ferrets... anyone keep them?

SkorpNtrants

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Does anyone here keep ferrets?

I might be getting three from someone, two from someone else, and another two from someone else, eventually I'd like for them to all be together, but am unsure of how I would introduce all of them...
 

Arachnophilist

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carefully.. if they decide to be mean they can kill eachother.. they are pretty vicious when they wanna be. other wise on their own or with ferrets they are accustomed to they are great pets.
 

brandi

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Wow... Have fun -- they smell!

I had two in my home and have had as many as 7 under my care in the past. You will probably want to keep them in separate cages, or at least have enough cages to separate the fighters until the settle down. They are very social so if they do decide to get along, they will be very happy together.

They do smell though. I would clean every or every other day, and even though they are de-scented, my whole appartment smelled like ferret.
 

Arachnophilist

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ferrets dont get de-scented. I dont think.. the smell is an oil secreted with their feces. thats another thinhg.. if they poo somewhere you dont want them to clean really werll cause they will follow the smell and poo again. on the flipside if you DO want them to poo in a certain littler box make sure you leave a poo in there. :D
 

joseofsa

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i was at my lps today buying crickets and i remember seeing !!De-scented!! in big bold letters next to the price. i always say hi-ya to most of the animals so a simple 2 min task takes 2-3 hours. just thought i would add that but i never had one.
 

LeilaNami

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ferrets dont get de-scented. I dont think.. the smell is an oil secreted with their feces. thats another thinhg.. if they poo somewhere you dont want them to clean really werll cause they will follow the smell and poo again. on the flipside if you DO want them to poo in a certain littler box make sure you leave a poo in there. :D
A ferret does get de-scented but unfortunately it is only the major scent glands getting removed. They have other microscopic scent glands that cannot be removed and each time they poo it is expressed. They're not near as stinky as they'd be if they left the major glands in {D
 

titus

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I've had 8 ferrets so far and as many as 6 living in one large cage at a time. They make good pets when properly trained though you'll never get them to use a litter box 100% of the time. The best way to introduce new ferrets is to give them all a good wash so they all smell the same. Playing can be mistaken for fighting by alot of people. As ferrets play fairly hard with one another (no blood, no foul) and will also try to do so with you. De senting ferrets is done though I find it to be unneeded as ferrets use their sent glands as a defence and rarely give you the sink treatment. It airs out in about 5 min without a trace to be noticed. Good luck and Ferrets for Dummies is a great sorce of information for all ferret keepers.
 

funnylori

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My roomates from college kept ferrets. They do smell despite being decented. They need their nails trimmed. They have to have a HUGE cage, with lots of toys and cozy things. You have to be on top of them when ever you let them out, in case they poo or decide to chew on something fun like power cords. Ferrets like to hide things, you will find certain ones in the group with gather all the toys, your socks, your keys, your cellphone, and hide it in the most difficult spot to reach in your house. I have had friends who let the ferrets go loose in the house and end up in the walls... They are nocturnal and will go nuts all night long. But the weasle war dance is cute. If you want to get ferrets and have never had one before start with two from one of your friends and see how you like it. Personally, I think they are great for about 2 hours once every 2 months, then I am done. If you decide that the two are not enough for you after a month, then slowly introduce the new ones during play time in a place that yours dont normally play. They can be territorial creatures and you dont want to cause any problems. Good luck!
 

Sequin

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Don't let anyone tell you otherwise, they smell. It doesn't matter if they've been descented, you could clean their cage twice a day and they'd still smell foul. Mine is a total terrorist and I absolutely love him. They need to be socialized with at least 2 hours a day, and are pretty demanding. "Mr. Walter Bunker" is litter trained and therefore he can have free roam of the bedroom. Ferret behaviours differ radically from ferret to ferret. I've come in contact with absolute monsters, they'll shred skin while hufffing and hissing. On the other hand, "Bunker" is very docile and well behaved and only bites when he's too riled up during rough-housing. Ultimately, you'll need to dedicate alot of time in both disciplining + "taming" a new ferret.
 

titus

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They are nocturnal and will go nuts all night long.
Ferrets are what they want to be they sleep a good deal of time away about 18 hours a day, but they will ajust to the times your up ours are let out when when wake up and in the afternoon. Like people ferrets are creatures of habit, ours know when its time to come out and they get let out, fed, and played with the same times every day. You will need to give them at lest 2 hours of time out of the cage a day. Scooping out the littler box daily and cleaning it compleatly once a week. Ferrets don't stink outside of the now and agin spray, a ferret smells like any other animal. I have my ferrets and mice in the same room. I smell the mice over the ferrets. I've has a pair of mean ferrets and they can be hard to get trainned not to bite, but every ferret can be if given the time. The longest it ever took us was with Coco (who still doesn't like to be picked up sometimes) was three months. If you have more then one ferret the'll mostly entertain one another. Plus who can no love the little buggers.


Ivy, Vince, Harley Quinn, and Pearl


Vince as a Kit.
 

Arachnophilist

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awwww I miss having ferrets!! god I cant imagine how bad they would be with their major scent glands *shudder* ah well.. I still love the little stinky kitties.
 

titus

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I personaly don't think the sent glands should be removed the main sent galnds are not resposable for the smell of a ferrets coat. the main sent galnds are only resposeable for the smell when a ferret sprays as a defence repose. Trust me it smells bad, like a sweety towel, open the window is goes away in five min. Ferrets just don't go around spraying everything we get one per month at most and thats with 5 ferrets living together. there's no need to have them removed, it's mostly done to make ferrets sound more appealing and sell more. No self respecting breeder has their ferrets de sented.
 

Arachnophilist

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well I had Marshall ferrets and they werent de scented I dont think.. thats why I asked if they even were! I never had a spray issue though.
 

SkorpNtrants

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I've had a ferret for a few days, than it died.

The cause of death is unknown, I found it having a hard time breathing and was covered in it's own fecees, as to how I have no idea, the cage was kept VERY clean.

I have noticed a few things in that time,

1) They will appear to be dead, or dying which is just not true, they are heavy sleepers!

2) Since most of the time is spent sleeping, once you get used to them, and ferret proof the area, they are easy to keep.

3) They are social as many people have said.
 

titus

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well I had Marshall ferrets and they werent de scented I dont think.. thats why I asked if they even were! I never had a spray issue though.
FYI - Marshall ferrets are de sented and fixed before shippment. This is done at about the age of 4 weeks, so Marshall can deliver 8 week kits to pet stores. As a former ferret breeder, I don't support Marshall Ferrets or thier policies.
 

SkorpNtrants

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I'll adopt Marshalls ferrets, but in no way shape or form will I ever buy one.

4 weeks and already having that surgery? thats pretty messed up`expecially when it's being done for selfish reasons.

and don't even get me started on their food, it's nasty! I belive they use fish in it, therefore it's

1. not as good for them as Totally Ferret.

2. makes their waste smell so much worse, which sucks because than it's blamed on them being ferrets.

Titus, please feel free to correct me if I am wrong.
BTW: did you get your name from a mythological god, or from final fantasy?
 

Randolph XX()

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i really don't like ppl caging ferret, they need lotta room to excersise
BTW, Innova has better ferret food, with no grain, and cheaper as well
 

funnylori

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My friend has one of those air ionizers in her room with 6 ferrets and it helped with the smell some. There is also a red and white bottle of stuff at petco that you can put in their water that is also supposed to help cut down the smell. Frankly, cats smell pretty bad too, so do mice and rats, dogs even get stinky if they aren't bathed enough; just pick your musk and be happy.
 
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