Ferrets as Pets

We own six ferrets at our house, because they’re fun to watch and have personalities all their own. If you’re looking for a fun pet that will give you hours of entertainment, think about a ferret as a pet. Here are some comments I’ve heard about our pets, and the real truth about them.

Ferrets look like long rats, so they must be rodents.

Actually, ferrets are part of the weasel family, and aren’t rats at all. Their faces resemble rats, but their bodies are long and very flexible.

Why do you have so many?

Ferrets are social animals. If one is alone, it will get depressed.

Why do you have them in two cages?

Our male ferrets are a lot more aggressive than the female ferrets, and some of those males even more aggressive than others. Every ferret has his or her own personality, just like people. When the males get old or diseased, they get extremely nasty, and will bite the other ferrets on the neck and not let go. So we have two large cages, about three feet by three feet by about five feet tall, with many levels, hammocks, food bowls and water containers. We keep the ferrets that get along in each cage, depending on their stage in life and temperament.

Do they like sleeping on top of each other?

Our ferrets love to sleep near other ferrets, even if they’re on top of each other. We have three hammocks at the top of each cage, and sometimes we have up to four ferrets all sleeping together in one hammock. They stick their noses out of the pile of fur for air, much like you’d see a snorkel out of water.

I always see them sleeping.

Ferrets sleep about twenty hours a day. In our household, we let them out to run around our basement or bonus room three times a day, with litter boxes in each area, since they’re litter trained. They play hard, dancing around each other and playing like kittens all their lives. They also sleep a lot, to make up for the time they play.

They eat a lot of food.

Yes, they eat about every three hours, because their digestive system is very simple. We have to feed them a high-fat diet, because most of what they eat is passed through their bodies. We’ve found that while some ferret food is high in fat, kitten food is even higher.

Would you recommend ferrets as pets for young children?

No. I wouldn’t have them around any child younger than at least ten years of age. Ferrets bite when they play, and young children are very hyper, which makes ferrets nervous. If a ferret is raised by being held by people, they are less likely to bite. All of our ferrets are from a farm where they were handled from birth, so they don’t bite as much as other ferrets. However, when they play, all rules are gone, and they do play-bite. We have one female (Kes) who will walk up to you and bite you, just to get your attention to play. She never draws blood, but she gets your attention. She wants you to move your hand, rub her tummy, or run away from her. We also put her with other dancing ferrets to watch them play.

How often do you clean their cages?

Every day, and their litter twice a day. Ferrets and skunks are both in the weasel family, so they have that lingering odor, even after a bath. We have dog and cat bedding in their cage, along with old towels, and old crocheted bags. They love those bags…curl up with their friends and go to sleep in a tight area. We don’t use any wood shavings, because it can get in their respiratory system and hurt their lungs.

You have toys… for your ferrets?

Yes. We have tubing, old boxes, paper bags, and have even built a toy that houses Styrofoam peanuts specially designed for ferrets. They love rooting in that box of peanuts and even eat them. They love to climb, so an old dresser with the drawers pulled out in a stair fashion is one of the best toys. Even an old pair of jeans becomes an adventure for a ferret. You never know what will be the best toy for them, because everything that’s moved becomes a new toy that they have to check out. Being very curious animals, they have to explore everything in their surroundings.

Overall, ferrets make great pets. They don’t live a long time, maybe seven years or so, and most of that time is spent sleeping. But when they’re awake, they’re hilarious to watch.