# Considering buying a ferret



## Gazellianaimee (Mar 12, 2009)

Hello,

Assuming i can get round my landlord, i'm thinking about getting a ferret. They sound very fun, but also quite demanding, so i was wondering if there was anyone who lived close to me (coventry), if they'd mind me popping over for a little bit after my exams finish to hear and see a little more about what it is like keeping one - costs, preparations etc? And maybe interact with one a little to see if it is a pet for me, if everything else works out ok, before i commit to one?

Thank you very much for reading. I'm sorry if this is a little bizarre!

Aimée


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## Nerys (Apr 18, 2005)

speak to daisyleo.. she is midlands and v good on ferrets 

N


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## reptismail (Nov 15, 2008)

have to say my brother got one about 1 week ago and they are the best ( playfull ) animla we have had but hes only 4 week old but hes still a little bugger lol.


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## Doninha Princesa (May 12, 2009)

Ferrets are great pets, I have 4 of them, I started off with 1 female about 4 yrs ago, got 3 more, lost one, had another dropped on my doorstep, got 2 more, one was very very ill (cancer) and my ex has the other one.

They are very cute and friendly. Do lots of research, theres lots of info on the internet. You'll need a large cage, with a couple of levels if possible, i started off with an indoor rabbit cage for my girl, then a large rat cage for the 4, i built a c&c cage in my flat then had to take it apart when i moved to my dads, I then bought a huge display cabinet and converted it into a cage, which i had to sell when i moved again. They are now getting a purpose built shed in my garden and a large rat cage for night use.

They eat dry ferret food (one of the first Q's i get when i say i have ferrets is "What do they eat") Which you can get from many pet shops. Theres James Welbeloved, Pets @ Home own brand and Vitapet (I use this and order online direct from the company)
Cat food is a def no, ferrets have completely different dietary needs to cats. My Baby used to have whole chicks as a treat but i didnt like removing the yolk sacks from them so i stopped. They now get a bit of raw chicken now and then (they go mad for a bit of chicken) and they tend to steal a dog biscuit when they can. They will eat anything they can get their paws on, but most agree that fruit and veg is not good as they cant digest it.

Im no expert, this is just what i have learned through owning and researching them over the last few years.

The ferret care books are always usefull, I have a few I've collected over the years, even after 4 years I still look through one or two of them now and then to refresh.

My 4 are right little characters, Baby is a complete little B:censor:, she's a spoilt brat and is my little angel! lol She is the smallest ferret, altho being the oldest, and has a habit of biting every new person she meets, as a test, to prove that she is the boss (my mum says she has small dog syndrome), 

Cocoa was the doorstep drop off, im pretty sure she doesnt realise that she is in fact a ferret. She loves being carried in a hoodie, sits inside with her head out the zip while Baby lays claim to the hood. 

Bandit is my "special girl", Im pretty sure she is partially blind and/or partially deaf and has a tendency to walk into/off of things, so i have to block off all levels, shelves etc. 

And Zorro is my boy, he's Bandits brother, and he is a big softy, love's laying on the back of my neck and sniffing my ears, he's such a sweet boy. 

They are such loving and friendly animals, they make wonderful pets, are easily litter trained, altho they can be quite stinky, even when their litter tray is clean, they have a musky smell. I bath mine every couple of weeks with ferret shampoo or baby shampoo, they are better in a slightly warmer than baby bath water, but none of mine really enjoy a bath, altho they love having a shallow tray of water or a bowl of water to play in (supervised as they tend to stick their noses under and forget to come back up to breath, which is why they have water bottles not bowls)

I will happily help with any info you need but like i say, I dont class myself as an expert. 

As a side note, my name "Doninha Princesa" is actually Portugese for "Ferret Princess" as my real name is Hebrew for Princess =)

Sarah


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## bassy 1019 (Sep 26, 2006)

if you are going to keep ferrets please give them fresh meat.


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## Gazellianaimee (Mar 12, 2009)

Thanks for all the help and advise, i have looked on teh net a bit about them, but there seems to be quite varied information on them in as much as their needs. For example, i've read that apparently you're not meant to give them the water bottle, as you stated, because it does not allow them to rehydrate themselves quick enough.

lol . Seems a bit dozzy them forgetting to come up for air! lol. If i got one, i'd probably have to keep it in the shed in a cage, and let it out, inside or outside on a lead, or a combination of them for a couple of hours a day. I'd happily carry it round with me, if it woulld like in one of those bags you can get a little too. 

Can anyone recommend any good insurance (cheap as possible)? As i wouldn't want to run the risk of getting landed with a huge bill.


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## Doninha Princesa (May 12, 2009)

Mine can be a little dozy at times. The one that forgets about the whole breathing under water bit is a bit special anyway, so i have to make special arrangements for her. Been buying things to convert the shed and anything off the ground has to have a kind of fence around the edge as she doesnt seem to have any depth perception so will simply walk off things without noticing a drop. :gasp: I had to get rid of my Rat cage and put LOTS of hammocks under any gaps in cages as she simply walks/rolls/falls straight off.

Mine love a bit of fresh meat, I dont really eat red meat so they dont really get that very often but whenever im cutting chicken for dinner i have a habbit of putting 4 strips in the tray for them (even when im at my other halfs without them) and ive never had any trouble with a water bottle, i use larhe rabbit ones and have 2 on their cage, plus if its hot they do get a shallow bowl while supervised.

Walking them on the lead can be great fun, good for introducing people too, once they are old enough and used to the harness/not able to escape.

I would say keep reading up, use common sense to determine what makes sense, also i saw this advert on this site

http://www.reptileforums.co.uk/off-topic-classifieds/299713-books-ferrets-ferreting-sale.html

A book or two might be a good idea, like i say, i still use mine, sometimes just if i'm bored I'll have a read through them coz they are interesting.

Also, my personal request... Buy from a breeder or local rescue centre, please dont buy from pet shops!!!

I typed Ferret Rescue into Google and came up with these, but there are lots more specific if you search for your local area.

Ferret Rescues

The British Ferret Club


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## Gazellianaimee (Mar 12, 2009)

I wouldn't buy from a pet shop, when i've seen breeders etc around. I remember when i was looking up about them before, i think there was a rescue near, or around coventry...might have to try find that again.

And, i forgot to say, like your user name! lol. Out of curiosity, why did you use portugese?

Also, how likely is it that they will need any vet treatment totaling to more than the insurance, in your opinion? I've read that there are a few things that they are prone to, but i'm not sure how common they are. Also, i assume vaccinations wouldn't be included in any insurance either? They need two, right? One for canine distemper and one for rabies?

Thank you again!


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## daisyleo (Nov 23, 2006)

Hey give me a PM if you'd like to pop round OR Mercia ferret welfare is indeed in Coventry and Rose would let you go there and talk about them as pets and their needs with you as long as you needed.

Merciaferretwelfare.co.uk is the website, they also have a forum which has 100's of 1000's of threads on care and the pleasures of being owned by a ferret 
P.s. there is also a top notch care sheet


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## Gazellianaimee (Mar 12, 2009)

Thanks! I found the site yesterday again. I might take you up on that after my exams are finished (start on monday again  ).


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## Marinam2 (Sep 4, 2007)

They arent that demanding. All you need to remember is that they need at least 4 hours of mad running about a day. They have a 4 hour digestive system so need a constant supply of food unlike dogs and cats and ferrets NEVER grow up its like having a permenant kitten.

Also you shouldnt really keep them on their own. Like parrots/rats/mice/rabbits they NEED their own kind of company so a min of two is required.

Marina


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## Gazellianaimee (Mar 12, 2009)

I'm not sure i can afford two, it is still questionable that i can afford one. I've looked at the food recommended, and done some math, food should be fine for one, it iis just the insurance on top of that, best i've seen so far is about 120pds a year for one (covers up to 2grand, i don't think it is much more to add another to), which might be a bit much.


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## daisyleo (Nov 23, 2006)

I don't think insurance works with ferrets, if you have a look on the threads on Mercia forum it will explain all about it, apparently if you take on an older ferret they won't insure over something like 3 years of age, then you will have to pay your excess for any claims you make, if the ferret only requires a consult and antibiotics which happens alot with ferrets I have found you are looking about £40-50 which is the price of most insurance excess in which case the company won't give you anything so you'll be paying them AND paying your own bills.

What I found most reptile & ferret owners do is save in a spare account or money pot for that "rainy day".

My vet also runs an account system with me so if I get a big bill (maximum i've had was £200 for a ferret to be diagnosed and treated for cancer...and then that included when he couldn't fight anymore and was put to sleep) I paid it off over 3 months to save a huge blow out of money in one go.

There is a great vets in Coventry it's advertised on the Mercia care pages I have used him myself and he is VERY cheap compared to my local vet whilst not cutting down on knowledge.

Two really is the best for YOU and THEM, how much one to one time can you offer a single ferret?


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## Doninha Princesa (May 12, 2009)

daisyleo said:


> What I found most reptile & ferret owners do is save in a spare account or money pot for that "rainy day".
> 
> Two really is the best for YOU and THEM, how much one to one time can you offer a single ferret?


 
Thats what I do too. I had similar priced bill for a similar prob, used an exotic vet because i called my vet explaining what was wrong and she told me to head straight there, she phoned and explained, they had her overnight but she was too ill (I'd picked her up from a rescue 2 weeks before and she was very aggressive, by the time she collapsed and i could get to her it was too late. I still have the scars to show for previous attempts to handle her.) And i had some money saved up in my emergency fund for the ferrets and still had to use some of my xmas savings as well as id not long had my Cocoa spayed.

I had Baby as a single ferret for her first few months and she got lots of attention, but i "had" to get more coz she needed cage company when i went back to work. Wish id got another sooner as she is such a spoilt brat and didnt take to new ferrets in "her" house very easily!

And I used Portuguese because..... a) Portugal had just kicked Englands butt at football and it wound my dad up and b) princess in most languages is recognisable as princess, but Ferret in most languages either doesnt translate very well or the word just isnt very nice, I thought Doninha was quite a soft, pretty name and went well with Princesa. It was actually on a motorbike forum as we were having racing t-shirts made and i didnt want my real name on a t-shirt so was asking for suggestions and someone came up with Princesa in so i found an online translator and started typing stuff in till I came up with Doninha Princesa (which the guys on the forum hate coz they can never say it let alone spell it, i have to introduce myself to ppl to save them the difficulty of remembering Don-in-a) :2thumb:


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## Doninha Princesa (May 12, 2009)

By the way.... play time with a ferret is so much fun, they make funny little noises (sometimes called Dooks) and bounce around like loonies (search you tube for a giggle)

BUT you have to make sure any room they are gonna play in is constantly supervised (they can move real quick if u turn ur back for a second as my mum found out last month when she lost 3 of mine.... was out all night searching!) 

You have to ferret proof everywhere, block in little holes, move wires, move plant pots (they do love to dig!) block anywhere you cant get them, mine love hiding under my mums sofa and pouncing on my hands when im trying to fish them out (i know the room is secure so they are allowed to play under there) 

Also, some are very good as escaping (My Baby especially, I havent found a cage yet that she cant escape from, i have to use bricks and actual locks on the cages, metal clips on any clip open doors, like on most rat cages and cable ties on anything im not planning on opening.) So you need to watch your ferret to make sure, we moved baby into a new cage in our old flat, woke in the nght to the sound of a glass breaking, my ex flew into the living room (which was next to the bedroom) to find she had escaped, climbed up the other ferret cage, lept onto a tumble drier, run across a flip top bin and onto the kitchen cupboard and was climbing along the shelf of pint glasses above the sink, she got a stack of books on top of her cage from then on!!! Zorro and Cocoa can dig their way out of their rabbit run in its on dirt, Zorro can push most bricks and things out the way of a door. Luckily they havent got into trouble, Baby has escaped outside twice and simply wandered up to the back door and into the living room, Zorro, Bandit & Cocoa got out recently when Mum didnt close the cage properly (Baby was asleep) and Mum caught Cocoa, I found Bandit 3 hours later in a neighbours bin (they had caught her and called rspca) and my neighbours found Zorro the next day in their garden, was terrifying!!!!!!!!!!! :gasp:


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## dogmandango (Mar 31, 2009)

you go a head amd buy one i will gift you a kit as company if you can get to me in derbyshire or meet me off the m1 when i am traveling down to northampton 

atb wayne


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## Gazellianaimee (Mar 12, 2009)

Sorry for delay in reply, i've had exams the last two days (a heck of a lot more in a couple of days time).

Yes, Doninha does indeed sounds very lovely. My dad is a biker, I used to like going on the back of it with him:whistling2:.lol.

That is a wonderfully lovely offer dogmandango (very very nice of you), but i was more worried about the culmination of vet and food fees for two, so as absolutely lovely as your offer is, i would need to sort that side out first. 

It's funny i've read/skimmed through quite a few pages on ferrets, but it is always better to hear about them from people more 'directly' like this. They sound like wonderful pets, but i am worried about my living situation and keeping them in it (on the plus side would definately make me keep my room tidier! I don't have enough room to put everything in easy reach, so it does have a tendency to get dumped:blush: Probably nirvana for ferrets burrying about and looking to jump out of places and hide, but finding them would be made somewhat more interesting!). 

Also i'd need to find a way of moving a nice sized cage for them from my house to my parents over holidays (i was hoping to buy a collapsible one, or something that will flat pack, but obviously still secure). Also it is a rented house, so if they like digging and start digging up the carpet or something i'd loose my deposit (which, strangely enough, if i didn't have to pay would make a lovely little amount for vet fees). And of course, the money, if i just had to pay for food for even two then that would be ok, it just sounds like they do need to go to the vets a fair bit, and it isn't always cheap and am worried that i won't be able to afford those, especcially with vaccinations for two on top, which will probably add another 40 a year, right?

I'm wondering whether it would be better to put off getting one until later on, and maybe just settling for a couple of harvest or zebra mice (or any other suggestions??) for now, or maybe just being patient until after summer and buying a snake (my mum is petrified of the things, and not keen on lizards and live food either in the house). I know neither quite the same as a ferret, but might be a compromise. I'm guessing vet bills for them are a lot less, generally?


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## Doninha Princesa (May 12, 2009)

You sound like your going exactly the right way about thinking. You sound very mature! Keeping your room tidy is a must if they are playing out, and you have to keep their litter trays and cages (accidents happen) clean to avoid the nasty smell, mine get litter picked every day and their cage gets washed out completely at LEAST once a week, sometimes more if they've been naughty and not used the litter tray. 

Mine do dig at doors and walls, but they know they mustnt so stop and run as soon as i move to pick them up. They will dig one side of a closed door, but if i open it, they will run into the next room and when i shut the door they will dig on the other side of the same door, like they think they are missing something inbetween the two rooms, I keep their nails trimmed so they dont cause any damage but i have had a landlord agree to the ferrets then refuse to give me my deposit back because i had animals (unfort i was young and stupid and there was no mention of pets allowed or dissallowed in the contract) and he said there was an infestation (Complete load of Bull:censor

I started off with a few pairs of rats before I got the ferrets, My mum didnt like ferrets or rats but my dad bought me 2 rats home. They are quite easy to care for, from what i remember, Altho i recently bought a 2nd hand wooden rat cage for the ferrets shed and the smell was unbelievable! Im pretty sure my boys never smelt that bad but it was aweful, worse than a filthy ferret cage in a warm room! Or something like mice, hamsters etc are pretty simple too.

The best advice is to work out what you will need, what time/money/space you have and if you dont think you are quite ready then the best thing you can do is wait. I've wanted an APH for the past 2 years, but untill now I didnt have anywhere permenant to live, I had no space, and i moved into a small bedroom with 3 kittens and 4 ferrets in, I couldnt even get to my bed as it had practically a whole flat boxed up on top. Now I'm finally getting organised, the room is almost finished, the ferrets are getting their shed for day use, the kittens are allowed the run of the house (they are house cats tho, too many busy roads near the new place and used to staying in a flat anyway) and I am finally settled down. So hopefully the start of July I will be ready to pick up a hoglet and I know it will be sooooo worth the wait knowing that all my pets are happy and contented before I add any more! :flrt:


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## Marinam2 (Sep 4, 2007)

OMG mac my big male has a thing for the airing cupboard door. It doesnt matter how many time i move him away or shout "stop" he carries on regardless it drives me crazy.

Marina


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## Gazellianaimee (Mar 12, 2009)

Doninha Princesa said:


> You sound like your going exactly the right way about thinking. You sound very mature!


Thank you.lol. I had a lot of comments of the such when i was on another forum years ago, i was nigh 18, but someone mentioned a couple of times that sometimes they thought it was a 30 something trying to trick everyone.lol.

The smell thing would be a problem for me, i would have kept the ferrets outside in the shed unless i was handling them/with them or whatever, my nose is quite sensitive! I could always smell when horses were on heat when i rode down the stables, and our dog, when she was in season the smell was very strong. But i suppose you get used to it. And it is more chemical etc that i really hate, most other things i will tolerate. Just chemical give me headache and make my skin itch.*shudder*lol.

My room would probably stay a lot tidier if i didn't do so many different things in the same room: work (math phys student), music, art, writing, arty stuff (takes up a lot of room)...hopefully going to get to do a lot more of all of it during the summer (well, apart from the work.lol Want to take the opportunity to finish a few writing projects, arty bits and dabble with some music again, apart from singing, i do that everyday anyhow). But, anyway, rather side-tracked!

Maybe i'll just spend the money on a tonne of art stuff instead for nowlol and wait until september. It is just i rather like to have something of my own to interact with a bit, especially with summer coming, although my parents have 2 dogs and a cat, i'll also be one boyfriend short for most of it (his parents live in Brussels, although he is German) so will be missing my hugs and silly laughs!lol.


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## dogmandango (Mar 31, 2009)

the only thing to feed your fert is flesh its ther natrul food cheap as road kill cost nothing a few rabbits of your local game keeper 

never had one of mine to the vets only to have ther bits and bobs out witch is cheap and simple


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## Gazellianaimee (Mar 12, 2009)

local game keeper, there actually is one in every town? Where would you find them? And, would they sell stuff like roadkill etc? I thought if they found them they'd sling it into some grass or chuck it away. I assume you'd feed it to them raw? This is probably more for future reference, as i think that 250pds(my deposit) is a lot to risk loosing.

My parents will be living in Norfolk, so if someone happens to be going away for a short time and feels safe leaving their beloved animals with me, in about 6 weeks for a while after that, then don't hesitate to give me a bell. I think if we're talking about ferrets though they'd probably need to be trained with a lead, just incase mum isn't keen on them playing in the house excessively, and will probably be more interesting for them to a certain extent, as well as getting me out of the house a bit. 

We should have a couple of completely empty rooms there as the place they are moving into has more than they need, so could just put some mats down in a couple of 'prime digging spots' and then stick some of their toys down and play a bit, and she should be fine with that, as long as they are for the most part litter trained too.


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## Doninha Princesa (May 12, 2009)

Marinam2 said:


> OMG mac my big male has a thing for the airing cupboard door. It doesnt matter how many time i move him away or shout "stop" he carries on regardless it drives me crazy.
> 
> Marina


 
My boy will dig at any door reguardless, my littlest girl is bad too, i used to keep a plant sprayer to hand and give them a little squirt of water when i shouted no so now when i say no, or move to reach over, they know its wrong and run off, normally just outta reach where they dig for about a second, then look at me to see if i notice. You could put something in the way, but mine can move stuff if they can get behind it, like litter trays and boxes. I use a box full of dvd's that i havent unpacked yet if i wanna stop them gettin somewhere. lol.

Do yours have a thing for shoes/boots? I think mine have a real fetish. Any trainers and the smaller girls dive straight in, and have a dig around, and any long boots ( i have motorcycle boots and knee high goth type boots, and my boy climbs straight in, you just get his tail out the top while he has a good root around! I actually "donated" my old bike boots into the ferret box when i bought a new pair.

I personally wouldnt feed my ferrets road kill or anything like that as i dont know where its come from, what its carrying, and yes thats what wild ferrets would eat, but mine arent wild, they wouldnt survive in the wild, and i have too many other pets to have the ferrets connect fur to food! Ive had several of my ferrets playing in their run next to the rabbit run when i had rabbits and my boy was the only one who was a bit too interested, the others ignored them. The same as my cats dont play with toy mice or anything that looks similar to the ferrets because if one escaped, i wouldnt want the 3 cats to catch and kill. Mind you, they do have toy snakes and i wouldnt want them to chase a snake, for their own safety. lol.
My ferrets get raw chicken yes, but the stuff i buy from tesco for my dinner, Baby had chicks when i first got her, but she used to drag it into her bed and sleep with it, then have a chew of its face, and curl back up with it to sleep. So i took it away and she's not had them since. 

Like i say, its only my personal preference not to feed them actual animals whether road kill or not, each to their own. They are fed their ferret food, they are quite happy and they get meat as a treat every few days, they have no need for dead animals. Same as i dont feed my cat or my dog dead animals when if they were "wild" as in before they were domesticated, they would hunt and kill! Ferrets are domesticated and dont "need" (IN MY OPINION) that kind of food, its just your choice if you decide to give it to them.


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## Gazellianaimee (Mar 12, 2009)

Well, i was thinking similar,actually...I'm actually vegetarian, but the boyfriend is not so i could nick bits of his anyway.lol.

I don't think the landlord will let me have any anyway, apparently. And, although he always tells us before he comes round, i'm not sure i could hide a big ferret cage and two ferrets! lol. In some ways it is better, as i really am not sure if i could afford vet fees anyway, it sounds like it is more likely to get more expensive than when i looked into reptiles (though i think there is less chance of that being needed if you buy them from a breeder instead of taking them as rescues), more possibilities of them getting ill or hurt too. He said no to rodents too, but i might be able to get away with hiding a couple of mice or something, if i did get any, although i'm not sure that i should risk it. I thought about getting a couple of laying ducks, as i heard you could tame them, and i'd get some eggs, but it would be a miracle if they managed to survive my dogs at home! Looks like i shall just be sticking to plants for now.

Thank you very much for all of your help (and your lovely offer dogmandango). I really hope i'll be able to put it to some good use one day...


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