Ferret Questions

[Shadowspider]

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. 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 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.