Ferret As Pet? Options

[genevieve.cj]

Bf and I went to a friend's house last night and met their 6 month old ferret, Bandit. Christ on a bike I've never seen anything so cute! They aren't actually legal pets in Queensland but apparently there is an underground network of ferret lovers haha. Anyway I couldn't get over Bandy- he's like a cross between a dog, cat and rat, with a cheeky, curious and affectionate demeanour to rival a quaker. He was a little devil though- i have tiny little fang marks on my forearm from his exploratory chomps. But I think he was just testing because after being told off he didn't do it again. And with a face like that it was instantly forgiven anyway. Has anybody had any experience with pet ferrets? They seem pretty irresistible.

[BrandieLeigh]

I've always wanted one but never had the right timing. I had a friend who did have one and wound up re-homing her because of the smell. She was kept clean but had a bit of a permanent odor. She was really sweet though. And you can buy them GIANT balls like the ones you would put a hamster in.
However, I read somewhere recently that it is never a good idea to have a ferret in the same house as a Quaker. I'm not sure if it was in the Guide to the Quaker Parrot or somewhere online. If you're really considering getting one you should do some research on that. And if you do, you should of course post as many pictures as possible!

[genevieve.cj]

I don't actually have any birds at the moment- thankyou for the heads up though I was also wondering how they go with cats and dogs. It wouldn't be for a while yet- planning on moving to Victoria next year so if I got one I would wait until then so I could have easy vet access. I just couldn't get over how personable he was! So much character. And watching him run had me in stitches!

[Siobhan]

I've had four ferrets and I just loved them. They do nibble and they can bite fairly hard, but they won't bite hard once they're nice and tame and they're awfully cute. I wouldn't have one with a dog, though. The dog, no matter how well-trained, just can't get over the idea that the ferret is prey. We had the best-trained, most well-behaved dog in the universe when we had our last ferret, and she plagued the poor thing and tried to break into his cage until we had to keep them in separate rooms with a door closed between them, and that wasn't fair to the poor ferret, who loved to explore. They're very curious, so you should baby-proof your house thoroughly if you plan to get one. They chew on electrical cords, for example. They can learn to do tricks and they'll ride around on your shoulders. Peekaboo (that was our ferret's name) would let me drape him around my neck like a fur piece and he'd snuggle up and go to sleep like that. AND a ferret can learn to use a litter box, but until you show it to him again and again, he's going to make his own and keep going to the same spot.

They do have a musky smell, but that never bothered me. I liked the smell, and they're very clean little critters.

[Merlinmew]

We had 2 and they got along with our dog (but it was supervised interactions) and cats. They literally got into everything. The female would slip into the cupboards and pop out the silverware drawer. Both liked to crawl under the stove (which I didnt care much for because I was afraid they'd get hurt or burned). My favorite moment was not finding the male and when I did finally find his hiding place - he was under the blanket in bed.

Their antics are commical but they must be supervised because they get into everything and its like having a toddler in the house - you must ferret proof things & make sure they cant get into trouble. You also want to make sure you have a vet a specializes in them because not all vets are familiar with ferrets & their diseases. If you get a female - make sure she gets spayed. Females can end up having serious issues because a heat cycle can turn into an on-going event.

[Martin]

I agree with everything that has been written. Our ferret (Frieda) was the best pet we ever had up until Toby. He was a hoot. He would put on a show by acting like he was going to attack and tear you to pieces (which he could have). He would sit in front you you and jump up and down and his tail would got real big, but he wouldn't do a thing. He was a thief and would make off with anything that was sitting loose. One time we had to move the stove and there was all kind of stuff under it. He would chew on cords. I guess he was like Toby in many ways. We loved him (why was he called Frieda if he was a he?). You will get great enjoyment from one if you decide to get it.

[SandyJ]

Only bad thing is the smell. Nothing you can do to eliminate it.
It's distinct and no matter how much you bathe them they just plain stink.