Ferret Information

Overview of the Ferret

Ferrets are social creatures who are intelligent, inquisitive and persevering. They are delightful companions who require several hours of supervised play time each day. Serious thought should be given to purchasing two ferrets if you are not able to spend a lot of time with your pet. Ferrets sleep fourteen to eighteen hours a day, but can adjust their schedule to yours. Don't be surprised if you cannot find your car keys, candy or hairbrush. Anything a ferret can carry is fair game for hiding. The best toys for ferrets including mailing tubes, balls, empty paper bags, PVC piping, or toys on a string. Rubber toys should be avoided. Chewed rubber pieces can easily become lodged in a ferret's intestinal tract and cause a blockage or internal injury.

Things to consider

Remember that ferrets aren't good pets for everyone. They take more maintenance than cats and dogs, get into stuff, and most must have at least one operation during their lives for stomach blockages or cancer. Many ferrets (about 50%) get cancer at some point in their lives. Be fair to yourself and the critter. If you aren't willing to have annual shots and checkups, pay for an operation, provide safe exercise space and time, provide good quality food, then perhaps a ferret is not right for you. From our own personal experience we have compiled the following list of things which will happen and which you must consider seriously before attempting to get a ferret.

Top 10 Reasons to NOT get a ferret:

    1. Ferrets ARE EXPENSIVE TO KEEP
    2. Most Ferrets require one operation during their lifetime
    3. You can't leave Ferrets by themselves for the weekend and go on a trip
    4. If a Ferret gets out of your house, it will likely be dead within 48 hours
    5. Ferrets can catch human colds and flu
    6. Ferrets can be extremely destructive
    7. Ferrets need "out of the cage" supervised play every day
    8. Ferrets, on the whole, aren't 100% litterbox trainable
    9. Most Ferrets won't come when you call their name
    10. Ferrets are high maintenance critters who can smell bad to some people

All that being said, with good care, ferrets can be the most wonderful pets you've ever had. They are, lively, funny, playful, affectionate, cute, and they can adjust to your schedules when you need to work, but remember, they are a lot of work.