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Would a ferret make a good pet for me?
Grimm
Registered User regular
Registered User regular
I'm considering getting a pet ferret. I live all alone and just thought it might be nice to have someone to come home too at night and i've always thought they were pretty interesting. Another reason is I live above the local bar that we all go too after work. Most days i'll go straight there after my shift and before i know it, its 9:30 at night. I figured this would be a good way to keep me from doing that by giving me a reason to actually go straight home. Before i make the big decision of having another living thing rely on me, i figured i would ask if anyone here had any first hand experience with them. My biggest concerns are
1: cost - annual medical bills, food, cages, etc
2: how much damage they can do to your home - i've read that they like to scratch at doors, try to tunnel through carpet, and go to the bathroom anywhere they want even after being litter box trained.
3: amount of time you need to interact with them each day - how much time they need one on one interaction. i dont mind letting it have the whole place to roam around in while im home, but how much time do i need to personally spend with them.
I've been reading everything i can find online but i alot of websites just seem to keep contradicting each other. So if those of you who have actually had some hands on experience with the little fur balls could pass on a little wisdom, i would really appreciate it.
1: cost - annual medical bills, food, cages, etc
2: how much damage they can do to your home - i've read that they like to scratch at doors, try to tunnel through carpet, and go to the bathroom anywhere they want even after being litter box trained.
3: amount of time you need to interact with them each day - how much time they need one on one interaction. i dont mind letting it have the whole place to roam around in while im home, but how much time do i need to personally spend with them.
I've been reading everything i can find online but i alot of websites just seem to keep contradicting each other. So if those of you who have actually had some hands on experience with the little fur balls could pass on a little wisdom, i would really appreciate it.
Grimm on
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1. I haven't got the numbers off the top of my head, really, but I recall the animal himself costing around $120, plus vet bills for vaccinations and so forth. As far as food and cages and that sort of thing, I'd suggesting having a look at a pet store's website. We usually use PetsMart, but whatever's close to you. They'll have prices on there, which should be at least good enough to get you a ballpark estimate.
2. The damage they can do will depend on a lot of things, ranging from temperament to how well trained they are to how much free reign of the house they have. Whatever area you let him out in, be it an entire apartment or a room or a portion of a room, you'll want to 'ferret-proof.' That's gonna mean making sure there's nothing they can chew apart and choke on (soft rubber objects and so forth), latching shut any low-level cupboards you don't want snooped around in, sealing any holes in anything below waist-level, and generally being prepared to have anything that's still in there pooped on or whatever. Basically, you want to imagine you're prepping the area to be played in by a very nosy two-year-old who has a habit of trying to climb out of the house through the dryer ducts.
They will dig at the carpet in some cases; the area we had set aside for my ferret was basically a large alcove blocked off from the rest of my bedroom by a baby gate, and after moving him elsewhere and taking down the gate I found a little hole he'd dug in the carpet trying to burrow under the gate.
The pooping issue will vary a lot with training. They can be litter-trained like cats, but generally not quite as well, and you'll want a litter pan in just about every room he can roam in. Even then, if you haven't drilled him enough, be prepared to have him just pick a corner at random instead of seeking out the one with the litter pan in it. Being a small animal, cleanup isn't too bad and there are assorted sprays and so forth you can use to get rid of the smell/keep him from going there again, but just be aware that the frequency of 'accidents' is pretty much up to your training, and that even with really good training it'll happen from time to time, especially if he's out of the cage unsupervised.
Also be aware that, as the other post mentioned, they smell. They're closely related to the skunk, after all. There are things you can do to minimize it (females smell less than the males, you can have the scent glands removed to reduce it, there are deoderizers you can put in his water to reduce it and shampoos/sprays you can use on him, etc.) but it's always going to be there to some degree. If it helps, you personally will get used to it pretty easily, living in it and all, but your guests may not (I was really strongly acclimated to it for a while, since I slept in the same room as the ferret cage. It was not uncommon for a friend to walk into my room and make the most terrible of faces at a scent I literally did not register at all.)
3. They're very social animals. Ideally, if you're getting a ferret, you'll want to get two so they don't get lonely. If that's not an option, he'll probably want to play for at least an hour or so a day. Less won't kill him by any means, but if it's a lot less you risk having him become lonely/bored/depressed. You won't have to be playing with him constantly by any means, either - they sleep on average around 16-18 hours a day. But definitely be aware that he'll need attention on a daily basis.
I think they go for about 150$ here. The only problem i have with your suggestion is that while i can see what the food cost, i have no idea how much of it i will need per week/month/year/etc. Im more concerned with vet bills though anyways. A few different websites have mentioned it being common for ferrets to need surgery and a lot of shots.
I've come across the term 'ferret-proofing' many times in my research and im not to worried about it where i live. The only thing i think im really gonna have to do something about is all my tv, video game, computer, stereo cables, etc. I just dont it destroying the carpet and pissing the landlord off. As for the poop, how much do they make? I mean, is it like a dog but on a smaller scale or more like a pile of little pellets like a rabbit.
This is another of thing im worried about. I'm sure i'll get used to it, but is it going to be so bad that i should basically forget any chance of having a lady friend over or again pissing off the landlord?
The amount of time they spend sleeping was one of the selling points for me. Right now i can expect to be working only 40 hours a week, but sometimes thats not always the case. I figured i would be gone from about 6:30am till 5:00pm. I would then be able to let him have full run of the apartment and play with him for awhile. Is it unreasonable to think i'll be able to let him loose in the apartment while im doing something online, watching tv, playing a game, etc? Or should i expect to keep him in constant sight at all times outside of the cage?
It seems alot of people i've talked to suggest that. The only problem is i don't know if i can handle two. Since they are so social and like to explore new places, i thought i would let him go out with me sometimes. Train him to walk on a leash or ride in the back of a hoodie for example. I just don't see myself being able to control two animals at the same time. Either way, i think i would rather have it bond with me instead of another ferret
However, cats are nice too
Yes, i have gotten some pretty good advice here and i thank you all for that. I know how a ferrets personality can be troublesome and have no problem with that. I'm more concerned with my ability to care for the animal.
That said, many animals do just fine alone, and if you think you can devote a good amount of time to your pet, then by all means!
I think you'll find, too, that even if the care is a lot of work at first, it quickly becomes routine as long as you make a habit of it (cleaning, daily feeding, etc).
One last thing: maybe consider checking your local humane society. They often have small pets looking for homes, but lots of people don't realize this.
What I'd be careful about is, it's very very very common for them to get expensively sick as they reach middle age. Adrenal disease, I think, is especially problematic, as are tumors. If you're getting one, make sure you keep a substantial vet fund available, because it's not fair at all to get a pet if you don't intend to take care of it "in sickness and in health," kind of like a marriage.
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1. Smell: I have never smelled her ferrets, ever. She said she washes them in a special shampoo, but I'll see exactly what she does and relay it back here.
2. As for tearing the place up, it ranges from ferret to ferret. The only problem she had was the scratching of carpet, and she stopped that in the beginning.
3. Poop and pee: The people who had ferret shit everywhere obviously didn't know how to take care of ferrets. My cousin just gave them a small ferret treat everytime they went in a newspaper covered corner, and within three days, that corner is where they went, always.
4. Ferocity: They can be pretty hostile, but just pick a docile one.
5. Time spent: You should really spend at least one hour a day with them, one-on-one interaction (playing and such). And I wouldn't really reccomend letting them roam the house (unless you are there), since there are a lot of nooks and crannies. Ferrets also like to chew on cables, so don't let them behind your computer.
We got it home, and it turned into the bloodthirsty spawn of satan. It was frenzied and attacked any flesh on site. One day it broke out of it's cage while my roommate was napping in his room. He awoke when it's flying leap landed it onto his chest. It bit his upper lip and tore it completely in half from the bottom of his nose all the way down through his lip.
We got rid of it very quickly.
Basically what I'm trying to say is spend a lot of time with it before you buy it and make sure you know what it's temperment is like.
Ok new advice... buy a hamster.
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