I have wanted a ferret since Middle School. My old math teacher had two and would bring them in and I thought they were the coolest things ever. My best friend also had one a few years back and she was my little niece. I loved her.I probably would have gotten a couple before the suggies, but Maverick kind of fell in our lap and we needed to get him a friend so we ended up with two gliders, no ferrets.

Well, we are moving into an apartment that is bigger and allows the suggies for free (and ferrets, gerbils, rabbits, etc). The gliders would have their own room and I don't want to get a cat or dog with our limited space, but I was thinking of two ferrets. My question is, how are they as pets? I can read all I want but I want honest answers from actual owners. Pros and cons would help a lot!

Also, this de-scenting thing...is it safe for them? I've never heard of it until recently and now all adds for ferrets say "neutered, de-scented!". I feel like it would be like declawing a cat...good for us, bad for them. Thoughts?

Thanks so much! I want to make an informed decision on this!

I work at a small animal lab on my campus, we just brought in ferrets for the behavior/training classes. I havent owned a ferret but from taking care of them in the lab i know a few things. The ones we have in the lab are all de-scented as well, i have heard that it is a risky procedure but it doesnt have any ill effects on them that i have seen. They are very nice and cuddily, always want to play/come out of the cage to see you, but they do bite. They still smell even though they are de-scented. In a home situation, they do need fairly large cages and exercise since they love to play. They will be a bit smelly either way but we are used to that w/ the gliders and all. They should be litter box trained so they dont poop everywhere, they are very easy to train ive heard. Hope i helped a bit

quote:

---

Originally posted by prettyinpink5808

I work at a small animal lab on my campus, we just brought in ferrets for the behavior/training classes. I havent owned a ferret but from taking care of them in the lab i know a few things. The ones we have in the lab are all de-scented as well, i have heard that it is a risky procedure but it doesnt have any ill effects on them that i have seen. They are very nice and cuddily, always want to play/come out of the cage to see you, but they do bite. They still smell even though they are de-scented. In a home situation, they do need fairly large cages and exercise since they love to play. They will be a bit smelly either way but we are used to that w/ the gliders and all. They should be litter box trained so they dont poop everywhere, they are very easy to train ive heard. Hope i helped a bit

---

It helps a lot Smell, not an issue. Biting, how would you compare it to a glider bite? Do you know? I know they can be nippy...

Def not as pungent as gliders when they are de-scented. But, the bites do hurt when they try. The babies always play bite like a cat or dog, but when they bite hard it can hurt. No blood drawn but weve been trying to train them to not bite us. They think its a game haha

quote:

---

Originally posted by prettyinpink5808

Def not as pungent as gliders when they are de-scented. But, the bites do hurt when they try. The babies always play bite like a cat or dog, but when they bite hard it can hurt. No blood drawn but weve been trying to train them to not bite us. They think its a game haha

---

Hahaha, fun "game". My friend worked in a small animal lab and she was incharge of the rats. They trained them not to pee and poo when out of the cage...it was very impressive.

Thanks for all your help! I'm going to do some more research and see if it's a good idea. They sound awesome (even the cons aren't so bad), but we will see!

Well 99% of ferrets out there will be neutered & descented, so you probably won't have a choice unless you try and find a breeder. Most ferrets come from Marshall farms, who breeds for all the stores and for research labs. I adopted by two from a shelter at 4 months old and they were originally from Marshall's farm. One is deaf, and I don't know how, but both came essentially litter trained and never nipped except each other.

Be prepared for HUGE vet bills - adrenal disease and spleen issues are very common as is insulinoma. All of these are pretty expensive to treat and its essentially guaranteed you will face one of these awful cancers. ADV is another disease to watch out for.

Also, I'd recommend a trio - sadly when one passes, its easier if they had a buddy and hopefully the two remaining would end up passing around the same time or you could add another. This is why I won't be getting another ferret because one always ends up alone or you have to keep getting another and another. Regardless of the amount of time I can spend with him, nothing makes up for having a friend. I'm just not his size and he is so gentle with people that he doesn't wrestle - he does love playing with dogs/cats)

His sister lost a ton of weight in a very short amount of time and despite making the soonest vet visit, she passed just hours before the appointment. We believe she caught something being boarded at the ferret rescue who ended up closing(she was so careful about health/separation before, but this past time she "lost" my ferret who ended up in another cage with another group!), but the vet didn't feel it was contagious(we had Gilly examined afterwards and monitored him closely).

Definitely keep them away from the suggies as ferrets are predators. They need a big cage like suggies but the bar spacing can be wider - I'd highly recommend the Ferret Nation cage! The doors are huge for easy cleaning :)

The smell is definitely also an issue - food helps(see diet info below), but they eat a ton and then poop a ton, which is the smell that bothers me as they don't cover it like cats and you can't use traditional litter as its toxic for them. Descenting really doesn't cut down on their smell much(neutering does!)- descenting stops them from releasing their glands when they're super excited or scared. But they also produce a lot of oils that have a musky odor. I don't mind the smell of him because I wash his bedding often, which is the best way to reduce the smell, but it does bother a lot of people so make sure you are OK with it. I'd advise visiting a petco and smelling their cage - if you feed them right and wash their bedding, yours will NEVER smell that bad, but it can get quite strong and vary based on the seasons. Oh, and CLEAN their ears!!!

Also, make sure you know their diet needs - find something very high protein - you can use grain-free, high-protein/low-carb cat food or there are some good ferret foods on the market(and some not so good!), but ferret food comes in tiny bags and the high-protein cat food is what my vet recommends. He also recommends rotating foods or feeding a mix as not one diet is complete AND if one brand changes(which they often do!) you won't have to worry they won't eat(as they can be very picky and starve themselves for awhile).

Providing them complete darkness for 10-12 hours a day is supposed to help with adrenal issues, but I don't think any definitive studies have been done about it. I tried to make a cover for Gilligan's cage, but it still let light in and for the sake of making sure he was able to interact with everyone, keeping him in my room was more important even if it isn't 100% dark.

I just can't stand falling in love with something to know they won't be around very long - especially an animal with as much personality and quirks as ferrets. I'm sure there are some breeders trying to improve longevity and reduce cancers.

When ferrets bite, they can and do draw blood. They LOVE to "attack" (play) feet and toes, and some will bite onto your sock and not let go. They like things that "smell,"and get into dirty laundry, steal socks (and anything they take a fancy to, really!)

They are very playful, and can "shoot poop" quite a ways from the cage when they are upset with you. (Know this from experience. My best friend and I had 5 together.)

They can be litter trained. They love to snuggle with a buddy. They are also active at night, and some will rattle the heck out of cage to get your attention.

I know here they are required to have a rabies vaccine.

Their teeth do not continuously grow like rodents.

They can be escape artists. They may chew.

They love to be under your feet. They will get under and into your couch. They will chew electrical cords, so "ferret proofing" is a must!

I never liked the ferret shampoos and found washing them with baby wash worked best to keep the smell down.

They do smell, even when descented. To me it is worse than gliders. I actually can no longer be around ferrets as I grew to be allergic AND get massive headaches from them.

This is from years of experience of having them.

my mom's friend had ferrets when i was growing up- I hated going over there. The ferrets reeked, burrowed into her furniture, and were nasty mean creatures...

But I've also met people with gliders who were the nicest little animals, and didn't smell as bad (but still had a musk), and were confined well enough that they didn't destroy the house.

It all depends on your ability to take care of them.

I think we're leaning towards no right now...We want one...maybe eventually, but not until I get a raise or Chris gets a better job. We can handle if the gliders get sick and we have to take them to the vet, but add ferrets to that and we'd be in a jam. You just never know. Thanks for all the insight everybody!! Maybe next year :)