I want to get a ferret (animal), please advise.

[rutchtkim]

I'm thinking about getting a ferret as a house hold pet. I am a college student, and dont really come home too often. Maybe like 2 times a month. However, I love pets and wanna get one. I know these little creatures need lovong, but how much do they need? And, do they poop alot? how big is their poop? Do I buy a cage for them, or are they supposed to live like humans, outsite of cage. Also, how much do these things cost? Anyone who has ferrets, please advise.

Thanks

 

[Anubis]

no clue about what they cost. but i know some peopel who have them they can be trained to use a litter box like a cat. cause the do poop. and they bite and chew on things

 

[Jzero]

If you are going to leave the pet at home and only go home twice a month, you should not own a pet. Wait until you are out of college and have the time to devote to caring for it.

 

[spyordie007]

make sure you get one that's de-scented otherwise it will really smell bad. And be prepared to bathe it every time you come home, and shell out quite a bit of cash (I think they cost about $200). They may be rodents but I think it would be a fun pet to have, oh BTW they are a big responsibility as they tend to live a long time.

-Spy

 

[everman]

I"ve heard that they're extremely hyperactive and demand a lot of attention.

 

[spyordie007]

Originally posted by: Jzero
If you are going to leave the pet at home and only go home twice a month, you should not own a pet. Wait until you are out of college and have the time to devote to caring for it.

that's a good point, they need quite a bit of attention. maybe you should consider fish?

-Spy

 

[ChrisIsBored]

Why the hell would you want a pet that you can only take care of two times a month? You plan on setting up some sort of huge stock of food and water to last 2 weeks til the next time you get home? :disgust:

 

[desertdweller]

Originally posted by: rutchtkim
I'm thinking about getting a ferret as a house hold pet. I am a college student, and dont really come home too often. Maybe like 2 times a month. However, I love pets and wanna get one. I know these little creatures need lovong, but how much do they need? And, do they poop alot? how big is their poop? Do I buy a cage for them, or are they supposed to live like humans, outsite of cage. Also, how much do these things cost? Anyone who has ferrets, please advise.

Thanks

If you're only going to be home two times a month, don't get a pet. Ferrets, in my experience, are very social.
You don't want to just keep them in a cage 24/7. The cage must be cleaned at the very least once a week and
they often need to be bathed to keep from stinking, even with the glands removed. They are fairly energetic
animals and need to be let out and given attention to daily and given time to run around and play.

Unless you have someone at home willing to take care of them until you are done with school, I would probably
be best to not have one.


DD

 

[notfred]

Originally posted by: spyordie007

Originally posted by: Jzero
If you are going to leave the pet at home and only go home twice a month, you should not own a pet. Wait until you are out of college and have the time to devote to caring for it.

that's a good point, they need quite a bit of attention. maybe you should consider fish?

-Spy

Fish will die if you only feed them once every two weeks, too.

And

ferret (animal)

as opposed to "ferret (car)" or something?

 

[Fausto]

They're interesting critters. Pretty easy to care for, lots of fun since they are uber-curious, cute, can be litter-box trained, etc. A buddy of mine had two of them for a while and would let them loose in his house when he was home, lots of fun to play with them and watch them run around.

A few caveats:

- lots of curiousity/energy can be a pain. If you don't play with them a LOT they can be kinda destructive. Hell, they're kinda destructive anyway since they love to explore and get into stuff. Trust me...nothing is ferret-proof; they're like reverse Houdinis...they can get into anything.

- even de-scented, they're pretty stinky (very musky-smelling). Also, since they're carnivores you have to keep their cage cleaned OFTEN or it will stink up your place like nobody's business. All-meat diet = stinky, stinky poops.

- you will incur some vet bills since most states require yearly vaccinations for ferrets

 

[rutchtkim]

Ok, maybe I should have added, these are for my parents. They will be home, but not me.

 

[spyordie007]

Fish will die if you only feed them once every two weeks, too.

If you set the tank up well and leave in the week-long feeders you would be alright with smaller fresh-water fish. However if you have larger fish and a tank full of artificial stuff (rocks, plants, etc.) than you're right they would die.

-Spy

 

[notfred]

Originally posted by: rutchtkim
Ok, maybe I should have added, these are for my parents. They will be home, but not me.

OK, do your parents want a ferret, or do you just want them to take care of a pet they don't want all the time?

 

[tarheelmm]

Originally posted by: rutchtkim
I'm thinking about getting a ferret as a house hold pet. I am a college student, and dont really come home too often. Maybe like 2 times a month. However, I love pets and wanna get one. I know these little creatures need lovong, but how much do they need? And, do they poop alot? how big is their poop? Do I buy a cage for them, or are they supposed to live like humans, outsite of cage. Also, how much do these things cost? Anyone who has ferrets, please advise.

Thanks

A ferret is not for you. The pet store by me sells them for $110. I had two, a white one and a brown one, about six years ago. They are great pets. They poop a ton and it stinks to the high heaven. The crap is about the size of a macaroni noodle. You can train them to use a litter box but it takes alot of work. They need to live in a cage because 1) they crap everywhere and 2) they can squeeze just about any place. I want to get another but I live in a new house and would not even think about bringing one in.

 

[spyordie007]

Originally posted by: rutchtkim
Ok, maybe I should have added, these are for my parents. They will be home, but not me.

Than fish it is because you wouldnt have to ask them to be too responsible...

-Spy

 

[rutchtkim]

well they dont mind, they agreed we can get a pet, so im thinking ferrets will not be too much of a strain on them verses other 4 legged creatures. Besides my sister will be home as well, she will do the dirty work

 

[rutchtkim]

ok nevermind, i dont want a ferret anymore, ill just get a hamster or a gerbil. Thanks

 

[giguana]

In my experiance, you have to have 2 of them. They are extremely social animals, but if they don't sociallize with one of their own kind then they can just roll over and die. I have had friends that have a pair and they are great to have around. But they can stink bad, and they make a mess. I wouldn't get them if you're not going to be around a lot, if I were you. Why pay that much money for something you're not going to be able to enjoy? They are pretty high maintanance animals.

 

[spyordie007]

how about a cat? they dont need quite as much attention...

That's why I have a cat (and fish ) but no other animals, the cat is fairly independant and If I have to leave for a few days all he really needs is someone to drop by and feed him/change the litter.

-Spy

 

[Fausto]

Originally posted by: rutchtkim
ok nevermind, i dont want a ferret anymore, ill just get a hamster or a gerbil. Thanks

Oboy....this isn't going to be pretty.

 

[LongCoolMother]

my brother has a prairie dog, 2 alligators (monitors), 3 parrots, 2 cats, a python, and some fishes.

let me tell you, the prairie dog is the noisiest and most reckless. he broke out of his cage 3 times, and while he was out, he chewed up all these wires. how did he get out? he kept on dumping at the top screen of the cage until it ripped open. note that this was a metal screen too. these guys are crazy!

its pretty cool i wouldnt suspect ferrets to be much different.

 

[Jzero]

Just get them a betta. They can go 2 weeks without water being changed, and don't require a lot of care, feeding or attention.

Remember having a pet is as much about what the PET wants as it is what YOU want. Just because you want xxx pet isn't a reason to have that critter abused and neglected because it turns out that while your family said they wanted it, they really don't want to expend the time and effort to properly care for it.

 

[Tripleshot]

I'll tell you what. Any of my children dump there pet responsibilities on me again, and there will be plenty of trouble. My daughter dropped a puppy on us,and good thing I like the dog, but that was the last time that was accepted. One son left a 9 foot boa on our doorstep. We had to feed it rats. NEVER, NEVER AGAIN!!!

Better have a talk with your parents, since they will have 95% of the resonsibility of taking care of YOUR pet!

Or wait until you can be responsible yourself.




(Just thought a parents view should be heard here.

 

[911paramedic]

Those things STINK and they get into everything. Other than that they are pretty cool.

 

[everman]

I think you may be better off with a dog/cat. Something that isn't an oversized hyperactive rodent on steroids.