I have had ferrets since my first year in college, waaay back when they were still illegal in most states, but not in Texas.

If you do decide on getting one, consider contacting a ferret rescue and saving one or two. So many people buy one and then dispose of them, these rescues are overflowing with them, many of the ferrets are very young.

My two were sent here after they were seized from a puppy mill/drug trafficking operation, found in cages with the skeletal remains of others, they have become very social,friendly, and very clown like.

The oil secretions that condition their skin and coat produce a musky odor, proper diet, clean bedding, and litter box, are very important, or they can become very stinky!

Things I know about ferrets.....which isn't much


most of the ones in the pet trade in this country are from the same large breeder

female ferrets will die if they aren't bred when they go into heat (which is why it's standard to have them fixed before the pet stores get them....

they are evil (but that's just an opinion XD)

and that is the extend of my knowledge....

I dated a guy for a while who had 2 of them that were quite entertaining. Although, they were very well provided for - he had countless yards and yards of tubing running all around the walls of his place, and hammocks for them, and very nice cages. They LOVED to runs those tubes (which were clear plastic - of course - it would be no fun if you couldn't see them too!)

Even as well cared for as they were, they still smelled!

Yes, there are sooo many of them given up to rescues because of smell and biting. In Toronto they became very popular, and then actually there was a by-law passed against selling them. Primarily because they were an extremely common pet with street kids and panhandlers, and it was considered a public safety thing, I think. Not sure what the current status is there.

Like any pet, I've seen some awesome ones, and some... not so awesome ones. They are smart little buggers though!

 Quote: Jamie Craig

Things I know about ferrets.....which isn't much


most of the ones in the pet trade in this country are from the same large breeder

female ferrets will die if they aren't bred when they go into heat (which is why it's standard to have them fixed before the pet stores get them....

they are evil (but that's just an opinion XD)

and that is the extend of my knowledge....

Most ferrets sold by pet stores have been spayed/neutered at an early age, usually 4 weeks, and many are very young when sent to the pet store. They are actually considered “working animals” in many countries, the UK uses them to hunt rats. When young{ a kit} they are very playful, much like puppies with lots of prey drive. They will pounce on you, jump on your feet and grab ankles, all in prey/play. I think people confuse this with them being evil, but all the ferrets I have encountered have been very friendly, you just need to understand how they play. I know Senator J. McCain devoted an entire room to his ferret.

My husband ,when he was younger found an albino ferret running loose outside.He kept it,illegal at the time. He has pictures of him clinging on his dogs neck. Not sure how long he had him. One place you can look for a ferret is the local animal shelter. Sometimes one would be brought in at our local shelter.

 Quote: phaedra rieff

They are smart little buggers though!

When we had two of them the little one would teach the big guy how to do things that she wasn't strong enough or big enough to do herself. We thought we had ferret proofed the upstairs bathroom for them and so we would leave them to play in there for awhile. We came back one day to find that Sugar had taught Rudy how to open cabinets and they had shredded 4 rolls of toilet paper. They were quite happily war dancing through it having a good time when I opened the door.

Great pets but their cage HAS to be cleaned just about daily to keep it from reeking. My mom's allergies didn't agree with them either.

The fact that ferrets are illegal to hunt with in the US is one of the reasons they, as pets, don't live as long and generally die of cancers or disorders. That and if you feed them raw they do MUCH better than fed kibbles. (who would have thought)
With ferrets though it is hard to convert older ferrets to mice. Kibble destroys their ability to deal with sugars and digest properly.

We have two ferrets that we started as tiny babies on mice and they are pushing 10 or 11 yrs old now. They are suffering the beginning of "old age" troubles but already have outlived many. Also, like any raw fed, their poop is much more tolerable.

In england they are kept in outside group housings. The males and the females kept separately.....put together for breeding. That and they are fed rabbit and also hunted. Obviously they are NOT spay/neutered as infants either. Huge reasons why they live to 20.

As pets they are hugely active and time consuming. They will very often NOT use a litter box and it is a matter of finding where they are going potty and putting a means to keep that area cleanable. Left to roam your home they will eat or try to eat anything and thus often die from ingesting undigestibles. As for playing with dogs and cats.....unless you have a truly large and fierce animal it is the ferret that will bully the others, not the other way around.

My father, who unfortunately was a bit of an animal collector, brought a ferret home one day. She was a cool little critter, but was always stashing stuff in her "condo" that Dad made, (car keys and such..) She used to give te dog a run for his money...wasn't afraid of anything.

The reason I have steered clear of these types of pets is that they tend to be more time/expense than you think. The cages that are sold for them are usually not adequate. I got my daughter a guinea pig when she was younger because it was one of the few pets allowed on base. We googled them to see what types of veggies we could feed her. I was horrified to learn that the standard cage was, (and I quote), "like a cat being forced to live in a litter box". I built the damn thing a two story condo that had about 16 square feet, (out of sheer guilt), spent more time at the farmers market shopping for her than I did my family. And, of course, she lived FOREVER...lol. And then there was the hermit crab she brought home from the beach...

Oh I know, I let my son get a bearded dragon and he was the most complicated and expensive pet I have ever had. Crickets and veggies and housing and lighting, and then he just died one day with no warning or illness.

We have been talking about making a cool planted tropical paludarium and doing frogs or something, but I feel like that will get complicated and expensive too.

After reading all of this and doing some research I have fully decided a ferret is not for us at this point.

As cute as he was and as fun as he seemed I just forsee a nightmare of losing him in the house, or smooshing it or the little thing being electrocuted or something.

Loki gets persnickety with the Cats, I would have to keep him separated totally from a crazy little ferret.