Any ferret owners?? Help?

thanks everyone :) didnt expect this thread to be so popular tbh :D this is the pair i'm thinking about a lot really, i can't get them out of my mind despite everyone telling me to go for the older more sensible mixed pair, i just can't resist these cheeky faces :D
here's Flo:
http://www.rspca.org.uk/allaboutanimals/rehoming/petsearch/details/-/Pet/FLO/ref/79982/rehome/
and her friend Sadie:
http://www.rspca.org.uk/allaboutanimals/rehoming/petsearch/details/-/Pet/SADIE/ref/79976/rehome/

what do you think??? :)
 
Floxie said:
Goodness me... Those people suggesting daily cleanouts, are ferrets sufficiently different to other rodents that this wont make them a million times more stinky? I know with rats etc, talking away their scent pretty much as soon as it's down just unsettles them and they'll mark more to compensate - is it different with ferrets? My rats get cleaned every 10-14 days and are quite bearable. It's a common question asked on rat forums, usually followed by "I'm cleaning the cage daily but it's not helping!" o_O
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I have not read the whole thread so sorry If I am repeating but ferrets are not rodents .
 
This thread is making think if I should set the OH away to renovate the ferret palace and ring the RSPCA and say I am ready for more.

They are just the best fun when I got my first I got my first from the RSPCA when I was a welfare officer and liaising with them a lot went on call too see two thin ponies came back with a ferret I quickly realised I needed another and the one of the officer bought a litter of kits for me to pick one ,my Jill ( called Jill ) heard them and leap into the box for a horrible moment I thought she was going to attack the kits but was then treated to an hour of manic ferret fun it was a shame I had promised the OH I would only get one.
One used sit on my shoulder when I washed up she seemed to like the steam the same one liked to swin in the bath and would hurl herself in with my OH ,there's never a dull moment with ferrets.
 
Goldenstar said:
This thread is making think if I should set the OH away to renovate the ferret palace and ring the RSPCA and say I am ready for more.

They are just the best fun when I got my first I got my first from the RSPCA when I was a welfare officer and liaising with them a lot went on call too see two thin ponies came back with a ferret I quickly realised I needed another and the one of the officer bought a litter of kits for me to pick one ,my Jill ( called Jill ) heard them and leap into the box for a horrible moment I thought she was going to attack the kits but was then treated to an hour of manic ferret fun it was a shame I had promised the OH I would only get one.
One used sit on my shoulder when I washed up she seemed to like the steam the same one liked to swin in the bath and would hurl herself in with my OH ,there's never a dull moment with ferrets.
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Go for it :D There are so many in the RSPCA that i'm sure you'd find a couple :D
 
Coco came from a mad woman not far from here - a council house, a huge garden and :eek: ferrets as far as the naked eye could see. Obviously she had to come with me ;)

Women who adore ferrets do tend to be a bit "bonkers". x
 
I used to have a ferret, they are great pets. I kept mine in a hutch outside in a sheltered, covered spot and let her out daily for a run round the yard. Mine was a rescue and still a bit wild at first, infact she used to grab our resident shire horse's feathers! I think she thought it was a juicy rabbit! It didn't take long to tame her a bit though and she was a sweet little thing.
However.....
They stink! They aren't rodents they are carnivores and their droppings smell, plus they have a musty odour too which isn't too horrible, but you wouldn't want it in the house! I really wouldn't let it run on anything other than a hard floor, I don't think you can confidently litter tray train them, they will always happily do a poo in the corner of the room if they feel like it as they like to back into corners to poo!

I found if you fed cheap ferret food or cat food she smelt worse than if she had just normal meat, which isn't rocket science really, it's a natural diet.

I was told at the time that you have to get the females spayed if they are not being bred from as they will develop tumours on their overies. I got mine done and she had an early tumour. Doing nothing isn't an option, they have to be spayed, put on the pill(!) or got pregnant.

I was a good few years ago since she was put down due to old age, so things might have changed since then!
 
We used to wash ours weekly to keep down the smell with a product called three in one ferret shampoo deodoriser wash and conditioner all in one I wonder if they still sell it ferret bath night was a scream they loved it .
 
Goldenstar said:
We used to wash ours weekly to keep down the smell with a product called three in one ferret shampoo deodoriser wash and conditioner all in one I wonder if they still sell it ferret bath night was a scream they loved it .
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I wouldnt reccommend bathing too often as it just makes them smell more as they lose the oils in their coat so when bathed they will produce more and more.

However mine love a 'paddling pool' of shallow water.

:)
 
ok so since you all have given me so much advice already, it wont hurt if you help me with this little dilemma i have :D my dad used to own a ferret, it was a unspayed hob, that lived on his own in an old fishtank with shavings as bedding, the poor thing was bored and had the free run of the house when let out so would go behind cupboards and sofas and chew, he'd make holes in the sofa cushions and pull the stuffing out, he'd also wee on the carpet and poo wherever he wanted as he was not litter trained, he'd also mark his territory. we live in a rented house, the landlord has given me the ok to get ferrets, he's fine with it, as long as anything that is damaged, is to be repaired or replaced. now my parents idea of ferrets is what my dads ferret was like, hence they arent keen as they think that it will cost them a fortune in replacing everything as they think ferrets are smelly, poo and wee everywhere and destroy anything in their way. no my job of convincing them is made 100x harder than if they had not had experiences with ferrets. how do i convince them to let me have the furries??? :) any ideas???
 
we have 4 castrated hobs and much as we love them they do smell, personally i would not have them indoors because of it and your aprents are probably right that it would cost a fortune to get the house smell free (think replacing carpets).

ours used to have a large aviary but we have moved and currently they are in a 2 tier hutch waiting for a shed to be put up for them. it will have a mesh door as well as a wooden door so in hot weather its cooler, also mesh at the windows for the same reason.

i figure it is the best of both worlds, the ferrets have lots of space where we can go in and spend time with them (may put a chair in) but they are not making the house smell.
 
Lydia has just sorted out Percy, our 3 month old lab pup - she follows him around, but if he pushes her too far he gets a sharp nip on his ankles, and a flying pup occurs...
 
My two used to corner my cats, and dogs behind the sofa. they would do their war dance, and bounce back and forth! So funny. But a few of my cats ended up with pierced ears!

They would steal food and hide it in my underwear drawer - lovely.

I think you can get the scent glands removed, but mine weren't that smelly anyway (two hobbs).

They are very trainable, so maybe you can train them not to destroy the sofa!

Ohh, I miss mine. *plans how to sneak wriggly ferrets past the OH*
 
Well you can manage the smell by spaying and doing whatever it is they do to the Hobbs and weekly bathing the RSPCA officer who gave me my first always had loads because they where difficult to rehome and she loved she was the one that put us onto the bathing .
If you have room you could try putting them into big baby's play pen in the house to contain them when you have them in to play you could put there toys in and pop them in when ou need to they do hide food in drawers and all about the place in the end I filled their Favorite drawer with old jumper and left them to it.
We ferret proofed our back yard which quite large and they had a whale of time in there do you have anywhere you could do something like that ?
I always thought that the more outside exercise they got the less they smelt , and the less likely they are to do naughty stuff like your Dads.
They are extremlely curious and like constant stimulation when awake.
I think the best way to talk round your parents is to present them with a plan about you are going to manage the issues they have .
 
I thought the ferret area was getting REALLY smelly a few months ago and was getting very worried - till I sussed that it was the "mucking out aroma" on the bottom of my Toggi Boots. God do they stink :o
 
I didn't bother taking my ferrets out on a lead, they used to follow me. great pets but need loads of handling when young and loads of love. Need lots of space and stuff to do. mine live in a stable with lots of levels boxes and toys.
 
PingPongPony said:
anyone ideas about my parent situation?? :)
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Sorry, I am with your mum and dad on this one! ;)
Ferrets stink, however much you wash them or clean their bedding, they will make the room smell. You can't fully litter train them, if they feel like pooping on the carpet, they will!

I would love another one, but I would never have one in the house!
 
I am definitely with Monkers. I loved the smell, I am used to smelling of horse wee. However much you try to convince yourself that they don't smell that bad - they do. Don't smell it through your nose, imagine smelling it through a guests nose. My ferrets honestly made one of my guests vomit. She does have a weak stomach and is generally quite sensitive but there is no denying they are stinking little b*ggers x
 
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