Ferret

[Spontaneous Smile]

My Mom and I are toying around with the idea of getting a ferret. We haven't quite decided if we want to or not yet. But there are a lot of factors that we're having to think though and I guess I just want you guys' opinion.

1.) We have two dogs. A hyper Sheltie Mix of 2 years, and a jealous Dachshund of 9 years. We're worried about them hurting the ferret or vice versa. My Mom and I both agreed that if we got a ferret, we'd be gentle and slow about introducing the dogs to it. Like, cage up one dog and let them sniff the ferret calmly, while trying to keep the ferret calm.

But our sheltie is hyper and that hyper attitude comes on and off at given moments. We don't want her to hurt the ferret and then possibly get hurt in return.

Our Dachshund is easily jealous. We don't want him to get angry with a new family member- even if it's not of the same species. I wonder if it might just add stress to his life. When he's mad he pees everywhere which leads us to our next concern:

2.) Our house smells bad enough as it is. This is because our Dachshund is jealous and might think he's the alpha male of the house.

We really just don't want to add more stress to our house then there already is.

Since we got our Dachshund neudered, he's gotten better. He doesn't bark as much or dig out of the yard. Idk if he pees AS much.

But ferrets stink, or so I've heard for a lot of people.

Opinions, thoughts, and ideas are welcome. Again, we're not sure if we're going to get one. If we don't get one of those, then we're just going to get little turtles and put our old fish tank to use again. ^^;

[udontno]

I've wanted a ferret forever. What is the set up of your house like? In my house, it is easy to have animal(s) in a room where the dog can't get to. For instance, if I wanted a ferret the ferret could live in my room or the "playroom" where the dog is not allowed. Of course, I'd take it out whenever because the dog is not a problem in my house.

I think that any sort of pet that you get will make your dog jealous. It's impossible to predict how he'll react until it actually happens, of course. I've been around ferrets and they do smell. Not stinky, at least not to me, but they have a distinct odor to them. If you aren't around it, you'll notice it. The turtles might be the better pet.

Have you looked into some sort of carpet cleaning? We have a carpet cleaner and we put this lavender smelling stuff in there. It really cleans the carpet. Our dog occasionally has an accident and you'd never know because of that carpet cleaner.

[Spontaneous Smile]

We're really still thinking about it. Turtles would be less stressful- since they wouldn't make our poor old weenie dog jealous. And they wouldn't make us want to pull our hair out.

I'm just really concerned about our weenie dog. He's already jealous enough with the puppy, he doesn't need anymore (He's 9 and stresses out a lot)

Plus, I don't want to have anymore stress when I come home. The last thing I need to see is dog poop on the floor AND ferret junk everywhere. Lol

Maybe someday we'll get one. But right now, I think we need to work with our dogs- and cleaning up our house. If Mom decides on her own will that she wants to get a ferret and I can't stop her, then by all means, get one. But I think we're both very cautious about this decision.

[Dasha]

Ferrets are awesome! Ferrets don't stink really as long as you wash them no more than once a month(we do it the night before we put their flea stuff on), and wash their bedding regularly, and clean out their litter.
Unless you get an older ferret, your going to have a rare moment when that thing is calm. They are like kittens their entire life, especially when they are still kits.
The more room in the cage the better. If your going to keep them caged most of the time, I would recommend the Ferret Nation(note the knockoff Critter Nation, which actually costs more than the FN on that site) or something just as big.
Ferretone. Its like ferret crack. Its made up of different oils and stuff and every ferret loves it. Thats the perfect thing to use if you want them to keep still.
Reward them every time they use the litter, and they will start faking it just to get the treat, so as long as you stay on them and the litters are not to far apart(when they are out of the cage), they are usually good about going in the litter. Though if the box is to high for them to get in, they will just go next to it. >.>

Uh yeah, conclusion: Ferrets are cute, awesome, and cuddly if you catch them when they wake up. They don't smell so much long as you take care of them. And they are usually good with other animals.(aka, they treat everyone and everything as if they were another ferret or something to play with).

[braidenowns]

I had no clue that ferrets could be kept as pets. Wow. Uhmm. I guess it's kind of a sexy animal?

Braiden.

[Spontaneous Smile]

I think we've decided not to get a ferret. At least not now. I think we reached that conclusion early this morning (at 6:30) when our puppy began barking as loud as she could at a cat outside. I had to yell like a harpy from my room to get her to shut up. I don't think we can handle a ferret just yet.

But maybe someday. >.> I told my Mom that she could get me one for High School Graduation so that when I go off for College, I have something to keep me company. ^_^

btw, how often do you need to clean out their cage?

[Dasha]

Um. Spot cleaning the litter daily(like you do with a cat), litter change once every couple of days/one a week depending on how dirty it gets and full cleaning(change the blankets/bedding), maybe once every other week. It really depends on how many ferrets your going to get.

[Tsuki_Hana]

It's best if you don't get a ferret right now. At least until the puppy calms down and the dutchie isn't as jealous. Ferrets are known to be fearless (especially mine. >_____>;;;) and won't know whether an animal will hurt them. They like to "attack" anything that moves (they are extremely high energy even in old age). So your dutchie probably won't like that. But if the puppy knows not to bit they will be a perfect match.


For cleaning/ grooming:

-Spot clean the litter box daily, and clean out the whole thing once a week (this will work for up to four ferrets using regular non-clumping cat litter or "organic" litter. Also buy a large litter box; ferrets are very picky with where they use the bathroom.)


-Bedding needs to be cleaned every two-three weeks (ferrets release a lot of oil from their skin), and lint brushed during shedding season.


-Ferrets should not be bathed often. They should be bathed every three months and can be sprayed with 8in1 FerretSheen Deodorizing Conditioning Spray in between baths. Their skin is very sensitive and drys out easily. They should be brushed once a week and then every other day during shedding season along with being given FerretLax to prevent/ get rid of hair balls.


-Ear cleaning and teeth brushing is a must and quite the hassle. Ear cleaning tickles and ferrets don't like their mouth being opened. :/ (try doing both once a week) Clipping nails can be hard too. Just get someone to hold the ferret for you and supply them with FerretVite. That'll distract the little buggers! A young ferret's nails grow twice as fast as an old one's so clipping will need to be done every week and a half to two weeks.


Food:
A lot of people will say you should feed your ferret Marshall brand food, but most ferrets don't even like it. Plus it's quite expensive. I go with 8in1 Ultra Blend Select. It's about 1300円 (10-12 USD). If you're concerned about nutrition then you can give him/ or her FerretVite daily.


Life Span:
Ferrets live up to 10 years but the average is 6-8 years. There are a lot of diseases to be aware of, especially Adrenal Disease and Insulinoma. Both of which I have been through with previous ferrets. It's no fun at all for you or the animal. Be sure to be 100% committed! And good luck!


I know I wrote a lot. =w=; So sorry for that.

[~CourageousSurvivor~]

Hey there,

I know you said you aren't going to get one now but you still want one so I would suggest doing lots of research so that when you do get one you will be prepared. I am sure there is a lot to know and the more prepared you are the better pet owner you will be

Here's two websites I found for you if you want to take a look at them; I don't know if its the best information but you can play around with the information you get in google and probably find something.

http://www.hsus.org/pets/pet_care/rabbit_horse_and_other_pet_care/how_to_care_for_ferrets.html

http://exoticpets.about.com/cs/ferrets/a/ferrets101.htm

~Jenna~