Want to get a pet ferret

Digikiller

I know very little about them but keen to learn, will need to get everything (basics: bedding, hutch maybe, that kind of thing) I live in the countryside have a dog but he's afraid of his own shadow...and our new unwanted pets...mice. Hoping ferret scent might scare them off but really want a pet, can't exactly bring my fish anywhere. Can anyone help? I'm in Westmeath.

fathead82

I wanted to get one a few years ago but the smell of the ones I went to look at turned me off them.
I know that females must be neutered if they are not bred from or else they will die. Baby ferrets will not be born for another few months but there is loads of rescue adults looking for homes. Look up "irishferrets" on Facebook. The lady who runs the page is very helpful & sent me an email with everything I needed to know about ferrets. She also rescues them & sometimes has ferrets to rehome.

VonVix

fathead82 wrote: »

I wanted to get one a few years ago but the smell of the ones I went to look at turned me off them.

Yep, from my experiences they certainly have a specific smell about them! Must be part of what also helps keep vermin away.

aaakev

A lot of lads in the hunting section have experience with ferrets, good place for advice on them

Digikiller

Thanks for the responses, I'm aware they have a certain 'aroma', which is partly the reason why I chose to go down this route. Setting traps although can be effective, doesn't deter mice from sticking around. Would it be a bite to big to take a breeding pair starting off? Like if I were to home a pair that need rehoming? Thanks again for the help. I've looked at that FB page, will wreck their heads soon enough!! Happy New year guys!!

boomerang

They have a sweet musky smell and it's worse if they're not neutered. You can either live with it, or not. I can't stand it, personally.

The thing is OP, they are very intelligent, playful and even affectionate creatures. They're not going to do well isolated outdoors without company or interaction, particularly if you only adopt one. A hutch won't work, they need much bigger accommodation - i.e. something like the Ferplast Tower. And if they're going to be mostly or permanently confined, you'll have to work at keeping them occupied by often changing the cage set-up and offering them novel toys/playthings to investigate.

They are carnivorous so I find their poops really yokky!

And the females suffer aplastic anaemia if kept un-neutered and not allowed to breed. (I wouldn't go down the road of breeding your ferrets.) So spaying would be on the cards if you get a female.

Digikiller

boomerang wrote: »

They have a sweet musky smell and it's worse if they're not neutered. You can either live with it, or not. I can't stand it, personally.

The thing is OP, they are very intelligent, playful and even affectionate creatures. They're not going to do well isolated outdoors without company or interaction, particularly if you only adopt one. A hutch won't work, they need much bigger accommodation - i.e. something like the Ferplast Tower. And if they're going to be mostly or permanently confined, you'll have to work at keeping them occupied by often changing the cage set-up and offering them novel toys/playthings to investigate.

They are carnivorous so I find their poops really yokky!

And the females suffer aplastic anaemia if kept un-neutered and not allowed to breed. (I wouldn't go down the road of breeding your ferrets.) So spaying would be on the cards if you get a female.

Thanks for your input Boomerang, I have researched a little more in terms of behaviours etc, and have visited a few vets for info on neutering. Personally I'm not a fan of neutering/spaying. Why would you not recommend breeding? If I was to rehome a pair that have already been neutered/spayed that wouldn't be a problem but I couldn't be the one to do it. I did it to two cats and although the behaviours changed a bit (and they sprayed A LOT less) I felt that they became a lot lazier and less playful. In terms of hutches, especially outdoors, I wouldn't dream of it. I actually want them as household pets (so neutering may/will be necessary I guess) but I want them to enjoy my company as I wish to enjoy theirs, keeping mice away is only a byproduct that I need, I would get a cat but they can be too independent at times and not as fun to play with. I sound like a child now but I hope you get what I mean, dogs can be such fun to play with and almost always want to be played with, cats lose interest to easily. Anyway, I will research more before I make any decisions and as always, I'm open to suggestions and advise.

boomerang

Because of the difficulty of finding homes. The average litter size is eight kits, but can be as high as 16. The female comes in season at least twice a year and has a life expectancy of eight to ten years. She will stay in season until she's mated and if she's not mated, you're endangering her life. Are you really going to find good homes for dozens upon dozens of kits? You can't rehome kits until they're 8-10 weeks of age. Are you going to have lots of spare cages for the kits you haven't managed to rehome when they hit sexual maturity at four months of age?

You've no previous experience with ferrets so you don't know any of the vaccination requirements, parasites, illnesses caused by bad husbandry, what to feed juveniles, what diseases to look out for, what hygiene standards to maintain, potential behavioural problems etc. etc. And until you have a lot of experience with ferrets, you've no advice or support to offer the people who rehome the kits from you. Nor can you guarantee that your kits will have a suitable temperament.

Oh, and when male ferrets are in rut the smell is horrendous, even to ferret owners! They stink up the cage by marking their territory (even rolling in their own piddle) and they can be aggressive not only towards other ferrets, but with you, too.

There are a lot of concrete reasons to neuter. Does your vet treat many ferrets or know much about them? Not all vets would have enough experience with ferrets to be able to advise you about neutering from a behavioural perspective.

Digikiller

boomerang wrote: »

Because of the difficulty of finding homes. The average litter size is eight kits, but can be as high as 16. The female comes in season at least twice a year and has a life expectancy of eight to ten years. She will stay in season until she's mated and if she's not mated, you're endangering her life. Are you really going to find good homes for dozens upon dozens of kits? You can't rehome kits until they're 8-10 weeks of age. Are you going to have lots of spare cages for the kits you haven't managed to rehome when they hit sexual maturity at four months of age?

You've no previous experience with ferrets so you don't know any of the vaccination requirements, parasites, illnesses caused by bad husbandry, what to feed juveniles, what diseases to look out for, what hygiene standards to maintain, potential behavioural problems etc. etc. And until you have a lot of experience with ferrets, you've no advice or support to offer the people who rehome the kits from you. Nor can you guarantee that your kits will have a suitable temperament.

Oh, and when male ferrets are in rut the smell is horrendous, even to ferret owners! They stink up the cage by marking their territory (even rolling in their own piddle) and they can be aggressive not only towards other ferrets, but with you, too.

There are a lot of concrete reasons to neuter. Does your vet treat many ferrets or know much about them? Not all vets would have enough experience with ferrets to be able to advise you about neutering from a behavioural perspective.

I knew it was a good idea to come here first!! I wouldn't be able to rehome so many little critters!!! So yeah, neutering would be must!! In terms of my vet, he is very versatile and treats many different animals and would have some experience in ferrets, he also has a contact who rears some but I lost the number he gave me for him.
In terms of experience, you are right, I have none, but from keeping tropical fish (I know that's a different kettle if fish, excuse the pun) I found that no matter your experience level, one never stops learning! Maybe before committing, it would be nice to gain some first hand experience with someone who keeps them, but I don't know anyone directly.
In terms of keeping ferrets in the home, are there alternative to hutches/cages? They can get quite big so naturally the cage would need to be big enough to be comfortable, but I don't like the idea of caging since one doesn't need to cage a cat and they would be similar in behaviour. Anyway, thanks for your advise, it's great! Hope I'm not wrecking your head.

boomerang

They can have floor time/play time/cuddle time with you in one room with doors and windows closed and all necessary ferret-proofing done. But for safety, comfort and your convenience they do need a cage for when you're not interacting with them. Otherwise they will poop and pee randomly, chew electrical cables and other things and get into nooks and crannies you'll find difficult to remove them from. (The same holds true for any of the smaller indoor pets.) For two ferrets, the Ferplast Jenny would be the minimum size and you would provide them with a large corner litter tray, hammocks, hidey-holes or tunnels, a gravity water dispenser and food bowls.

I have had them as pets in the past. But they can be alot of work and your house "will" smell. Thats more work again. THey are hit and miss with the litter tray and you can get some nippy ones.

On the good side. They are great fun. They are like a mix of a cat and a dog. Love Mischief. Love to play. There is one guy i would recommend getting from but i dont have the details right now. But his ferrets turn out to be really big with fantastic temperaments.

Digikiller

(Boomerang) I had a look at the Ferplast JeJennyit looks pretty decent size-wise, would that comfortably house two?

(Dre as in Dray) I'd really appreciate that info if it isn't too much bother for you, I've heard they can be mischievous but that's kind of why I want one, I love animals with character, love both cats and dogs too so no problem there either.

Any ideas on how to manage the smell?

Digikiller

Digikiller wrote: »

Any ideas on how to manage the smell?

We used a critter nation cage (ferret nation) Use corner Litter trays and the food Ferret complete.

For the smell, the first thing is to get the animal neutered. Females need it to survive. Males smell alot worse when they come into season. So its worth doing it for that. Ferrets coats stink also. Alot of people say that you can get used to the musk. I have a high tolerance and it gives me a headache just thinking about it. I even found an old carrier i kept one in years back. It still smells of Ferret ! !

Clean the litter tray daily if not twice daily. Change and wash their bedding every day.



There is a guy in Laytown on the R150, breeds ferrets. He is the only place i would go to get one. I just dont have his number. The ferrets he has make fantastic pets. But look it up you might find something online. He might even see this post and send you his number.

I will warn you though. It is a battle that you will loose. Your house "will" smell. Neighbors and friends will smell it worse.

zoe 3619

It's only the male ferret that smells,and only then spring/early summer.they make fantastic and endlessly entertaining pets,but do need handling every day to keep them sociable.very intelligent,they will trot beside you for walks etc.a neutered male will not smell.females can have a hormone implant to prevent them coming on heat (the Jill pill ),,be spayed,or can be covered be a male.they can be covered by a neutered male which will bring them off heat,whilst not producing babies.if you had a breeding pair,it'd be one litter a year (2 would be unusual) and you would want to be selective with prospective owners.

zoe 3619

zoe 3619 wrote: »

It's only the male ferret that smells,and only then spring/early summer.

Thats not true at all. They smell all year round. I fell into that trap years ago being told the smell is not that bad. Its just males etc.. They all smell. Males can be worse when they are not neutered.