Ferrets As Pets
Challenges And Rewards Of Having Ferrets As Pets
Ferrets as pets are usually very friendly, loyal, and extremely entertaining, besides being just plain adorable. There is a bit of a flip side however. Their very playfulness can make them a handful to care for and they more often than not fall into the high-maintenance pet category. Still, if you know what you're getting into, so there will be no surprises, a ferret around your house may be just the thing to brighten up each and every day. If you don't have plenty of time on your hands, and a good deal of patience, settle for a very lazy cat, or even a pet rock, and not a ferret, as your companion.
Ferrets as pets can be expensive. They need room to roam and, even though you should let them out of their cage two, or better yet, three hours every day, the cage must still be large enough to give them plenty of room to roam around. A good quality cage, of sufficient size, could easily set you back a few hundred dollars. Ferrets also require high quality food. Where ferret food is not readily available, kitten food, the kind supplied by veterinarians, will generally do. Ferrets can eat other foods as well but are primarily carnivores, and require meat as the basic element in their diet. One item of food you'll have to feed your pet frequently, perhaps even daily, is a hair ball ribbon. This is not a ribbon designed to produce hairballs, but rather is needed to help the ferret eliminate them. A ferret cannot throw up a hairball like a cat will usually do. The hairball has to come out the other end, and the hairball ribbon helps make that happen.
While ferrets are not necessarily disease prone, there are certain ailments they can get, and treatment, especially should surgery ever be required, can become quite expensive. Those familiar with ferrets as pets recommend putting a little money aside in the form of a medical emergency fund. Hopefully your pet ferret will live a long and healthy life. The ferret's lifespan by the way, is typically around 9 years. Speaking of lifespan, one thing you want to be able to do when purchasing a ferret, is to make a commitment that you are going to look after it for that many years.
Ferrets will enjoy the run of the house, so you'll need to do a little "ferret-proofing". Ferrets are extremely curious creatures, and will investigate anything they feel is worth investigating, which probably consists of the majority of items in your house. Ferrets also have a curious habit of hiding things. So, if you suddenly can't find the TV remote, ask your ferret. Besides hiding things, ferrets like to explore small spaces. You'll have to double check when the ferret is running loose, to make certain it doesn't go somewhere or into something where it could get hurt. If you let your ferret run out of doors, you'll want to train it to come to you when called. If a ferret wanders away it becomes lost very quickly, as the animal has no homing instinct, plus it is very vulnerable in the out-of-doors world.
Can you keep ferrets as pets if you have small children? You can, but you need to be very watchful. Ferrets are not aggressive, and would not attack an infant, but if picked up incorrectly, or otherwise mishandled, as a small child is apt to do, it might bite. You'll need to teach children, as soon as they are old enough, how to pick up and handle a ferret, as well as what not to do. As far as infants are concerned, it's best not to leave a baby and a ferret together unsupervised.
You may or may not be able to have other pets in the house if you have a ferret. Ferrets and cats generally seem to get along together, but a ferret and a dog may or may not, especially if the dog is a breed that likes to chase small animals. The ferret on the other hand can be a danger to pet birds, or exotic pets such as lizards. Food is food.
Two more things to note. First, you'll need to make certain that keeping a pet ferret is legal where you live. Some municipalities may not allow what they consider to be an exotic pet to become a resident in your home. Some apartments may have restrictions as well. Check that our before making your purchase. The other thing is, buy animals that have been sprayed or neutered, or be prepared to have it done when they are 6 to 9 months of age. An intact male can cause problems, and an intact female can go into permanent heat and eventually die. Take these and the other precautions seriously and, if you feel you're up to the task, purchase your pet ferret.