Word Nerd Posted December 2, 2012 Share Posted December 2, 2012 All DD11 wants for Christmas is a pet ferret. We have two cats, and getting the kids to care for their pets without constant reminders is enough to put me in the No camp for any others. But I feel my resistance waning lately... I had a roommate one summer in college who had a ferret, and the only issue I had with it is that it was smelly--the animal itself, not its cage. Just for the sake of discussion, have ferret owners in the Hive found that they make a good family pet? Would the cats be likely to hurt it? DD had a gerbil that died a year ago or so (she did take good care of it), and the cats tried to get at it no matter where we put the cage. I don't want any more animals that would be easy prey for the cats. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dory Posted December 2, 2012 Share Posted December 2, 2012 I find that the larger ferrets make better pets. I haven't owned one personally but both of my brother in laws have. The small ones get into everything and are more likely to get hurt. The large one was more like an odd cat. They were both litter trained and friendly with cats and dogs. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Slipper Posted December 2, 2012 Share Posted December 2, 2012 I had two ferrets for a while. Lots of fun and they were also trained to use the bathroom in one place. HOWEVER, they use the bathroom a lot as I recall. Cleaning daily is a must and maybe even more than once a day. I would not buy my kids one because of that reason. YMMV :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Starr Posted December 2, 2012 Share Posted December 2, 2012 Read a lot before getting a ferret. If you don't want to take care of it I wouldn't get one. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MotherMayI Posted December 2, 2012 Share Posted December 2, 2012 My ds had one for several months. He also required excessive reminders to clean and care for the animal. My dh and I could not stand the smell- the ferret went to a new home. I would not get one again. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Word Nerd Posted December 2, 2012 Author Share Posted December 2, 2012 Whew! I am now firmly back in the No camp and will stick to my original objections. Thank you! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Elizabeth in MN Posted December 2, 2012 Share Posted December 2, 2012 Ferrets are wondrful pets. However, IMO, your daughter is too young to have a pet ferret. They require a lot of thoughtful care. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
I.Dup. Posted December 2, 2012 Share Posted December 2, 2012 Ferrets smell HORRENDOUS!!! No way would I want a ferret. And they're creepy. Would she do a hamster or a goldfish? LOL Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
misty.warden Posted December 2, 2012 Share Posted December 2, 2012 My cousins had ferrets, one stank when he was alone but after buying the second neither one smelled bad. They still smelled like animals but not like gross. They do take a lot of care though, and if you don't want to remind her and think he smelly cage litter won't remind her to clean it, I'd say no. Ferrets are also illegal to keep as pets in some areas. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gentlemommy Posted December 2, 2012 Share Posted December 2, 2012 Get a rat instead! They don't smell, are very clean, can be litter trained, smart, and relatively easy to care for. You'd need more than one, as they like to live with friends. We had two females and they were great! They never smelled (well, the one we got from the pet store DID smell, like urine. We gave her a bath and she never smelled again), even when you stuck your nose on them lol. I cleaned their cage twice a week, but for the most part they were free roaming in our bathroom. They used their cage for a potty and to sleep in the house thingy. They are very sweet and can learn tricks. Ours knew their names and would come to us and give us kisses. They would ride on our shoulders or run through obstacle courses we made for them. Great little pets. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
runbikeswim Posted December 2, 2012 Share Posted December 2, 2012 Rats have gotten rave reviews from my friends. I personally hate ferrets. My old roommate had one and it ruined a bunch of my stuff with its smell. It was horrible. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lizzie in Ma Posted December 3, 2012 Share Posted December 3, 2012 Ferrets are in the Mustelid family, that is what they smell the way they do, but I never found it offensive. They are a little high maintenance, they will poop in any corner given half a chance and they can nip when they are young. I do think your dd is too young to care for one by herself but I don't know her. They can be delightful pets, I had two for years. There are few things funnier to watch than ferrets playing. Other pets will be taught ferret games or learn to stay out of their way, we never had problems with them with assorted cats and dogs. They are quiet too, which was a bonus when I had one illegally in my dorm in college. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fraidycat Posted December 4, 2012 Share Posted December 4, 2012 No way. They seem pretty high maintenance. They do stink. I had a friend who had one and her remedy was to shower with it daily. Ewww I see you already made up your mind, but in case you hit your head or something I thought I'd throw that in. LOL Well, that was the absolute worst thing for her to do if she wanted it to not stink. Every time she washed the oils off, it went into hyper oil production mode. So that made it stink. I miss my ferrets sometimes, but they are higher maintenance (than our current cats) and I do not miss that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
abdesigns Posted December 4, 2012 Share Posted December 4, 2012 We have two ferrets, and we absolutely love them. Word of warning though, I wouldn't get a Kit, they bite, a lot. It's how they play with each other, it doesn't hurt them, but it hurts humans, and they don't understand that. It takes about a year for them to figure it out. They aren't biting because they are being mean, they do it when they want attention, and when you give them love. It's just what they do to each other. How they smell depends on what you feed them. You just have to experiment until you find the right food. If you buy something that has fish, or a lot of oil in it, they will have that ferret musk smell. Ours don't have that musk smell, because we found the right food. Ultra Brand Select Ferret diet. Some people feed them kitten food, if you do that, they will stink. Their cages do have to be changed daily, but you would have to do that with cat litter as well. They have a nice big cage that they stay in. We let them out to play around the house about four hours every day. They are hilarious! You should close your bedroom doors, they could burrow into your mattress. Be careful with furniture, most ferret deaths are because of furniture accidents. Especially if you have a recliner. Each ferret has a very different personality. We have one that acts like a dog, if we leave the house while they are out, he will stay by the front door waiting for us to come home, and when we do, he follows us around the house. He's also very lovable and cuddly, he's also our biter, but now his bites are very gentle and don't hurt at all. Our other ferret is older, is not a cuddler, but was never a biter, he just walks around and does his own thing. I think ferrets are awesome! we are extremely happy with them! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Girls' Mom Posted December 4, 2012 Share Posted December 4, 2012 Great, loveable animals. However, they stinketh...lol. We took one in after a couple was divorcing and needed a home for him. My dh couldn't stand the smell, so we had to find another family for him. (Thankfully, we found one that had experience with ferrets, so they knew what they were getting into.) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
justamouse Posted December 4, 2012 Share Posted December 4, 2012 Yes you should. They are hysterical. They are your funniest cat x 10. I love woozles. Rats are awesome, they are crazy smart, but they are not as funny as ferrets. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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