Ferrets or Mice, No I won't be buying them on impulse

[Cluckcluck1215]

Yes, Cluck - do a lot of research on ferrets. They can be expensive to keep, not just food, but if one became ill. As to cages, I have two Ferret Nations and love them. One is good for 8 ferrets and I use mine to alternate so I don't have fuzzbutts on my arms, head and back while I try to clean! lol Having a ferret is like having a 2-3 yr old toddler in the house. Imagine 8 or more at one time!

Wow!Yes, I think I will defintally start with Hamster or mice before ferrets!


Now, I have a sixteen year old Maine Coon, Sleeps most of the day, Eats and meows the rest.I also have a dog, Half lab half blood hound...

I love Hamsters, but was thinking of mice, and keeping four females in a fifteen gallon tank.Now my cat NEVER(well, Hardly)Comes upstairs, and hardly ever comes into my room, where I will keep the mice, on a desk.

Do you(and others)think this will be alright?

–CC1215
P.S.:I have a door, and almost always keep it closed

 

[memphis]

Consider a rat instead of mice. They make GREAT pets. Not as expensive to keep as ferrets.

 

[rosemarythyme]

Rat(s), they're social animals like chickens and should be kept with others.

I enjoyed having rats far more than hamsters or mice but they also require a little more upkeep and more space.

 

[ellend]

Different ferrets have different levels of smell, even if you don't bathe them. Many of oursSo also used every perceived "corner" (like where a couch meets a chair) as a potty, even though they would return to their cage to eliminate if they were close to it. So, lots of clean up can be involved. Some are rather incorrigible biters and bite HARD and hang on, others nip in play. Can you handle that? Generally you get 4 really great years with a ferret, and then it's hospice care for the next 2 or 3 years. They MUST be neutered; males stink and are aggressive un-neutered, and females will die of uterine infection if not either spayed or bred. (The shelters are full of unwanted pet ferrets; the world doesn't need more of them!) They are independent and won't sit still to be held when YOU want them to, only when THEY want to. Is your personality amenable to that? Mice: short lives, stinky urine, urinate & defecate while they walk, although they will use a corner in their cage often, also. Domestic rats are some of the very best pets: Intelligent, friendly, inquisitive, and very responsive to gentle handling and treat-oriented training. They, too, urinate & defecate while they walk, but hey; none of us are perfect....
Mice bite far more often than rats, and get injured and lost more easily. You can put a rat on the floor with you (after safety checking the room) and not worry about it squeezing through a heating vent!

 

[ellend]

In short, ferrets are wildly entertaining, rats are often more gentle. All depends what you are looking for in a pet. Know thine self.

 

[ellend]

Ferret veterinary care can get VERY expensive, and they were bred for laboratory use, so they do have numerous health problems, and often develop life-threatening adrenal problems that require lifesaving major surgery. $$$$$