I absolutely love ferrets, but they definitely aren't for everyone. 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. A tip, though. Feeding your carpet sharks the right food reduced the odor considerably. I use Nutro kitten chow in the pink bag, and oddly enough people have actually commented that my ferrets smelled like a musky perfume. Using incense, diffusers, and scented candles are also great for odor-eliminating in a ferret-occupied area.
2. They are higher maintenance then say, a dog or a cat. They need lots of attention, someone to spend a minimum of two 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 some 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, 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. Please do a lot of research before you decide whether or not ferrets would be a good pet for you. ;)
Good luck; I hope this helps, and if you have any further questions about ferrets whatsoever, please feel free to message me and I will be happy to assist you. :)Do you have any advice on ferrets?
There are a lot of things you need to know about them before you decided to purchase one. They require a minimum of 3-4hrs. out of their cage a day.
They require a high quality diet with atleast 32% protein, 20% fat, and %26lt;3% fiber.
They are prone to diseases such as adrenal disease, insulinioma, and having intestinal blockages from eating things they shouldn't. These can be expensive.
They get into just about everything. They like to chew on foam or rubber items which can cause intestinal blockages. They also sometimes eat fabric. Your house MUST be ferret proofed. There are websites that will show you how.
They have a smell that gets stonger the more you bathe them, so only bathe them 1 time every 2 months unless they get into dirt or something. Change bedding atleast 1 time a week to keep the cage smell down. By bedding I mean hammocks and blankets. Litter should only be used in the litter box.
They require canine distemper shots, and rabies. They can also get ear mites, heartworms, and fleas. So if you live in the south you will need prevention for them for sure. This can be costly.
Pelleted paper litter works great b/c it is very absorbent and takes care of a lot of the odor.
They have to be trained not to bite like a puppy and to use the litter box.
stay away from them because they tend to attick.
Join this forum: ferretocious.hyperboards.com
We are extremely friendly and helpful to any and all!!! We give all the info and answer all questions.
Ferrets are great but expensive pets. They need multiplatform cages, at least 3 hours out of cage time in a ferret-proof room or house. They need toys and many beds.
Vet care can be expensive, especially when you first get one, because as a baby it needs 3 distemperment shots, and then the yearly rabbies shot. If your ferret gets sick, vet bils can get pretty high, because it is an ';exotic';.
You can find a lot more info on ferrets on google and on our forum. Best of luck!
be ready to clean :)
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