You saw ferrets with friends or family and you like them. You want to have them in your house. But is this a good decision?
Do you know everything about feeding, care, and education? Can you give them a good home so they feel comfortable? Do you know what the disadvantages are?
Why to keep the ferret as a pet
- A ferret is a happy and playful animal; he stays that way till old age. He is very curious.
- He doesn’t make noise and he sleeps much of the day.
- He is little and easy to handle and requires little support.
- The ferret doesn’t smell bad.(what ever the prejudices are) Except when they empty their scent gland.
- A ferret can be very old: 8 to 10 years. The average is a little lower.
- The ferret is with a good training almost always clean.
- They like to cuddle.
- He can live together with a cat or a dog.
- He doesn’t need to be taken outside, but it is possible.
Why not a ferret
- The ferret must be living together with some of his kind.
- He needs a lot off attention and when he is awake an attentive master.
- The ferret must be played with for a couple off hours outside the cage every day.
- A ferret must have education.
- You may not be able to train him or teach him tricks.
- The ferret has its own will.
- The animal is not suitable for little children.
- They can't live together with rodents and birds.
- The ferret must have every year his vaccinations and must be spayed or neutered.
Questions to Ask Yourself
- Don't you have an allergy to domestic animals?
- Can you have a domestic animal in your house?
- Do you have enough space for a large cage?
What you must pay attention to
The ferret is very playful and curious, this mean that he goes up and under and behind everything. You must adapt your house for the ferret (ferret-proofing). You must be sure that he can not get behind or in the oven or the refrigerator. It is normal in the ferrets ‘world that he is curious about the seat of a chair. He likes to dig up your plants and you may not be able to train him not to do this.
The ferret must play every day outside the cage for a couple of hours. When you go out for a week-end or on a vacation you must bring him or have somebody else care for him. You have problems when you take him with you on vacation: running away, special injections and high fever. He must be taking care of every day, and the ferrets’ bowl must be cleaned up twice a day. The litter must be cleaned a couple of times a week. Give them food and water, give them attention. Regularly you must cut their nails and clean their ears. Ferrets can get problems with fleas, earmites and other parasites.
