Ferret Vs. Rat

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they go to the bathroom when they wake up -the breeder we got ours from told us that they tend to poop a lot because after they eat their bodies will have digested it within three hours and then they poop- how true that is i don't know..

so far i havent witnessed ours open cabinets BUT they have almost been sucked down the bath tub drain because they figured out how to pull the plug AND pull out the protective metal drainy bit (dont know what its called) ..they did that under water too.SO SO LUCKY THEY DIDNT GET SUCKED AWAY!!

unlike my rats who get sick if they have a significantly less amount of attention for a little while the ferrets don't. They will stress if not let out of the cage though-if it's only a week and they still have the out of cage time and lots of toys to entertain them i think them and you will both be ok.

-our ferrets will destroy the lounge if theyre not supervised and stopped when they start digging at it.some may be different but everything i say is only from my experience.

ours are terribly mean to other animals who dont have thick ferret skin! when they were younger they 'met' my poodle and that resulted in me rushing to pick up the dog but by then it was too late and there was a ferret dangling from each back leg by it's teeth. i THINK they were trying to play?


our boy scent marked a lot before he was desexed if he still does it it's unnoticeable..
 
oh i forgot to post a while ago that one of the cutest things about the ferries (as i call them) is that when you go to their cage and they're asleep they will just somehow know you are there and wake up and wiggle with excitement to see you and get attention. they LOVE their owner!

-and its also the cutest when they slide out and stretch and yawn awwww.
 
You don't complain too much, you are giving an honest response based on your experience with them and that is valuable information.
I see it with rats as well, people only giving the good points and not the bad, when there are bad points to having rats. It is irresponsible not to provide people with the cons of specific animals at the same time as the pros.
It seems that many people who get ferrets, just like many who get rats, aren't really prepared for the responsibility and end up rehoming them. Ferrets aren't for everyone, and if people did proper research they would know that beforehand.
Personally, I think that they are absolutely adorable but they are not for me. I love meeting other peoples ferrets and interacting with them. Maybe if they were the only animal companion that I had, it would be a different story, but they are just too energetic and destructive. If not treated well they can be very aggressive, and have a nasty bite. They need a lot of time spent with them to be truly happy and well behaved, and are a huge responsibility.
There is nothing wrong with letting people know that, it might save someone from making a mistake that the ferret will later pay for.
 
Well said Vanessa.

To answer your questions from my point of view:

How often do they have to go to the bathroom? Mine goes quite frequently. I have to empty his litter box every day. I scrub it out every other day.

Can they open cabinets? Mine has not opened a cupboard. I am always in his line of sight and I do chase him around the house when he's not in his cage.

Do they kill leather furniture or upholstery? (Thinking which rooms would be best.) Mine has not, although I have kitty scratching posts for him in his room and in the living room. I also trim his nails once a week as they seem to grow fairly quickly.

Do they mark? Mine is not neutered or descented. He was 3 1/2 when I got him and he had an extremely bad experience when he last visited the vet (nearly died from the stress of it and it took him 5 days to recover from a distemper shot). He has sprayed, but it has not left a mark. Their scent (when they are scared) is like a cross between a cat's spray and a skunk spray. It lingers, but the smell is gone in about 15 minutes. Mine has only done this once. He ran up the stairs when I was grabbing his water bottle off of his cage and met nose to nose with the dog (very large dog). He was chased and made his little "fluff".

How would they do if they got less attention for a week or so? (In case I go on vacation or whatever.) Get a baby sitter. Well a ferret sitter. I spend a fair amount of time with my guy a day. He is actually running around right now. I try to give him 2 or so hours out of his cage a day. We all know that sometimes this isn't possible, but the more he's out, the happier he is. Simba has his own room though. It houses his cage, two scratching posts and a ton of toys. His cage is probably 4 feet tall, 3 feet long, and 2 feet wide.

Are they nice to old sleeping dogs? (The dog hurting the ferrets wouldn't be a problem. They're 13 and the least agressive animals ever. They ignore my rats.) Simba was exposed to small dogs when he was younger. I have two large dogs and he doesn't like them (but then again, they chase him). He gets along amazingly with the cats though.

Oh and Benzin: What's with ferrets and the bathtub? Mines goes in the tub and runs around. I'm not sure if he likes the coolness, or when I run the water for him to drink, or the sound it makes under his little feet.....
 
Ferrets are fun! I really want them, but I'm sure if I have the time and dedication. I'm not too worried about price, because if I got an older pair of craigslist, they'd be cheap and socialized, and my cage is approx. (in feet) 5x1.5x3. A bathroom (hardly used, no shampoos or any chemical stuff around. We have 3 full bathrooms and 2 half bathrooms) is rat/ferret proof, and the room I'm in right now is mostly rat/ferret proof. So I could do homework w/ the ferrets in the bathroom, and watch TV with the ferrets in this almost safe room, because I could keep an eye on them.... but still, I'm not sure if I'm ready for ferrets.... I need to stop obsessing. It's not like I could get the ferrets for another couple of years anyway. But it's been like my dream since I was a little kid, and now I'm old enough to take care of them independently.... but stilllll. I should shuddup, I always obsess way too much. -_-
 
I had my friend (who has two ferrets) read your post Benzin.fox and she agreed 100% with your description! LOL

But that said, my friend would never have rats because of their short life spans, and their expensive vet bills. She also thinks ferrets are more fun than rats.
 
LOL @ Linda's post!! I agree with your friend too though, too many vet bills and the short life spans SUCK. They're pretty smart not getting attached! I'll tell you this..I'm still with my first rats and I have only just learnt not to sob and cry everytime one of them (especially audrey) gets the wheezies or a myco outbreak.I know I don't cry very often otherwise apart from when the rats get sick.It hurts though,doesnt it?? Also I find the vet bills arent too expensive compared to dogs and cats BUT it's the frequency of them that makes them expensive. I'm a uni student and I find it hard to cope at times and have had to go without and borrow money to keep my rats well! -can anyone else relate to that? or am i the only poor-girl about the place? haha.

Lj: I do not know what the deal is with ferrets and bathtubs! I also don't know what the deal is with their nails growing so damn fast! Our female's doesnt grow so fast but our male...oh golly(yes i say golly)...it is a MUST that theyre cut once a week or he looks like we've never,ever done it.theyre so LONG!
also- our male "skunked" once also and it was because of a dog.it's the only time ..and it was on me...haha.


NezumiNeko-never shut up! thats what this forum is for haha. I love it cause in "real life" no one ever wants to hear my tales of all my mammals but here i can pretty much ramble until i can ramble no more!

dahlas & vanessa - thanks for the replies. I had started to feel bad cause i had only said "bad" stuff about ferrets and not much of the good!
 
Is one ferret easier than two? I'd never get just one social ferret, but if a ferret had a problem with other ferrets and had to be single, would they be signifigantly easier to care for. Or is it like a rat, where one more doesn't make so much of a difference, because I think two would be more fun!

I hope my cat Roxi likes ferrets, she likes being chased, dangly toys, and playing with other kitties tails. Mozart, on the other had is a lap and armrest cat, who gets easily freaked. Him playing with ferrets is highly unlikely. But he's my best friend, and anyone who thinks he is boring shall be banished from the kingdom.
 
Ferrets are very social animals. Two would be better than one. Not necessarily easier, but better for the wee guy.

Mine likes cats and the cats like him.
 
There are definetely some ferrets that need to be kept alone, it's uncommon, but some dogs and cats can't be around other dogs or cats.
 
you are NEVER 100% completely ferret proof
they will destroy things like fabric furniture if left to their own devices.
i have 9 and i have to pooperscoop twice daily or it over runs the cage, there are 7 litter boxes in the cage.
ferrets eat approx 1lb of food per month so that runs about $40 for very high quality food.
they can do with less attention for short periods but really should have someone to come on once daily to let them have a run it can be shorter then normal but still should happen. behaviour problems can occur if they dont.
 
Eeep! But I'd never let ferrets out alone. I'd stare those puppies down 'til... yea, nothing would happen if I stared ferrets down. But $40 dollars a month for good food! If that's the case, I can't get ferrets.
 
Ferrets are so cute! I used to have an online friend and I could watch his ferret girl doing her thing in the background on webcam while we yakked...
Oh yeah I thought I wanted one so bad!
and one day she wasn't there and he said he had to give her away cause she was into everything and took more ferret-proofing & cleaning-up-after and needed more out-time & stimulation than he had to give her when he worked all day eve tho he was home most nights :cry3:
And I realized that it can't be about what I want, it has to be about who I'm suited to.
Thankyou Katie- ferret.
 
I <3 Jumpy and Snatch. Every time I go to that magical pet store, I want ferrets more. They're all so friendly!!!! This petite little sable one was so sweet, everytime I came to the front of the cage, the ferrets would be there. I'd entertain them by moving my finger back and forth!
 
hmm minit has to go back in for surgery. in the spring she had an abcess on the side of her face that wouldnt clear up on antibiotics and flushing it needed surgery. the past week she lost a drastic amount of weight and when i examined her i thought it was a tooth but a couple days showed me another lump on the other side of her face. im not messing with meds this time its straight to surgery!!
 
If you think rats are silly..oh my ferrets are the comedians of the animal kingdom! I miss my ferrets but I will tell ya, they are a lot of work! And you cannot leave anything that they think is interesting to them just laying around because trust me-if they can lift it you can bet it will vanish! Until you find their stash, that is. Ours ripped a hole in the underside of our couch and that is where we always found things we could never find such as my friends diaper rash ointment, earrings, batteries, socks, nail clippers, chapstick, coins, lids....you name it! They can also be destructive-hole in the couch for stashing. But watching them pick something up that is a little too heavy for them and try to bounce away with it is hilarious! Sometimes a ratty can bite or nip when they get irritated...when a ferret does that it realyl hurts especially if they get you in the nose-believe me I know! Ouch! They also can be smelly-you can tell someone has a ferret the moment you step foot in their house because they have a particalr odor-and their poop in worse! I used to get annoed having to clean up poop in the corners of the apartment constantly because they only do their 'bidness' in a corner...then I learned to actually place a little pan in the corners they pooped in most. But I have to say the good things far outweigh the bad things because they can be very sweet and affactionate...it just depends on if you can handle them or not. I would love to get another set of ferrets but I don't think my ratties would like that, in the wild rats are prey to ferrets and I wouldn't want to make them afraid of anything. I am sticking with muh ratties. :thumbup:
 

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