Buying a ...

[RustShack]

Ferret! Any tips, opinions, experiences, yada yada?

[CoMoChief]

Prayer request.......really?


But FWIW, Ferretts ****ing smell horrible, and can make your entire house smell.

My old baseball coach's son had one and we went over there one summer evening for a baseball team bbq at his house. It was the worse smelling house I'd ever been in all my life because this stinky Ferrett they had caged in the ****ing LIVING ROOM.

[CoMoChief]

Be a real mean and get a Lion and train it to kill people you don't like.

Nobody ****s with a Lion bro.

[Pablo]

Bad idea.

If you want a smelly little bastard stinking up your house I'd just go after a guinea pig. At least they won't bite you with their razor sharp teeth and hide under couches for hours. Seriously, don't.

They're little fuckwads and you'll probably want to snap it's little weasel spine within 2 days. They're kinda cute and playful in the pet store, but they're an unenjoyable animal altogether.

[penchief]

Ferrets are high maintenance, high reward. They're a lot of fun, very playful, and will cuddle. However, they are very mischievious, get into everything, and do smell if you don't take care their cage regularly. They also shit and piss in the corners of your house if you don't train them to do it in their cage.

That said, if I were buying one, I'd buy two instead because they are very social pets and I always felt guilty leaving mine alone. I'd also buy a large cage so that you don't feel bad about confining them to a small area when you're not at home. Those are the two things I've told myself I'd do if I ever decided to have a ferret again.

[QuikSsurfer]

Originally Posted by CoMoChief

Be a real mean and get a Lion and train it to kill people you don't like.

Nobody ****s with a Lion bro.

LOL
Grandma's Boy reference?

[CoMoChief]

Originally Posted by QuikSsurfer

LOL
Grandma's Boy reference?

YUP!!!!

[StcChief]

just don't do it, the smell the litte sh1t, ankle/achilles tendon bites. A friend had one years ago. I refused to go over there unless it was caged.

but the smell is tough to get use to.... your friends/guests will stop coming over.

[L.A. Chieffan]

Also, Rustshack, let's not forget - let's NOT forget, - that keeping wildlife, an amphibious rodent, for uh, domestic, you know, within the city - that aint legal either.

[MIAdragon]

Those little fuggers are all over Oahu. There are a few beaches where you cant bring anything on the sand because they will steal your $hit! I hate those things.

[chiefforlife]

Rustshack, I think a Gerbil would be more "up your alley."

[Bwana]

Dude, I had a girlfriend at one point in time that had one of the little bastards. The stink that rolls off them is unreal! You would be better off getting a pet skunk.

[stumppy]

Originally Posted by cfl

Rustshack, I think a Gerbil would be more "up your alley."

Nice gerbil'n reference.

[aturnis]

Yes, just one word....DON'T.

[Rausch]

I've had 4.

Here are some guidelines. And I mean rules, it's something you HAVE to do:

1) Ferret proof your house. If they'll be confined only to a specific room (good idea) make sure this is done BEFORE you purchase the animal and bring it home. Not only will you suffer but the ferret will most likely die if you don't. Seal up any and all means to enter a couch/chair/recliner. If they get in they will tear the shit out of your stuff and possibly eat it. Mine did, got an obstruction, and promptly died in 48 hours.

Not only will they enter your furniture but they will also shit under/behind/around it. You absolutely must spend the pain in the azz time it takes to train them to litterbox. Reward them with treats (raisins work best, but they do sell a treat in a toothpaste style tube they love) and praise when they do as expected.

2) Ferrets will chew the **** out of anything they can. Imagine a puppy that can squeeze under bathroom doors and behind stereo equipment and into cabinets. On top of that they climb like reeruned little monkeys. They'll climb furniture, beds, curtains, you name it.

3) You absolutely MUST clean the litterbox, cage, and room they're in regularly. The cage and box daily, room at least every 3 days, and animal no less than every 2 weeks. I'd recomend spending the extra $$$ to bet a ferret shampoo and that powder stuff that removes odors for the floor/room. Don't use normal human/dog shampoo because it dries out their skin and makes them an itchy misreable mess.

4) Ferrets need a high protein/low carb diet. Don't think you'll get off easy with cat/dog food. There are tons of grains and high carb flavored items that will not only make for an animal that $#its a ton but may cause health problems in the long term. They are carnivorous animals by nature. Make sure the animal can't eat anything that's been sprayed with household products or pro exterminators. When someone would come in my house in the summer and June bugs would fly in the little b@st@rd would gobble them up immediately. He loved 'em.

5) Your animal will get tumors and you will have to put it to sleep. 4-6 years is the best you can hope for. The two I had the last time both lived to 5 and 5 1/2 years. Both got tumors that started in the organs and moved to the spine making their hind legs useless. If your animal starts to lose hair (looking like mange) or gets a bald tail take it to the vet. If it refuses to eat or looks lithargic for more than one day take it to the vet. They have very simple digestive systems and as they get older regulating blood sugar becomes important. Both of mine got a form of diabetes that the vet thinks were tied to the tumors.

6) They need a lot of attention. If you can't spend hours a day playing/training them don't get one. I would also recomend buying 2 as mentioned earlier. For those times you and the family are busy or gone the animal does need companionship. I bought 2 at the same time and after the 1st one died the other one was clearly lonely, bored, and appeared to be "depressed." It lasted about 3 months and about the time the mood of the animal improved it got tumors as well.

7) I'd recomend buying a book and reading it before purchasing the animal/s. I didn't and as a result the best of the 4 I owned died due to my own ignorance after about 8 months. It's not a good feeling (and the wife is still pissed at me for it.)

[Psyko Tek]

gert one, get two, get a dozen

but keep lots of antifreeze on hand