I am trying to decide whether to get a Ferret or not.I have had experience with many other small types of animals including rabbit,hamster,guinea pig and mice etc.I was just wondering if they need special needs or anything like that.My next door neighbour had 2 and I loved them to bits.Do they have any odours,Special diet,special housing requirements? etc......I just want to do my research before I get one,just like you should research any animal you have had no experience with living at home.Could someone please give me some advice/tips? Thanks.........

Hiya i have had 2 baby ferrets about a month i have never had them before and i have to say a love them 2 bits but they are alot more work than normal small pets my advice would be get adults not babys as babies can be nippy they do have a smell about them but i have bein told when you spay them its not as bad i keep mine outside but i no some people keep them in so thats your own choice mines get a diet of meats like beef lamb etc and wet cat food the odd day and some dry ferret complete food so i hope that helps you out a bit if you need enything else just ask

Always best to get two ferrets as they like to play

Sorry,but I think they stink.I stroked some one day,and went to tesco afterwards.All I could smell on my hand was.....well it smelled of wee!

Entire (un-neutered) ferrets can be extremely whiffy. If they are 'done' they smell no more than your average cat or dog.

they can make lovely pets but I would say they require just as much commitment, training and time as a dog.

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I posted a care thread a bit further down.

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You are right to want to find out more about ferrets before diving in to ferret ownership.

I have stuck up some useful information on our rescue website STARescue Ferret Rescue & Ferret Racing just look under Rehoming and Ferret Info for useful tips etc on Housing, Feeding, Ferret Proofing you house/garden, Grooming and Maintenance, Health, Vets etc.

A good book to start out with is Ferrets for Dummies, it is American so not all that is written about is relevant or available over here, but even so it is a good book for new ferret owners.

Ferrets can make wonderful pets (living indoors as well as outdoors), but I would always recommend

1) getting at least 2 to start with (as they are intelligent creatures and can become bored and depressed if left alone)

2) that are at least 1-2 years old (kitts are very cute but are, as we say born as vampires, in that they really do use their teeth a lot to find out about the world around them, and need a lot of time spent handling them and donating blood to get them to become hand friendly)

3) and from a rescue as they will make sure that the ferrets match your experrience, and if its not kits that you are taking on will normally have already got them neutered before putting them up for rehome.

Getting neutered ferrets from rescues is far more cost effective than paying £5/10 from a breeder to find your vet then wants £45-£70 to neuter them, of £17-£25 each season for a jill jab (essential if you havent got a vasectomised hob to hand to take a jill out of season and arent intending to breed) a simple donation of £30-£35 for a rescue ferrets means this is covered already and your donation goes towards the upkeep of the next rescues in.

Whilst its not essential to neuter ferrets, those of us who rescue ferrets do recommend this as a ferret can have between 1-15 kits in a litter, and upto 2 litters a year. This is one of the reasons the rescues get overrun with kits during the breeding season, as people find they cant rehome the kits they have bred, and either kill the ones they have left over, dump them in bins or on rubbish sites where they wont survive, or hand them over to the rescues.

Unspayed jills will when they have come into season remain in season UNTIL they are either bred, services by a vasectomised hob OR brought out of season by a vet through jill jab or implant - if they are not then their health is a stake and they are very likely to suffer from and die an agonising death from aplastic anaemia or pyometra.

So unless you are intending to breed, neutering is a one of cost that not only prevents unneccessary litter of kits, but works out cheaper longer term than the jill jab AND has the added benefits of

- reducing the smell of the ferret as the orange coloured oily musk that entire ferrets secrete that has a very strong sweet sickly smell that many associate from the past with ferrets. 4-6 weeks after neutering and the smell is almost gone!

- reducing the hormones in the ferret that makes them more feisty during the mating season, and more able to mix and live with other ferrets as a group.

4) Before getting your ferrets, make sure you have a nice large cage/hutch/shed (whatever suits your home) ready, with secure space for your ferrets to come out and play with you.

5) ANY area you plan to let your ferret roam free in needs to be safe - these are mischievious, inquisitive intelligent creatures that can open catches, doors, fridges; have sharp teeth that they can bite through wires with when exploring; and are extremely agile able to squeeze through gaps of aroun 1 inch in size.

6) Take photos with you to the rescue of where you plan to have your ferrets live. Most will want to do a home visit before letting you rehome, but dont be put off by this idea, the rescues are there to help both you and the ferrets, as they will give you advice about any parts of your home that they feel may need a little more ferret proofing, or ways to improve their new forever home to make their lives perfect with you.

7) Do find a ferret knowledgeable vet that operates 24x7x365 that you can get to, only when these little guys need medical help they tend to need it within a matter of hours. Your local ferret rescue may be able to recommend one.

There is a searchable list of ferret rescues here
STARescue Ferret Rescue & Ferret Racing

and links to ferret friendly vets here

STARescue Ferret Rescue & Ferret Racing

Hope this information helps.