want to become mom to a ferret....

[pandora's lily]

hey i was just cruisin' around, i didn't know that there was any other topic besides the tropical fish, am i glad there is though! i'm a happy mom to three horses, two cats, and three dogs. my cat, marmalade, is my baby, i wonder how he's gonna act with a new addition aka, a couple betta fish....anyone out there have a ferret? i would absolutely love one, but want to make sure that it would be a good idea first, do they get along with dogs and cats, at least mostly? any success or unsuccessful stories to share?

 

[Shadowpearl]

I think this is worth look at. Ferrets are hunters: Mink without the coat: Teeth with fast legs. Not for the faint-hearted

http/www.ferretsanon.com/FerretInfo/read...dyforferret.htm

 

[crazie.eddie]

I love ferrets. I use to have 2, that died of old age

They're fun and got along with my dog. The ferrets are easy to train to go in a litter box. Then you can let it outside the cage and let it roam around like your cat or dog, but I wouldn't recommend it, since they like crawling into tiny crevaces and stuff. I would just keep a good eye on them when you do. They're kind of goofy and kind of run in a drunkin state. They have a slight smell, but it will be reduced a little bit once you nueter/spayed them.

 

[pandora's lily]

thanks for the website, it was good, i already looked over it, the more info the better, and thank you ed for your story, i'm sorry that you lost yours, but the advice is very much appreciated.

 

[Sharoane]

I highly recommend getting a ferret or two! I've had many over the years. The last of mine died this past year of old age and I just haven't had the heart to get any more.

Ferrets and cats get along fine. The cats might be a little intimidated at first, but I think they'd be fine. I'm not as sure about dogs, so you might want to supervise all interactions very carefully. I didn't have a lot of luck potty training mine and I think that they do better in a cage when not supervised. Ferrets aren't the brightest and they love to get into EVERYTHING and it's not hard for them to get into messy jams.

Anyway, if you need any ferret advice, let me know!

 

[MAM]

keep in mind the scent factor. ferrets are kind of cute, i've even considered them. i wouldn't be too worried about how THEY will get along with your other pets, its your other pets i'd be worried about. What type of dogs do you have? have your dogs displayed prey drive? (chase rabbits, birds, cats,etc). i have miniature pinscher, a ratter basically, so even though she has never been around small critters, i don't trust her instincts to not to kick in if the ferret were to be loose in the house.
a coworker of mine had two. they were such characters. they were litter box trained and leash trained. but then they decided to get dogs and had to rehome the ferrets. please keep your dogs in mind on this one as rehoming ferrets isn't always easy.
good luck!

 

[pandora's lily]

two of the dogs have been moved to homes outside and the only dog left in is a lab retriever who is seven and the absolute biggest baby you could ever imagine. he's never so much as chased a cat....and yeah i saw a woman who had a ferret named olivia and she was litter and leash trained and was so adorable

 

[Sharoane]

Ferrets do have that ferrety smell, but here are a few tricks to limit the smell.

Clean the cage as often as you can, wash the bedding in the cage (hammocks, blankets, toys), and occasionally wash the ferret.

Dogs outside?

 

[freshwatergal]

Funny you should mention this...I just got a ferret no more then 4-5 weeks ago. I also have 2 cats. At first 1 cat was very shy, always staying in a different room. But after about a week of that he came out of his shell. Cat #2 kept an eye on him, following him whereever he went. Anyway, now they all get along fine, if the cat's don't want anything to do with Oliver, then they just get up higher then him.

If you buy a ferret that was breed by Marshall Farms, they come to the store fixed and descented. You can tell this by 2 tattoo dots on their right(?) ear. That in and of itself saves a lot of money. When Oliver gets to smelling I just give him a bath. I just use tearless baby shampoo, which is fine, and cheaper then ferret shampoo.

I have also found it difficult to litter train my little guy. Although I will admit that I haven't been trying that hard. It is reccommended that you have a litter box for them in a few rooms in the house.

Anyway, now I am rambeling, so I will shut-up now. If you have any other questions feel free to ask.

 

[pandora's lily]

Yeah our dogs have a doghouse and pen outside, they're actually quite happy, better than they were in the house, they are definitely energetic.

fwgal, do you know where marshall farms is located? i'm in CT so i wouldn't know if its even close to where i live...

i'm also a little worried, one of my cats is pretty old, she's 18 now and sometimes has a little trouble moving around and she can't really get away from anything quickly....

 

[freshwatergal]

I got my little guy at the pet store where I work. I'm gonna say that most pet stores carry Marshall Farm ferrets. I want to say that the farm itself is in NY, but I might be wrong.

Here is their web site: http/www.marshallpet.com/home.asp

You could always let the ferret out, and if it starts to bother your older cat, put him back in his cage as sort of a punishment. It's not mean or anything, it's just telling him/her that that is not allowed.

Good Luck

 

[pandora's lily]

thank you very much for that website, all i need to do now is find a certified store near me that carries them!

another question. how much room do they take up? i have a very small room, my horse's stall is bigger, and some of those ferret homes look pretty big. my mom's not really crazy about the idea of me keeping a ferret in our living room (or of me getting one at all) , where do you keep yours?

 

[freshwatergal]

Well, for right now he's living in a pet carrier (the type you would carry a dog or cat in), but I know eventually I will need to get him a bigger house. I live alone in a small apartment so I don't have to worry about anyone else not wanting me to have him. When he is a kit, you could probably get away with a smaller cage. I have been warned to stay away from the multi-story cages, mostly because when a ferret has to go he has to go. He will pick a corner and it doesn't matter if it's on the first story or not (if ya know what I mean). They really don't take up much more room then a cat, IMO.

It shouldn't be hard to find a store that sells marshall ferrets. One more thing you can do after you get your guy is call Marshall and ask for a catalog, and they will send you lots and lots of free samples! (If only fish people would do that!!)

Good Luck and feel free to PM me if you need anything else.

 

[endparenthesis]

I had a ferret a long time ago. Most important consideration would be ferret-proofing the house. Recliners and refridgerators are deadly (of course you don't want them in the fridge, but I'm talking more about getting behind it and messing with the mechanisms). Their skull is the only thing preventing them from oozing into crevices like an octopus so every little hole has to be found and covered up. Boisterousness mixed with bad eyesight means you have to be extremely careful about falls from high places too, especially stairs with open railings. Really it's probably safer to just have an area of the house it'd be restricted to when it's out of the cage (which should be quite often). Some books and websites should cover it all but it's good to know the dangerous stuff right away.

Also, I had a multi-story cage and she never used anything but the litterbox.

 

[jrosler04]

Ferrets are WONDERFUL!! I have 3 of them...2 sables & 1 albino!!

They do stink..but... you can't resist the little buggers!!

The only thing to worry about is..they are THEIVES!! Watch your keys & socks..they can end up in the strangest places (like under the bed or dresser)