Does anyone here own a Ferret?

[MyDogShelby]

I don't, but just recently I have been thinking about them as pets.

If you own a ferret can you tell me a little bit about them? What are they like as pets? Are they generally good with other animals in the home?

I'll be getting some books from the library to start doing some "research" on them...I want to know everything there is to know about them before making the decision to bring one into our home:)

But I would love to read any info you have to share about them:D

[Mahooli]

I used to own ferrets and they make wonderful pets as long as they are handled well. It is also a must to get them neutered unless you intend to breed from them every year as if a female isnt mated she can die it's that serious.
I think they are wonderful but like any animal you need to make sure that introductions are done supervised. They can also get into any small hole so you need to ferret proof your house.
Becky

[katch_this]

Heya i looked into getting a ferret instead of a dog and i think they make great pets. They don't bite (often)as long as they're trained properly.

Don't know what your dogs like, they may not get on though.

I think they are great pets as long as they are mentally stimulated and trained. Thats my opinion anyways.

Good luck if you do get one!

Try these links for some practical ferret info

http://www.darwinvets.com/other_pets/ferretsaspets.htm

http://www.ferrets.org/Ferrets_As_Pets.htm

Oh and I don't know about in the US but in the Uk I would recommend people to get them from a breeder not a pet shop, unless its a very good pet shop where they handle the babies.

Anyway i'm no expert, I only know what u found out when i was considering them- glad i choose a greyhound instead but thats just me :)

[MyDogShelby]

I used to own ferrets and they make wonderful pets as long as they are handled well. It is also a must to get them neutered unless you intend to breed from them every year as if a female isnt mated she can die it's that serious.
I think they are wonderful but like any animal you need to make sure that introductions are done supervised. They can also get into any small hole so you need to ferret proof your house.
Becky

Thanks Becky for posting...I didn't know not having a female spayed could be so deadly:( I think they are such cute creatures...and never really had so much of an interest in them until just recently. But I want to be sure I make the correct decision on whether or not I will get one, so I look forward to getting some books out of the library...

Is there anything else you can share about the ferret?
Are they easy to train...are they intelligent like dogs?

[MyDogShelby]

Heya i looked into getting a ferret instead of a dog and i think they make great pets. They don't bite (often)as long as they're trained properly.

Don't know what your dogs like, they may not get on though.

I think they are great pets as long as they are mentally stimulated and trained. Thats my opinion anyways.

Good luck if you do get one!

Try these links for some practical ferret info

http://www.darwinvets.com/other_pets/ferretsaspets.htm

http://www.ferrets.org/Ferrets_As_Pets.htm

Oh and I don't know about in the US but in the Uk I would recommend people to get them from a breeder not a pet shop, unless its a very good pet shop where they handle the babies.

Anyway i'm no expert, I only know what u found out when i was considering them- glad i choose a greyhound instead but thats just me :)

Oops, I guess I posted a reply to Mahooli just as you posted katch_this...
Thanks for the links! I've seen ferrets at pet stores, but your right, its kind of like buying a dog, its best to buy from a breeder. I don't like how the pet stores get the dogs...from puppy mill breeders...its awful.

I'd have to see if there are any breeders nearby for ferrets:)

[briebabe]

hello there i used to work in a vets a long time ago and we used to treat several ferrets the males were really smelly but the females were ok but be warned if they are not handled enough they can bite and trust me it hurts alot:D and they dont like to let go in a hurry:D:D:D

[MyDogShelby]

hello there i used to work in a vets a long time ago and we used to treat several ferrets the males were really smelly but the females were ok but be warned if they are not handled enough they can bite and trust me it hurts alot:D and they dont like to let go in a hurry:D:D:D

ouch, now that is kinda scary...that is probably the thing I dread the most about a ferret, getting bit by those pinchers:(

[lassie]

No but the dogs found one the other day,, Hes now been given a nice home.

[katch_this]

If you have them from young and train them properly they apparently dont bite (Again i say i'm no expert! I'm only quoting (and probably mis-quoting) what I've read/ been told

[MyDogShelby]

No but the dogs found one the other day,, Hes now been given a nice home.
Awww, how nice...an unexpected new member of the family Lassie;) or did you mean you found him a nice place to live?

If you have them from young and train them properly they apparently dont bite (Again i say i'm no expert! I'm only quoting (and probably mis-quoting) what I've read/ been told

I think you have shared some good information katch_this, whether or not you are an expert...I thank you:)

[Sabledog]

i had 2 ferrets growing up chubbles and snow ball we got them from at petstore and they were from marshals ferrets (they tattoo and spay/nueter all of the babies) they do make wonderful pets as long as you handle them from a young age and make sure they get lots of social interaction with other pets, they usually get along quite well with dogs because they are from a canine anscestry (they arent dogs though lol) but they are smart and loving and can be litter box trained (we didnt keep ours in a cage so they had to use a litter box) its the same with all baby animals as long as you give them plenty of love and handling they wont bite, i would have another one now but my female dog is a hunter and goes after any small animal (other than cats) and i dont think she would do well wih one in the house (she gets fixated on the guinea pigs at petsmart) and make sure you give them baths often because they do get stinky!! lol

[kelsiebug]

I, myself have never owned a Ferret, a while back, I was looking into a new member that was small to add, and I picked the ferret, and my Mom said thet stank!
So... we have Sugar Glider's instad. -crosses arms- They chase Spud thru the house, and terrorize me! lol
Darn Momma, we coulda got a Ferret, now I wanna skunk. ;) LMFAO

[lassie]

Awww, how nice...an unexpected new member of the family Lassie;) or did you mean you found him a nice place to live?



)


Yes , he was in a rabbit hole bless him!. Wondered why the dogs kept hovering and barking LOL the guy that lives opposite the sports field already had a couple so he went to him. and he'll be worked which is good.

[MyDogShelby]

I, myself have never owned a Ferret, a while back, I was looking into a new member that was small to add, and I picked the ferret, and my Mom said thet stank!
So... we have Sugar Glider's instad. -crosses arms- They chase Spud thru the house, and terrorize me! lol
Darn Momma, we coulda got a Ferret, now I wanna skunk. ;) LMFAO

I've heard of Sugar Glider's...those are really small creatures aren't they? Keep pressing your Mom for the skunk:D

they do make wonderful pets as long as you handle them from a young age and make sure they get lots of social interaction with other pets, they usually get along quite well with dogs because they are from a canine anscestry (they arent dogs though lol) but they are smart and loving and can be litter box trained and make sure you give them baths often because they do get stinky!! lol

That's what I seem to be hearing about them, that they are kinda smelly animals... when I was a kid, my parents let my brother and I get 3 rabbits for pets. My father built this beautiful double sided hutch/cage all out of wood and chicken wire, it was amazing. The female rabbit (which was mine) was very clean about doing her business...she had a nice square wood bordered area that was filled with cedar and she would go in it to do her thing.. the boys on the other hand, weren't so neat. In fact sometimes when we came to clean up the rabbits cages during the day the boys had a tendency to pee and flick their rear legs...and unfortunately we got in the line of fire:o

I visited a pet supply store last year and peered over at the rabbits, they are so cute:)...and noticed that the cage wasn't lined in cedar. I think there is some other kind of product available for litter, because when I hovered over the rabbits, it didn't smell. I was so surprised...wish they had that back when we had the rabbits.

If I get a ferret, I want to know what that product is, the less smell, the better:D

Yes , he was in a rabbit hole bless him!. Wondered why the dogs kept hovering and barking LOL the guy that lives opposite the sports field already had a couple so he went to him. and he'll be worked which is good.

How kind you are lassie to find him a nice home;)

Keep the posts coming everybody, and thanks! :D

[Sabledog]

i think alot of places have switched to feline pine (kinda like a natural cat litter) or a diferent kind of wood shaving, they have found that cedar is not very good for small pets and it has toxins in the wood itself if they eat it, thats why its so good at keeping bugs away. i have had lots of rabbits too lol and yes boys are messier than girls, i had show rabbits and meat rabbits growing up and plenty of pet ones, i had a dwarf rex named Shananay (dont ask my sister named him) and he loved to swim!!! we took him outside on a leash and we had a kiddie pool just for him, he would hop right in and swim laps around it.

[MyDogShelby]

i think alot of places have switched to feline pine (kinda like a natural cat litter) or a diferent kind of wood shaving, they have found that cedar is not very good for small pets and it has toxins in the wood itself if they eat it

Well, I won't be using Cedar for sure after what you have told me about it, thank you:) From what I recall, the litter in the rabbit cages at the pet supply store was gray in color and almost looked like really tiny pieces of rubber or something...ever seen anything like that?

We had two dwarf rabbits, which were brother and sister, and one slightly larger rabbit, that was pure white (no red eyes). I don't really care for the all white rabbits with red eyes:o We had named them Cocoa, Mickey, and Sunny.
Cocoa was so pretty, a blend of gray and light brown, Mickey a blend of mostly black and a little brown, and pure white for Sunny. As they got a little older the two males had to be separated, because they started to fight, so we put a divider in their cage.

We had harnesses and leashes for the two dwarf rabbits, so we could bring them outside when we wanted.
Those little rabbits were so cute:wubsmiley:

[Phill]

I've only had one bite out of the four i've had and i think it's because he was more of a pole cat than ferret, the others i got when they were only 6 to 8 week old kits. Never had a gill (female) only had Hobs (male) true they do smell a little, the wife thinks a lot but there you go. Just handle them every day and you shouldn't have any problems and they do become very cuddley.
When they're not being mischevious. You can even train them to use a litter tray because they like to go the toilet in corners.

[MyDogShelby]

I've only had one bite out of the four i've had and i think it's because he was more of a pole cat than ferret, the others i got when they were only 6 to 8 week old kits. Never had a gill (female) only had Hobs (male) true they do smell a little, the wife thinks a lot but there you go. Just handle them every day and you shouldn't have any problems and they do become very cuddley.
When they're not being mischevious. You can even train them to use a litter tray because they like to go the toilet in corners.

Thanks for posting Phil...I'm looking forward to getting "Ferrets For Dummies" from the library to do further research before making the move to buy/adopt one...the other members of the family aren't too keen on the idea of a ferret though:p :D