Anyone have a Ferret?

Family, Education, Health and Pets
1
Hi, does anyone here own a Ferret? I am interested in maybe getting one, and have searched for them in Switzerland (Frettchen) and think that maybe I need to fill out a form from a Vet before getting one. Not sure what is required and if owning one is right for me yet. Anyone have more information about this? Thanks.

2
http://www.swissferret.ch/

Urs who runs that website lives close to Baden.

3
Hiya Fluffy, my only experience of Ferrets is my stepfathers, who bred and used them along with his dog for hunting rabbits. They are an extremely sociable and inquisitive animal and need lots of space and company. They also have a very pungent scent which in an enclosed space can soon become overwhelming. They can be affectionate with lots of handling and are intelligent, when i say this they recognize the sounds of who is approaching and will react accordingly.

I don't know what your set up is but unless you can take more than one and have the time and space to keep them active I wouldn't advocate them as pets.

I did visit a friend in the States who had one as a pet but in order for this to work out in her apartment, the poor creature was operated on to remove all it's sweat glands and left to a solitary life.

4

Thanks, saw that site a long time ago, but never saw the German side till now, which has more information. Maybe I'll try emailing Urs and asking some questions directly. Thanks!

5
Yes, the more I'm reading about them, the more I don't know if they are the best for me. Thanks for the feedback, I'd love to hear about more experiences, good or bad.

6
Hi, I've never had a ferret, but several friends over the years have had them. Definitely keep in mind that they can be smelly, even when their cages are cleaned religiously: it's their glands that smell, not their litter boxes. All the ferrets I've known have been biters; though it was affectionate, those little teeth are sharp! They are related to skunks and weasels, so they seem to get the smelly glands from the skunk side, and the biting from the weasel side.

Ferrets are adorable and smart, but curious and like to explore and hide. One friend's ferret was allowed to roam free in the apartment, and it was constantly finding pens in my friend's bag and hiding them. When this friend moved out of her apartment, she found dozens of pens in a little pile under her bed, where her ferret had been storing them. This same friend used to take her ferret out on a little leash (they didn't go far - just a little fresh air and time in the grass).

Another friend's ferret was allowed to run only in his dining room, where he could close off the entrance. His ferret had been known to find the tiniest crack or space in the wall and squeeze through it...so he had to monitor her very closely or she'd become lost in pipes or behind the walls of the apartment. This little ferret was a lot of fun; she would play games of tug-of-war with her toys and human playmates.

Something to keep in mind, the second friend I mentioned told me that females must be either spayed (preferable) or be allowed to mate, or they can die a painful death; something to do with estrogen build-up. I'm not even sure if ferrets are sold un-spayed, but it might be something to ask about.

So, these are just my little anecdotes about ferrets. They're really cute, but they are very intelligent and energetic, and do require more care and attention then many people think.

Good luck with your decision!

7
The Dude : Hey, nice marmot!

8
Has anyone mentioned Richard Gere yet?

9
Me too (except that it was my grandfather doing his best to reduce the rabbit popultion - to absolutely no avail, I might add). I felt so sorry for the rabbits! Our ferrets were hunters, with little contact with humans apart from being stuffed down a warren every now and then. I have it on very good authority that they have very sharp teeth, although they seemed to like me and would let me scratch their widdle nosies through the wire. I like them, but I don ́t think I ́d have one as a pet. But if I did, I ́d call him stinky.....

10
Sorry, I'd should have mentioned that. Don't worry if you haven't much German, as he speaks excellent English.

11
I saw a woman stroking her Ferret over lunch in Coop the other day.

I was quite suprised to see it done quite so brazenly, but it seemed very friendly.

Good luck!

12
did you get a ferret in the end fluffylily?

I was thinking of finally taking the plunge and getting a couple myself.

13
I emailed the webmaster about seeing if I can go see some and see how they interact, but he never emailed me back...

I just saw the post above about a woman stroking her ferret, wow! I have never seen one here yet and was actually convinced not to get one after watching lots of You-tube videos on how to train them not to "nip". My husband hates nippy things, and it seems like you really have to train them not to nip at you. I still am interested so if someone gets one, I'd love to hear from them!