ferrets-HELP ME!!

[PineappleMama]

And double check your city regs. Some places don't allow ferrets. It would be a major bummer to spend the money to get all the supplies and a little guy only to have to rehome him. And no, just because a city bans them being kept does NOT ban the pet stores in the city from selling them.

A quick call to your local Animal Control would probably help, and if they are allowed they may be able to offer a hint as to local fosters/shelters/etc that have them.

P.S. Check Petfinder.com too!

 

[amyparrotflock]

if you have a choice I'd go with English Ferrets over Marshall's.

Less allergies, less problems with adrenal disease, and you have to get them from a breeder, which may be a drawback.... but better in the long run.

 

[thebritt]

Quote:
This is very true - set up their own bank accounts or get them pet insurance. The vet bills can be quite extreme!

 

[chickensioux]

I had ferrets for years. They are a bitter/sweet pet. It's cruel (to me) to keep them locked up at all times but can be little terrors when running loose. Mine dug holes in the carpet to burrow underneath, you can't have house plants that they can get into, they do take things and hide them. They do smell. Mine only used a litter box when in their cage otherwise they pooped and peed anywhere. They also crawled up under the comforter of my beds to sleep and poop. They tore holes in the bottom of the cloth under the sofa to sleep inside of the sofa. I don't mean to make it sound terrible but I think I am way more tolerant than most people would be. I have talked many people out of ferrets because I feared they would just live their lives locked up in cages. They are very cute and if trained not to nip, they can be very sweet. You have to decide what you will tolerate or not tolerate
Here in Hendersonville, NC there is a pet shop called Fish and Pets and they carry them most of the time.

 

[millebantam]

There must be a lot of unwanted "stink weasels" out there. I see them often in my area at auction barns. They all seem really cute and friendly, and they usually sell for 5 to 7 dollars each. I think a lot of people get them based on the "cuteness" factor, then after they have them a while realize how difficult it can be to live with them. They just aren't for everybody.

 

[Joz]

Friend of mine had 2 ferrets (and 2 rabbits, 2 cats, and a great dane). The ferrets would hide socks, keys, t-shirts, anything interesting that they could carry, up inside the couch, which they'd torn a hole out under so they could get inside the frame, and then in the top under the cushions so they had a "back door". They smelled bad, and eventually my friend figured out the couch had started to smell as well.....

And one day she came home, and the ferrets had killed one of her rabbits and were eating it.

So. If you've got other small fuzzy pets, be careful.... ferrets are definitely predators, no matter how cute and sweet they are.

 

[Tam'ra of Rainbow Vortex]

I have three (well, 2 are my room mate's) and we love them dearly, but I can't argue a bit with anything said above. I read somewhere that all ferrets are frustrated interior decorators trapped in the bodies of weasels-yes, they WILL destroy every piece of furniture you own. My Koto, an exceptionally well behaved ferret, made a tunnel through the mattess of my hid-a-bed couch. And packed off a family of rubber duckies, and dug up my umbrella tree, and dug at the carpet in my bedroom, and pooed in my box of printer paper, and stole dog and cat food every chance she got... But she also curled up on my feet each morning while I brushed my hair and came out from where ever she was when I went to bed to snuggle up next to me and sleep under the covers with me (picture a twin bed holding 1 average sized human, 1 85 lb dog, 1 cat, and a ferret, all sleeping soundly... it was cozy!)

The best ferret-keeping tips I can give from my years of experience:
-older rescue ferrets can be sweet (my darling Koto was found, abandoned, in a snowy parking lot)
-if you get a good one who respects the idea that pooing everywhere isnt ok, it will still pick a few favorite corners-not the same you pick- and they will likely to be impossible to put conventional litter boxes in. Koto chose narrow spots behind doors and I became adept at turning disposable aluminum pans (like from lasagna) into makeshift boxes all over the house. Invest in pliers if you don't already own some.
-put a bit of poo in each new box to prevent it from becoming a toy instead of a toilet.
-Never underestimate their ability to get into places they shouldn't be. I have a friend whose ferret TWICE somehow escaped and found its way into the walls of the house. Yes, literally inside the walls. He is a carpenter, and he still can't figure out how the weasel did it. Any time you let them go loose, watch them for at least 10 minutes. They will find at least a dozen things they shouldn't have that you missed when preparing to let them out.
-Finally, get the biggest cage you can fit in your house. If it must stay inside while you work/sleep/have guests, it will be much more tolerable if it is not in the bare minimum space. Yes, they are always asleep when you see them at pet stores, but they are a lot like kittens-when they are awake, they are AWAKE and want to play. Our 3 have a 2 story cage 2' x 3' x 4' with a ramp, 2 long tunnels, 5 differently shaped hammocks, 2 litter boxes, and a den. You don't need all that to start, but if you get a big cage and one hammock you can start to figure out wht YOUR pet wants to play with and gradually add more by purchasing or building. And if you have a pet store which allows you to bring in pets, you can let your ferret pick its own bed and toys.

Be sure you want to commit to it, but if you do, I wish you luck! I love my ferret, but honestly, I don't think I will replace her with another when she passes. They are a lot of pet and I just don't think I need more (like I said, Koto was a rescue-I wanted a hedgehog and I ended up taking her in instead. I would rather have a hedgehog than any other ferret but her!)

 

[maplesky7]

Quote:
true... I've had 4 and 3 died of adrenal cancer.

 

[FireTigeris]

I brought up Marshalls because that's what the OP is likely to get.

 

[BarbK]

Marshal farms, Path Valley, Peterson and Three (something cant remember) are the most likely ones that you will get a ferret from. They are the largest ferret "mills" listed in order that sell to pet shops. Check out a ferret rescue near you BEFORE buying a ferret. They will have all the info you will ever need (including the resources to check out what they dont know).