Clean small mammals ?

I have ferrets and I absolutely adore them. Out of all the small animals I've kept, they are easily my favorite. Mine are litterbox trained (both in their cage and when they are free in the house - though accidents do happen!), leash trained, and know a handful of tricks each (this week we are learning chase your tail!). They are incredibly smart, and have fantastic personalities. Some people think that they are "smelly" but with a proper diet, and with daily cage cleaning, I actually like how ferrets smell. They have a kind of pleasant scent to them, I think, when they are being properly cared for. They are just they funniest little creatures, and form fantastic bonds, both with you and with each other. Plus they are just adorable. They wrestle and chase and run into things and are just the sweetest. They also travel pretty well (if you're going somewhere that allows ferrets).

But they are definitely not for everyone. They are very high maintenance, and require a lot of attention. It can be frustrating breaking them of bad habits (like digging in their litter box, tearing up their bedding, etc.), and they will often find new ones if they get a little bit bored. They live decent lives. Mine have all lived between 7-10 years. But they are prone to health problems. I have had multiple vet visits with all of my fuzzies.

Ferrets!!... hands down :) I have 3 and absolutely adore them.

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I would cross sugar gliders off the list, they are messy and from the ones I have seen can smell up a room instantly with their urine.

Sugar gliders only smell if they 1.are not neutered.(unneutered males can smell WORSE than ferrets) 2. Are fed a diet too high in protein. Idk about messy tho...the two we had here at the store made no messes at all. As far as poo and pee, you can sorta "train" them to go poo and pee over a trash can when you take them out from a nap in your pocket.:)

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Originally Posted by satomi325

Chinchillas are really clean animals. They have no odor. HOWEVER, they poo up storms! They cannot control their bowel movements, so they are constantly crapping every few minutes. They are clean, but messy animals.

If you want a litter trained animal, I would go with rabbit or ferret. Although rats can be litter trained too. My first generation of breeder girls retired as pets and took to caged life with a litter box immediately after living in a rack their entire lives. And rats only poo on you if they're stressed. If they feel comfortable, they don't really poo during handling.

But as the 'ferret person' of the forum, I'll always suggest a ferret. But make sure you know what you're getting into. They're not cheap to maintain and are prone to many health issues.

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Very important to note this if you consider a ferret. They are prone to insulinoma and adrenal disease. To help prevent these illnesses, you must consider either a completely RAW diet and/or the best ferret food on the market - Wysong Epigen 90. These are the only 2 acceptable diets for fuzzies, in my opinion.

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Originally Posted by Shann

I have ferrets and I absolutely adore them. Out of all the small animals I've kept, they are easily my favorite. Mine are litterbox trained (both in their cage and when they are free in the house - though accidents do happen!), leash trained, and know a handful of tricks each (this week we are learning chase your tail!). They are incredibly smart, and have fantastic personalities. Some people think that they are "smelly" but with a proper diet, and with daily cage cleaning, I actually like how ferrets smell. They have a kind of pleasant scent to them, I think, when they are being properly cared for. They are just they funniest little creatures, and form fantastic bonds, both with you and with each other. Plus they are just adorable. They wrestle and chase and run into things and are just the sweetest. They also travel pretty well (if you're going somewhere that allows ferrets).

But they are definitely not for everyone. They are very high maintenance, and require a lot of attention. It can be frustrating breaking them of bad habits (like digging in their litter box, tearing up their bedding, etc.), and they will often find new ones if they get a little bit bored. They live decent lives. Mine have all lived between 7-10 years. But they are prone to health problems. I have had multiple vet visits with all of my fuzzies.

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I agree with all this. A ferret is my first recommendation, hands down. Once you've had one, there's no going back. But they do require a lot of time and attention. Also, they don't smell nearly as bad as a lot of people think. They'd gotten a bad rap due to the prevalence of a poor diet. MANY ferrets - most ferrets - in captivity are from Marshall Farms. Marshall's also makes ferret food. It is a fish-based diet and ferrets can smell notably on this diet. If fed a raw diet or Wysong Epigen 90, they don't smell. Diet is everything with ferrets.


I also have 2 sugar gliders. Suggies are great pets, but they can NOT be litter trained. They will go whenever and where ever they please. And diet is huge with suggies too. And it is not as easy to prepare. They need a variety of fresh fruits and veggies nightly in addition to their special suggie diet which is easiest to maintain if purchased online in powder form. But you'll have to order it and it can be rather expensive. They may be smaller, but suggies are a lot more work than ferrets.

Do southern flying squirrels (or any squirrels really) poop as much as chinchillas or other rodents, or can I handle them without too many accidents?

I've got a friend who's brother has flying squirrels but about the only thing I remember about them is that they sleep all day and are active all night.

What about a munchkin cat?

My girlfriend has a prairie dog which is actually a great pet and she poops in just one area of her cage. Still messy but more manageable. Prairie dogs require a lot of work though but it is so rewarding she is a sweet heart and an awesome exotic small animal

I had a Short Tailed Opossum for about 6 months before we moved. In short, he was not as tame/calm as I had hoped, and much stinkier. Pare that with a more complicated diet and I will take a rat or a Virginia Opossum any day.
They are not pets that will bond to you IMO, regardless of what people say because of their solitary lifestyle in the wild.
Besides, STOs have the same life span as a rat.

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Originally Posted by MarkS

What about a munchkin cat?

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Nah brah, I've already got two cats lol and mom doesn't need any more. (I do want a bengal cat though... some day.)

Sticking to the theme of exotics though, I was wondering if was possible to handle a flying squirrel or a sugar glider (or whatever pet that is brought up) without too many accidents, as well as have an animal that doesn't drop dead after a year or two like a rat.