Thinking of getting a ferret.....

0utpost31 · 28-09-2008 10:13pm #1

I heard that the females HAVE to breed yearly or else they develop womb problems.... is that true? And what are they like as pets? Would they e like cats?

carwash_2006 · 28-09-2008 11:12pm

The Jills are usually spayed as if they aren't bred to they will develop aplastic anaemia. Although I believe some people keep a Hob with his tubes tied to prevent it, but I'm not quite sure how that works.

I would look for some ferret specific chat forums and talk to lots of people that keep them. They are more like a cat or a dog as pets in a lot of ways, they need a lot of space and can be very bitey if they are not well handled.

Also talk to Cottage Rescue about them as they could give you lots of very good information and if you would be a suitable home maybe you could rehome one of their rescue ferrets.

lostinnappies · 29-09-2008 9:46am

0utpost31 wrote: »

I heard that the females HAVE to breed yearly or else they develop womb problems.... is that true? And what are they like as pets? Would they e like cats?

its very easy to have them spayed. This isnt any more ture then it is for any other animals.

Good luck with them, ps they are smelly little buggers lol. *puts a peg on my nose.

wibblebee · 29-09-2008 11:23am

We have spayed all our females. Encouraged to get the hob vasectomised in order to service the girls but decided that we would have them all done. Recovered very well. We also have rescued ferrets from Cottage Rescue and they are great , hobs are neutered. I recommend you if going to own jills to have them spayed. We love our ferrets. Fantastic companions for us and each other.

0utpost31 · 29-09-2008 11:46am

Exactly how smelly are they? And can they get along with dogs & cats?

wibblebee · 29-09-2008 12:57pm

As smelly as people. lol

They arent that smelly, If kept clean and out and about then they are fine. If the boys have the odd spat then they give off this pungent musk smell but i adore my ferrets.

wibblebee · 29-09-2008 1:02pm

Our dogs are used to the fuzzies. But we do keep the dogs away in another room when they are running around cause the fuzzies nip their ankles. Naughty Fuzzies.

0utpost31 · 29-09-2008 1:31pm

And do they like being rubbed? Like the way cats get into a trance like state of euphoric bliss when rubbed.

Do they respond to any commands? Can you at least call them over?

stevoman · 29-09-2008 3:06pm

0utpost31 wrote: »

And do they like being rubbed? Like the way cats get into a trance like state of euphoric bliss when rubbed.

Do they respond to any commands? Can you at least call them over?

Once well handled your ferret will love to be petted down and played with. I had a hob that would come to me when i called him and everywhere i went he would follow me so he would. even out in the field everywhere i walked there he would be behind me. If you get them spayed or neutered then the musky scent of the ferret will be reduced significintly. they make lovely companions and very playful friends. And when they get excited they will even do a dance.

lostinnappies · 29-09-2008 4:30pm

0utpost31 wrote: »

Exactly how smelly are they? And can they get along with dogs & cats?

if you can imagine a very punjent daisy smell. mixed with a musty smell. there you have it.

meditraitor · 29-09-2008 4:50pm

0utpost31 wrote: »

Exactly how smelly are they? And can they get along with dogs & cats?

They males stink if they are not neutered. Neutering them too early can also be a health risk as it is associated with a few inherent diseases.

As for cats and dogs-they should be OK but some terriers will instinctively attack ferrets.

Ive never had them as pets but some of my family have used them for hunting for many a year

Apparently as a pet they are not easy and the decision needs to made with full awareness of what you are getting into.
But as some of the previous posters have pointed out they can be good pets .

0utpost31 · 30-09-2008 12:31pm

And do they get very lonesome? Do they need a companion even if both ar neutered?

Is it ok for them to have the run of the house or does everything need to be ferret proofed?

Also, I know steveoman said that his ferret followed him around outside but is this usual?

Glowing · 30-09-2008 12:47pm

There is a guy ... down there in the forum ... who is trying to rehome 2 ferrets?!

ocallaghanpaddy · 30-09-2008 3:20pm

Thats me!!

30-09-2008 4:53pm

I am looking for 1 ferret too. I have a little girl already . But she is getting lonley .

ocallaghanpaddy · 30-09-2008 11:19pm

I couldn't seperate them. They'd die without each other!!

0utpost31 · 01-10-2008 3:00pm

0utpost31 wrote: »

And do they get very lonesome? Do they need a companion even if both ar neutered?

Is it ok for them to have the run of the house or does everything need to be ferret proofed?

Also, I know steveoman said that his ferret followed him around outside but is this usual?

Anyone?

wibblebee · 01-10-2008 3:29pm

They do best with other ferrets for company. Believe it or not males are easier to introduce together than females, as told to us by Cottage Rescue as our girl is the dominant one of our pack. They get on really well. No spats and that was only in the early days from introducing them together.
I would only let them run around under supervision. They love to scratch and scrape carpets and doors etc. Tip: fill a large litter tray about half full and fuzzies adore it. They jump in and out, bury their heads in the rice and roll about on their backs.
Ours dont follow us when they get the chance to run out on the grass. Lol they run the opposite way but if close by they do come back. They tend to follow each other.
Ours are pet ferrets and not working.

christinadublin · 01-10-2008 3:53pm

My brother and his girlfriend just got a ferret about two weeks ago. They love the little guy. But the only thing is the smell. They were tolds by the vet to wait until he about 6 months or so before having him fixed, and that it should help with the odor.

Lexie_Karas · 04-10-2008 5:12pm

I've just gotten my first two pet ferrets a week or so ago and they are completely adorable!! I spent a few months researching them as much as I could cause there is a bit of work to them and some things that you mightn't think of when it comes to looking after them.

We keep ours inside in our house in a really big cage (its called the Ferret Nation 142, we had to order it in from England but it was well worth it!!) and give them plenty of supervised out of cage play time aswell. They're both really playful and do look for their cuddles aswell

I was concerned about the smell aswell... they do have a musky odour, which isn't particularly unpleasant... as I've heard other people say wet dog smell is much worse! It's not terribley strong either... we have a plug in odour neutraliser in the same room as them and that's pretty much enough to keep the smell at bay. Both of mine are hobs and both are neutured so I know that helps. If you are good about keeping thier cage clean the smell shouldn't be a problem. I scoop out the litter tray twice a day, which only takes a minute or two, and once a week I wash all the bedding in thier cage. Its best to use fleecey blankets and cuddly pet beds as bedding as its so easy to throw into the washing machine and dryer to keep it fresh!

They really do make a great pet once you're willing to put the work in. There are great ferret forum's out there, I'll pm you a couple of links to some english ones. I found them great for getting advice and even had some english ferret shelters willing to help me transport some over to here if I couldn't find any ferret's needing homes in Ireland.

Thinking of getting a ferret.....

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