A Ferret Guide For Prospective Ferret Owners
What are ferrets? Do they make good pets?
Ferrets are domestic animals, cousins of weasels, skunks and otters. (Other relatives include minks, ermines, stoats, badgers, black-footed ferrets, polecats, and fishers.) They are not rodents; taxonomically they're in between cats and dogs, a little closer to dogs. They are friendly and make excellent pets. If you've never met one before, the easiest way to think of them is somewhere between cats and dogs in personality, but rather smaller. They can only see reasonably well, but they have excellent senses of hearing and smell. Some are cuddly, others more independent; they vary a lot, just like other pets.
Are ferrets legal where I live? Do I need a license?
Depending on where you live, ferrets may be completely unregulated, require a license to breed but not to own, require a permit to own, or be entirely illegal. This varies by state or province, county, and city.
You can find out about your town by calling the local Wildlife Department or Fish and Game Department, the humane society, or veterinarians (recommended in that order). Note that some pet stores in FFZs sell ferrets anyway, so the presence of one in your corner store may not be any indication of their legality, and I wouldn't necessarily trust the pet store to be honest about local laws.
Is a ferret a good pet for a child?
Many people have both children and ferrets without problems, but there's a difference between having both children and pets, and getting a pet for your child. It's important to remember that a ferret is a lot like a cat or dog, and will require the same kind of attention and care. It's not at all like keeping a pet hamster or guinea pig. If your child is responsible, careful, and not too young, and you're willing to supervise and help out with the care, a ferret will be a great pet. Otherwise, consider getting a low-maintenance pet you can keep in a cage instead.
Will my ferret get along with my other pets?
Most ferrets don't get along with birds, fish, rabbits, rodents, lizards, and the like, though there are some exceptions. For a dog or cat, patience is the most important part of the introduction. Give the new animal a chance to get used to you and your home before introducing it to the other pets one at a time, very slowly.
Do I need to spay/neuter my pet? How about descenting? Declawing?
Spaying or neutering: yes
Ferrets intended as pets must be neutered or spayed. Neutering drastically reduces the odor of a male, prevents him from marking his territory with smelly slime, and makes him less aggressive (males in season may kill other ferrets, even females). Spaying saves a female's life, since once she goes into heat she will need to be bred or she will almost certainly die of anemia. However, many people disagree with the common practice of performing the surgery at a very early age, and prefer to wait until the ferret is at least six months old and has reached nearly full size. It should be done before the first time the ferret would go into heat, but apart from that there's no rush.
A female can be spayed even after she goes into heat, but if she's been in heat for a month or more, your vet should do a blood test before the surgery. Females can be brought out of heat without becoming pregnant with a hormone injection or by breeding with a vasectomized male, either of which will lead to a false pregnancy which will last long enough to let her be spayed. Neither one is a good long-term solution, though.
Breeding ferrets is difficult and time-consuming. Before even thinking about breeding, you should have owned ferrets for some years, be a member of a ferret organization, and find out as much about it as you can. The actual mating is rather violent, and jills tend to have problems giving birth, producing milk, and so forth. If you're serious about breeding, talk to someone who has first. You'll need to have more than one whole male available (in case your female goes into heat when your male isn't) and more than one breeding female available (in case you need a foster mom because your jill has milk problems) -- and be prepared to lose some or all of the kits and perhaps the mom too. Grim, but true. To learn more about breeding or where to find a good breeder, get a sample copy of the Breeder's Digest by sending $2.75 to P.O. Box 2371, Leesburg, VA 22075.
Descenting: maybe
There's debate about whether descenting ferrets is necessary or useful, and some belief that it's harmful. It's bad for a ferret's health to descent it before 6 or 7 weeks of age, and it may be somewhat harmful when done at any age. Many people feel that the procedure accomplishes no purpose; that is, that neutered ferrets who aren't spraying smell the same whether or not they've been descented. Note that, like a skunk, a ferret will use its scent if it's greatly distressed or feeling amorous, but ferrets can't spray their scent as effectively as a skunk, it doesn't smell as bad, and it dissipates in just a few seconds. How often a ferret sprays and how bad it smells depend on the individual ferret, and different people have different tolerances for the scent, so if given the option you may want to wait and see if you think descenting is necessary in your particular case.
Most pet stores sell neutered and descented kits. Many breeders sell kits which have been neutered but not descented.
Declawing: probably not
Ferrets have nails like dogs, not retractable claws like cats, and declawing them is more difficult that it is for a cat. I have only ever heard of a handful of declawed ferrets; most of them are doing well, but a few had long-term problems from the surgery. Many people feel very strongly that ferrets should never be declawed, and nearly everyone agrees that declawing should be done only as a last resort, when non-surgical solutions to the problems have failed. Still, a few people support declawing, and in the end, it's a decision you and your vet will have to make for yourselves.
What will I need to take care of my new ferret?
food for your ferret
a food dish (one hard to tip)
a water dish (one hard to tip) or water bottle
litter boxes
litter
bedding (not wood shavings)
a cage
ferret shampoo (baby shampoo works fine too)
a collar and a little bell
pet claw clippers (large human-nail clippers work, but not quite as well)
toys (ferretproofed)
a veterinarian who is familiar with ferrets
Linatone or Ferretone, if you can find them
Bitter Apple or something similar
a box or basket to be a bedroom
a harness and leash (optional)
Where can I get a pet ferret? What should I look for?
Many pet stores have ferrets, and there are often ads in the newspaper placed by small breeders with kits to sell or people who want to sell older ferrets.
A ferret from a ferret shelter is also an excellent choice. They're often a little older than kits from a pet store, but they've probably already been litter- and nip-trained, and the shelter director will know more about their individual habits and personalities. It's also less expensive to adopt from a shelter, and of course you're giving a home to a ferret in need. A local ferret club or a veterinarian who treats a lot of ferrets may be able to help you find a nearby shelter.
What to look for:
In any case, look for bright, clear eyes, healthy skin and whiskers, soft coat, and a curious, alert attitude. You can't tell just how a kit's colorings will turn out, but if you watch and handle a group for a while you can tell a surprising amount about their personalities. Young kits will generally be pretty sleepy and uncoordinated, but they'll grow out of that soon enough.
My next post will be for current Ferret owners, look for it in the next 1-2 days.
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