Ferrets?

I have always wanted a ferret, and got to play with one this weekend in Petco and now I want one even more!! Do they really smell though? Will my house have that "smell" if we have a ferret?

Re: Ferrets?

Ferrets do have a unique odor. My brother had several growing up and the whole house did not smell, just the room that they were in. He cleaned the cage very often.

Re: Ferrets?

i REALLY want one, but theyre illegal in NYC

Re: Ferrets?

Bathe them often

Re: Ferrets?

I had one, they are a lot of fun. But they DO stink!!!!

Re: Ferrets?

They do smell because they have 3 scent glands and the pet stores can only remove 2 because the 3rd is too close to the spinal cord.

I had 3 at one time and got used to the smell but they are wonderful animals and are worth it.

FM me if you need more info.

Re: Ferrets?

how long do they live Diane?

Re: Ferrets?

Message edited 11/28/2006 5:39:01 PM.

Re: Ferrets?

i've had ferrets...2

i just lost one a few weeks ago.. she was 8

they usually live 6-9 years..

they are the best...lots of fun for hours and hours... however they do smell however.... i never smelt it... but people said they smelt it when they came over... just keep the litter box clean and it shouldn't be a problem...

Re: Ferrets?

diane... oh thanks for the info.

are there ferret breeders?
actually, i may look into a ferret rescue organziation. i know they exist cuz i saw something once on animal planet about them

Re: Ferrets?

I saw a ferret rescue group recently at the Long Island Pet Expo at the Nassau Coliseum...so they are definitely out there if you do a search.

Re: Ferrets?

There are definitely ferret rescues out there. After my ferrets died, I donated their cage to one.

Re: Ferrets?

I love my ferrets. They really are fun animals.

We had 3, but one passed away 2 years ago.

We had Mushy, and we have Stinky and Smokey.

Mushy was 9 when we lost him. Stinky is about 8 and Smokey is 4.

When ferrets reach about 7 they are "old timers" and are prone to tumors which can become cancerous. We did not know that until it happened with Mushy. That's how we lost him. Stinky started to look like he was developing the same symptons and we rushed him to the vet. Good news it ws not tumors. Bad news it was his spleen and it had to be removed. When they become old they start to develop infections and you really have to watch their habbits. Any changes rush to the vet because it something goes untreated it will be very serious and can be fatal.

Most of the ferrets are fixed at birth however they do have that musky scent. We use newspaper in their cage and change it every few days as well as give them weekly baths. If their is any smell it's usually in that one room. But if you keep up on cleaning their cage and baths you should be fine. Stinky has a really strong scent when he's scared and his hair stands up straight. It's like his defense mechanisim.

Like someone mentioned in an earlier post Marshall ferrets are tattooed. Stinky is not a marshall ferret but Smokey is. Marshall ferrets are also proned to illnesses a lot more then non marshall ferrets. We got Smokey as an abandoned ferret and honestly had no idea what those dots meant until we took him to a vet. He was abandoned at the airport and my DH could not allow any harm to him so he said he would take him. After Smokey was examined and cleared by airport officials we took him to our vet for a check up.

Oooh speaking of vets, ferrets can not go to just any regular doggie and kitty vet. They need to go to an "exotics" vet. We were very fortunate to have found a wonderful exotics vet in NY and an even more wonderful one here in FL.

As far as ferrets for pets, they are really wonderful and have such a personality. They are very curious and will find their way into anything. I love when they lick my face or try to nibble on my nose. They mostly sleep during the day and become active at night, but with toys they always find a way to amuse themselves. We have given ours small doggie toys in their cage and they love them. Plus we also gave them airplane blankets and they love to make little mountains and burry themselves in them.

If you have any questions please feel free to FM me.