Anybody else have a ferret?

[michelle]

I have two females - Shelby and Saleen. Just wanted to see if anybody else had any. I just ordered a playpen online for them instead of them having free roam of a bedroom since ferret-proofing is near impossible.

http://i58.photobucket.com/albums/g244/reupertm/ferrets/ShelbySaleen1.jpg

http://i58.photobucket.com/albums/g244/reupertm/ferrets/Saleen2.jpg

http://i58.photobucket.com/albums/g244/reupertm/ferrets/Shelby2.jpg

Oh yeah, anybody work in an office that shreds paper? I could use a bunch for a "dig box". Or those packing peanuts that dissolve in water.

[Greg@GLD]

We had one, a sable... her name was Ginger and she was cool as well. But she stunk to high heaven...

She did some crazy stuff though, very entertaining and she got along great with our dog.
She also survived a "Husky attack". My brother's Husky ran up to me and snatched her right out of my hands and Ginger went apeshit. She died a couple years later and we never got another one. But they are cool pets.

[Syclone0044]

I have only seen a few ferrets in my life. But I'm curious, what do you do with them as pets? Do they roam the house like a dog or do you have to keep them in a cage all the time? Are they smart?

[lordairgtar]

I have a ferret and she is kept in a cage. She is taken out to be played with but not allowed to roam by herself. They tend to leave "poops" in any corner they will find. They also like shiny things and will try and steel watches and other jewelry from you. As for the odor, they have that musky smell but de-sexed ferrets have less of it. Bath them weekly in ferret shampoo and that pretty much controls that. They are very affectionate and playful. Young ones want to nip you but if you train them to lick, they prefer to do that. We keep ours in a 4X2 cage that is seven feet tall with ramps and tents and hammocks for her to play in. The dog likes her and she is not afraid of the dog. They work well together with cats and dogs although you need to acclimate them to one another. Birds and snakes and lizards are not recommended to be near ferrets as ferrets regard them as food. They are of the family Mustidae, which means they are related to wild Black Footed Ferrets, Mink, Ermine, Otters, Mongoose, Weasels and Pole Cats which is a European kind of skunk. The State of California and the City of New York do not allow one to possess ferrets. They assume they will escape and multply to be a pest problem like rats. The truth be known, domestic ferrets are so bred to be fed by their owners that they would not survive being in the wild.

[lordairgtar]

Here is Amuru the Ferret. Trivia: where did her name come from...hint...music

http://i43.photobucket.com/albums/e370/lordairgtar/DCFN0008.jpg

[lordairgtar]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tm_5xEPWH3A&feature=related

[Greg@GLD]

I have only seen a few ferrets in my life. But I'm curious, what do you do with them as pets? Do they roam the house like a dog or do you have to keep them in a cage all the time? Are they smart?


They are smart and can be litter-box trained like a cat. They can be very entertaining. Ours would nip once in awhile but a little tap on the nose and she stopped doing that. She loved to curl up and sleep next to our dog or play with her like kittens play. (jumping, swatting, rolling around) They are very social pets actually. Sometimes she would climb on the dog's back and lay with her head between the dog's ears. And the dog would let her. Looked like some crazy two-headed mutant... :goof

[michelle]

Both of mine are litter trained and remain that way 99% of the time when playing outside the cage (another litter box is put out or they have access to run back in their cage). I've learned to make sure not to take them out to play if they had just been sleeping otherwise they forget what a litter box even is.

The smell isn't bad. Although I may just be used to it. There is a liquid you can squirt into the water which makes a big difference. I just started using it last week and have already noticed a change. Although the kittens have their own smell as one boy doesn't seem to have the instinct to cover what he puts in the litter box...but boys will be boys.

They are extremely playful with one another. They love running through tubes. I have a couple dryer vent tubes that work great and were cheap ($2) compared to buying ferret tubes at a pet store ($15+).

I'm looking forward to the playpen so that they don't bother my chinchillas anymore. My kittens love to play with the ferrets though. I just get nervous since they still have claws. Glad I am not the only one with a ferret! (: