Fuzzy Ferrets Not Always the Perfect Pet

This is a guest article about the drawbacks of sharing a home and your life with a ferret. Ferrets can make wonderful pets but they do require some special care and are not for everyone. So, as with any pet, do your due diligence before you rush out to adopt that cute little critter.

Zoey is just one of more than 1000 ferrets currently available for adoption at petfinder .com.

Things to Consider Before Adopting or Rescuing Ferrets

There are hundreds and hundreds of ferrets sitting in rescue and adoption agencies right now looking for a good home. If you have decided that you want to add a ferret to your family, you may be considering adopting one of these ferrets, not only to provide one with a home, but to possibly save money when getting one as well. But before you take the plunge, you need to ask yourself. Why are there so many ferrets in need of rescue?

Drawbacks to Having a Pet Ferret

One of the main reasons that there are so many ferrets that are in need of a good home, is because there are a number of drawbacks to having them as pets. People do not realize just what is involved with having a ferret, so they go out and get one, or two, and quickly realize that this is not the pet for them.

More than likely the biggest reason for people getting rid of ferrets is because they stink. And not just a little stink…A LOT of stink! Even if the ferrets have been descented, which most ferrets are, it still does not take away the smell. Descenting ferrets only means that the musk-producing glands in the anal sacs have been removed. This does nothing to take away from the smell that constantly surrounds the animal, or the unbelievably horrible smell of their feces.

Ferrets defecate…a lot. In order to control the odor that will quickly permeate your entire home, you must be willing to clean their cage at least daily, if not multiple times a day. If this is something you are not willing to commit to, than you would be better off not getting a ferret. And you definitely don’t want to adopt multiple ferrets, because that will only result in double the poo and smell!

Behavioral Issues Found in Neglected and Abused Ferrets

Many ferrets that come to find themselves in a rescue agency have often been neglected, mistreated and abused. This can lead to a number of behavioral issues in the ferret that you may not be ready to deal with. Ferrets are by nature, playful and social creatures. They require at least 3-4 hours a day outside of their cage to play. If they have been neglected, or their playfulness was misconstrued as aggressive behavior and they were punished for it, they may have become introverted and anti-social, and have developed a dislike for people in general.

Ferrets are also nippy animals by nature. They do not necessarily bite to be malicious, but they nip at fingers, toes and anything else they can find as their way of playing. Many people often feel as though this nipping is a sign of aggression and that the ferret is attempting them harm, and they smack or hit at the ferret. This smacking, hitting, or even worse punishment can cause the ferret to become aggressive, and lead to them actually biting, rather than nipping.

Ferrets have very, very sharp teeth. So a bite from them hurts…really badly. If you adopt a ferret with behavioral issues, you may need to prepare yourself for the fact that you can get bitten. Even a ferret without behavioral issues may bite occasionally without intending to hurt you, so if you don’t want to get bitten, a ferret is not for you.

Ferrets can be great pets. When treated well and cared for properly, they can be extremely loyal pets that you will absolutely adore. But they are definitely not the right pet for everyone, so make sure you know exactly what you are getting into before adopting a ferret so it doesn’t end up needing adoption from you.

“A ferret is God’s way of telling you NOTHING is childproof.” ~ Unknown

Other resources:

http://www.ferret.org/

http://www.ferrets.ca/

http://www.nationalferretrescue.org/