get an infection and she will die I worked for a bad breeder when I was 15 and sadly we had many ferrets die because they weren't breed fast enough, they also have to be desented or every time they get stressed your house will smell worse than a skunk they are cleptos and for some reason they only like things you value, taming takes time and a high pain threshold (they have very sharp teeth and when they bite they "lock on" and twist), they are pron to uppre RI, they also need yearly shots i.e. rabbies.
2. & 3. think of it like trying to put clothes or a leash on a cat, you can do it but it only causes stress and they will more than likley hang them selves trying to get it off.
If you have the time and money these little guys make great pets.

One day Misfit got out and let my other ferret Hunter out after three hours of looking I went to get something out of my desk and found two sleeping ferrets, a hacky sack, my keys to the livestock pens, two stuffed animals, a dish towel, a couple crackers, and a banana (don't know, don't ask) they had torn the back paneling off half my desk. Hunter was fixed but because of his age the vet said he couldn't desent him (fun) he went through this faze for about 4 months where he would spray in his sleep, bad dreams were my guess. Hunter was a bobtailed panda (he had a blue/sliver head and butt and a white middle and a stump for a tail), and yes he was born like that. Hunter got his name because he spent half his free time running in circles looking for his tail. Misfit was a sliver and he got his name because he spent 2 yrs in a pet store when ever some bought him they brought him right back, said he liked to bite (it didn't bother me because my job at the time was taming baby ferrets) no one wanted him so Misfit it was. I had my ferrets for close to three years and had to find them and two 6' iguanas homes when I got kicked out the day I turned 18; even though it was only for three days my car was tooooo small for me, 2 ferrets, 2 lizards, and a pit. I still have the dog. Sorry for the long post but I was reminising. To further answer your questions ferrets are kinda like todlers they will make anything a toy, and never think that it can't get in there, or it woun't steal or play with that; I'm telling now they will.

Ummm, huh?
In 20 years I have yet to meet a ferret that only poos in one corner, especially when they're out of their cages.
What kind of food are you buying that you can get 50 lbs. of food for $25? That screams poor quality to me.
"Only" pine litter? Care to elaborate as to why you come to this conclusion?

Thanks everyone for your imput. I am going to start a ferret fund and begin saving for my little guy or girl. I do enjoy hearing everyones experiences with their ferrets.