Ferret owners?

[Doc45]

I'm not thinking of getting one but my younger son's girlfriend has one and brought him over the other night. First time I interacted with one and he is a cool little dude. Very affectionate, seems to like being held and petted. My dog was very curious and very gentle with him, she sniffed and licked him, pretty funny. Both my son and his gf had been telling me what a sweet little guy Bandit is (the ferret) and he sure seemed like it.

She's had him just over 2 years, her roommate's cat gets along with him, they play together evidently. Anyway, curious if any of you have/had one and how it was.

[StagLefty]

They're great little pets. A friend had 3. You knew when you walked into the house they had ferrets right away-distinctive aroma.

[Zundfolge]

I think they make an awesome little off road vehicle.



Oh ...you're talking about the stinky rats that bite everyone.

[Robb]

Had a friend who had two. Make sure they don't escape, they're smart and his got out of the enclosure and burrowed into and hollowed out some of the living room furniture stuffing. I guess that's just what they do and in their nature. Weird, I don't recall the smell.
They are cool and full of personality.

[newracer]

My best friend had one for several years in HS and college. Very smart and playful. I had a boss one time that was a falconer and he used ferrets as well to hunt rabbits. The ferret would chase the rabbit out of the brush into the open and then the hawk would snatch it, very cool to watch.

[EvilRhino]

There can be a whole range of personalities. I had a female named Whisper and a male named Psycho Rat Boy (that was always fun to hear the vet tech read out loud). Supposedly they can be litter box trained, but no matter how clean I kept it, they always pooped in corners around the house. They are fun when they go all crazy bouncy. They get into places they shouldn't. I had 1 escape by chewing into the flexible dryer duct and going out the pipe. They have a fetish for rubber, I still have a hammer that they chewed the bottom of the handle off of.

There is something about how many of the breeders spay the females incorrectly. I had 2 females that 1 went into a sort of heat and that caused the older 1 to as well. Apparently if they don't breed, they die. After what that vet bill would have been, that was the end of my ferret ownership.

[sniper7]

I had 4 total, always 2 at a time so they could play. Pinky and The Brain were first, lived out their lives nicely and were awesome pets!
yes they stink, constantly need to keep the cage clean, they are very busy and need to be played with and exercise. They are also great sleepers and love a hammock!

i had a 6 level cage so they could play and run around. They were pretty good about keeping their food and water clean.

the next set were snoopy and Bandit. Also awesome, snoopy the girl struggled a little bit with biting but eventually stopped. They all do as babies but usually they stop. Little guys have super sharp teeth! I bled plenty from them. fun pets but definitely need lots of attention both to okay with and keeping clean.

[Doc45]

Wow, thanks for all the info, you guys rock. I asked if he was always as mellow as when he came over and the son's gf said pretty much he is.

Yes, I did notice the smell ahaha, she mentioned he was due for a bath, evidently he loves them. She had a collar and leash on him, we went into the backyard, he just plopped down and seemed to enjoy stretching out in the cool grass.

[fitz19d]

Live thru hers. I like ferrets but in most cases aevose against. Smell is prett bad. Health issuez due to the big farm breeders. Can be nippy. Escape artists and can get where you eouldnt expect.

[Grant H.]

They also steal shit, and hide it. Like, just about anything the little bastards can manage to carry.

They can be fun, but as has been said, need lots of attention/exercise. They need bathed frequently to help with the smell on them, and their cage needs cleaned frequently.