After a lot of thinking after seeing an Ad, im quite sure i want to get a ferret. The ad was asking if anyone could give a loving home to their female ferret of 6 months old as they will be unable to look after it. I thought maybe someone else might reply but after a long time of waiting, nobody has and im willing to give it a chance seeing as nobody has.
Doing my research, as it may be the first time i will be the owner of a ferret, i found out that females should be spayed or they can suffer from aplastic anemia and die. Is this always the case, or is it rare? If she is not spayed but she breeds once, for example, will that reduce the chances?
Any advice or comments which can help me are very welcome.
Thank you!
Spaying the wee timorous though inquisitive beastie is the best option to promote a long, healthy life for a ferret. Along with diligent ferret-proofing of your house. She WILL get out of any cage (so mine just lived loose in the house), she WILL find her way into nooks & crannies you did not know were there, and if there are any small animals in your house you are not aware of (mice, large spiders, earthworms, etc…) she WILL find them, and bring them to you seeking approval!
Ferrets are fun! But can be smelly and will make a HORRIBLE mess with a mouse (or a Grandmother’s finger!) LOL!
I’m really sorry but ferrets are illegal, even if you do have a permit. I am not trying to be mean. I am so so sorry and I hope you find a great animal that will satisfy you.
I’ve had ferrets for several years now, bought the first two at pet stores and adopted the third and fourth from a Humane Society shelter who would’ve ended up putting them down.
People always mention things like the ferret smell and the amount of work it takes to keep them clean, but I don’t think that should be a reason not to take one in.
The possible medical bills would be reason though. Make sure you are willing to put away a bit of money every month to prepare yourself for all eventualities.
My four ferts are 2-5yrs old now, two females, two males and only one had medical issues so far, not counting one emergency visit with my male after almost being crushed by an overturned couch.
My oldest female, Vicky almost4yrs old now, had to have surgery for a partial bowel obstruction caused by a hair ball in the stomach which ferrets are known to get. I always kept my ferrets on a hairball preventative, but she still ended up getting one. All the testing, second opinions and surgery ended up costing almost $800.00. I keep a bit of money in my savings account and have a credit card tucked away for emergencies just like this to make sure I can always come up with the funds to take care of my ferrets.
Do a lot of reading and talking to owners and then decide. They are not the easiest pets to keep but well worth it.
Most ferrets come from Marshal or Pathvalley farms and are spayed/neutered before leaving, this is because of the females having health issues, and because the males would become aggressive and mark.
As far as illnesses, most ferrets live a relatively healthy existence to the age of 3 or 4. This is when the medical billd begin to start. You are more likely to have a ferret get health problems when they get older than not. The most common illnesses are adrenal disease, Insulinoma, etc.
The treatment of these problems can cost in the thousands of dollars. My oldest ferret was just diagnosed, after showing signs of adrenal disease(which is very common). I paid $200 for a blood test. We then went over options, surgery to remove the tumor was in the thousands, and of course ran the risk of death. They were not sure if the tumor was on the left or right gland, and if we wanted to be sure(since it cannot be removed if it is on a certain adrenal gland, I would have to pay another few hundred to do a ultrasound) The second option was lupron injections, which would have to be given for the rest of his life. They do not cure the disease, just manage it for a few years. I chose the injections as they didn’t involve surgery. However if you are thinking that this option is cheaper, guess again. I pay about $100 a month for these shots.
Another expense is food:
Ferret food is expensive. They should have at least three high quality food mixed together. Marshals food is not a high quality food(do not feed the ferret this). High quality means first three ingrediants meat, and no fish.34-36% protein and approximately 20% fat (and low fiber) The high quality food can cost anywhere from 15 dollars to over 20 for a 5 -10 lb bag. Feeding them low quality food may be cheaper for awhile, but will lead to health problems and costly vet bills later.
Ferrets are very high maintenance pets. They need a lot of time out of their cage(at least 6 hours a day). You should also find out why this person is getting rid of the ferret and why no one else seems to want it. Be sure you spend time talking to the woman/man. Be sure the ferret is not a biter/aggressive, I have trained aggressive ferrets before. It takes a lot of time and patience.
You also need to take a ferret to the vet once a year for a health exam(especially when they hit 2 or 3), and for distemper shots. Some states require that your ferret has rabies vaccinations as well.
You should read Ferrets for Dummies, and also try and take someone who is ferret knowledgeable with you if you go and check out the ferret.
Hi I had 4 ferrets. Got one then another , then two i bought like you saw an ad in the paper with cage and all. They were all great. I regret not spending more time with them. At first we just had a 5 yr old child. then yrs passes and had two more kids. You do need a totally ferret proof place to play with them. I chose my bathroom. We had to add a lock to the water access door though because they can figure lots of things out. They live about 5-7 yrs so slowly they passes away. But because of the kids time demands on me we dont have anymore plans to get more. They were great with the kids even as babies. Cats are so much easier to have just running around. The disease or affliction i most worried about was adrenal disease. They are prone to it. I am told like you saw females need to breed or they will get sick and die………Most ferrets that are sold are males for that reason. It is really nice to take in ferrets from the newspaper because often you do get everything included. Have you seen the price of cages. My husband wouldnt buy the cage he built this really cool one out of 2″x1″ square wire from tractor supply made it 3ft by 2ft by 3ft high Used a under the bed rubber made drawer for the top and bottom he even made ramps ect. Mine did very well with a standard cat litter box and i used cat litter even though you are not supposto (the dust can bother there lungs ). Many people convert a spare room into the ferret room. I know of one website that you can watch a man’s ferrets play. He set it up with a webcam. Use PVC pipe expecially the ones with small whole for ventilation and connect two cages across the room. I wanted to build a cage 8 ft long 2 ft deep and 8 ft high. also wanted to put the PVC pipe around the ceiling in the room. They are so fun to spoil. the little leashes to take them for walks some people carry them in a carrier like a baby sling. They were fun to have.