Ferrets- your opinion please???

[Quail_Antwerp]

I have six ferrets right now.


Meeko is my spaz. He loves to run and jump and tear through the house.

River is a lover and a thief. She'll rob you blind if you let her!

Kodo is playful, and a chunky butt! He loves to dive into play houses and tunnels.

Mocha is terribly aggressive. She fear bites because she was rescued from owners who allowed their two year old to terrorize her. Only when she bit him in retaliation (after he squeezed her cagemate to death!) and drew blood, so they rehomed her.

Snickers is my little Old Man. He is adrenal and has an enlarged spleen. We are treating him homeopathic because he is not a good candidate for surgery. He is another rescue. His previous owner nearly starved him to death and he was badly dehydrated...and had no weight to him!

Tiko we just rescued in December after his cagemate was starved to death. His owner forgot to feed them. He's filled out quite well in the 2 months that he's been here and he's a real joy! He loves to be out of the cage and romp and play.

I have two more babies going to be joining our business. Chance and Izzy B. Both are being adopted from the same shelter.

You can see pictures of my fuzzybutts here
https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=121995

 

[kryptoniteqhs]

IMO....theyre dirty little weasles. also they could eat your chicks! i just think theyre dirty...remind me of catfish or crabs....feed on all the dirty stuff at the bottom....or rats even lol....not trying to be offensive...if you want them, get them....this is my opinion and what you asked for....ive played with some before and they were ok, but i dont know lol....just not for me

 

[Nikki28]

Quote:
Very Very well said!
In my opinion they are cool pets if you can care for them but are very prone to adrenal disease and if you dont change the their beds daily they can smell.

I worked for a vet which specialized in ferrets and reptiles and unfortunately alot of people get them and keep them caged 24/7 due to listening to pet store employees who simply dont know better or just the people not researching. Also vet care adds up very fast.

If you can do it and can commit then go for it! They are alot of fun my mother has 7 of them all rescues.

 

[CochinLover]

yesh with everything everyone has said about ferrets. I like to tell people interested in carpet sharks that they are two year olds warped in to tiny slinky bodies that were given pixie straws, espresso and sweet tarts all at once and all the time. It takes a special kind of person to have ferrets. Yesh i have a decented male which i dont think stinnks, but thats because i have two scented females. Quite honestly i have smelled worse then ferrets, and they are in my room.

Yesh ferrets will go after critters big or small. birds, cats, dogs, etc. they dont care they will try and play with them and often its ruff. Though my ferrets love me, kisses and all, Izzies way of playing is jumping on my legs and biting. So when they r sugar high i cannot let them around small children. Everyone just as every other pet is differnt. they all have different smells, different personalities, and different speeds. I am lucky to have slow med and fast. That does not mean the slow one does NOT get into trouble. i have to hide anything edible there is, and yet he always finds my candy stash!!

So yesh besides all the cage, the cleaning, the smell, the food - btw i feed my ferrets EVO by Innova, quite premium ferret food and i pay $19.99 for a 6 lbs bag, the blankets, the hammocks, etc. there are them to think of. they are all different. Meet the ferrets if possible and see what your up against. Good Luck. and i hope all this lovely ferret info has helped you choose.

 

[Mahonri]

Someone once told me that ferrets don't stink.

I once knew a dairy farmer who told me his dairy didn't smell badly either.

I know some folks who can't even tell when they've boofed.

Just some observations.

 

[Chic-n-farmer]

Quote:
I would pass. I picked up one off of craigslist for $75. I found her a new home after a month or so.
All the reasons you listed for not getting them are good ones. Think about the people who are willing to give them away... a $200 to $300 value???
They do smell, even with the best of care and products.
They need a lot of time and attention.
They aren't for everbody. With two kids in elementary school and 8 o'clock bedtimes there just wasn't enough time for her.

 

[sewincircle]

I have two ferrets that I love dearly. They stink!
I have to bath them to get the musk scent to go down. (Note I did not say to go away) It does not go away completely. You cant bath them frequently or you will dry their skin out.
Cleaning the cage does help. They are corner poopers and you buy the corner pans for them to poop in.
They are a huge responsibility though. You need to ferret proof your home to keep them safe when out of the cage. They are fast and will get out or onto walls whenever possible. They are tunnelers. Any small dark place is where they want to go. Mine end up in the speakers to the surround sound and such. My niehgbors has gotten outside before. Thankfully I am the one who found it. It was dipping below zero that night. They are temperature sensitive. Their cage can not be in direct sunlight or in front of or too near an airconditioner. They love to hide stuff. So if you are missing anything, look under the coach or behind the beds. hehehe If handled a lot they are great pets. I have one ferret that I have had since a baby, another I got from a rescue. The rescue ferret bites. She was just not handled and is afraid of people. I have trained them to come when I call. (By giving them a treat when they come to my whistle) Doing this can save you a lot of trouble finding them. They hide to sleep and you may not find them for awhile. They sleep soundly and may not hear you either. Mine love my dog and will play if he would. They indeed will eat, hamsters, guinea pigs, rabits...any smaller furry creatures. That is what they do. They are meat eaters and require high protien food. This food can be expensive. Many people feed them kitten food. This actually shortens their life span. It is not their proper diet. You need to think a lot about it before you get one or two of them. And everyone in the house needs to be on board because they all will be affected by them. Good luck!!

 

[Bec]

They are SO FUN! I had a few rescues and a few that I bought (5 all together)when I was younger....omg they are like kittens all the time! Once we put our addition on our house, I am getting some, I miss them so much!! I didn't find the smell that bad, I bathed mine once every 2 weeks or so. Every animal has it's own smell!

I think you should go for it!

As for them being free, some people actually do care more about finding a good home than making a profit.

 

[texas_chick]

I love pets and have a lot of them (see signature) but I would never ever have another ferret again.

Smelly, love to bite ankles, super hyper, messy ...

A ferret is more work than several other pets combined.

 

[Quail_Antwerp]

Quote:
Dairys do smell badly.

Ferrets only stink if you do not keep care of them! I have 6! I have had plenty of people tell me that when they come to visit they aren't aware I have ferrets until I tell them/show them.

Have you ever walked into a home where someone had a cat, you never SAW the cat...but you left there absolutely aware that they have a cat!

yea, but ferrets stink........