Ferret as a Pet

[DebD]

My 12 year old son want's a ferret. We promised him a gift for good grades. He really wants a ferret and promises he'll take care of it. We have had hamsters & guinea pigs and we have a dog. In NJ we must take the ferret to a vet for shots. My neighbor had one but they gave it away because of the odor (even though they descent them at the pet shop). She also said they are messy and she is an animal lover. I'm alittle nervous to what I'm getting myself into. Has anyone had any experience positive or negative?

Thanks!

 

[sarahs]

Hi Debbie!

About 10 years ago, when I was still in HS my parents let me have 2 ferrets. First, I want to say that I absolutely adored them and they were great pets. I would say they are between a cat and a dog, personality wise. Secondly, they DO have an odor, but I would give them baths with Johnson & Johnson shampoo once per week and it helped tremendously. You can litterbox train them but they sometimes would stray outside of the box. If you have wall-to-wall carpet, you might not want them since they tend to try to get under things, so they will scratch at the carpet until there is nothing left in the spot. Also, you would need to ferret proof your house. Their natural curiosity can make quite a mess, especially if you have plants.

All that said, honestly, I don't think they are the right kind of pets for most teenagers. They require a lot of care, plus tons of attention. You can't leave them in a cage all day, but you can't leave them loose and unsupervised. Now, I would probably make a much better ferret owner now because I am much more responsible but I really don't need the hassle. BUT, if you feel your son is more responsible than most kids, than he might do great at it. Only you know him to judge that. I ended up giving them away because after HS graduation I didn't have the time to spend with them and my parents were not too fond of them. They were not fond of them, ONLY, because I began to slack in my care for them and things got messy.

If you do decide to get one for him, you will see that they are lovely animals who are extremely friendly and curious. They are tons of work, but also tons of fun.

PS-mine NEVER bit me or anyone for that matter.

Edited to add: Hey, I grew up in Morristown, NJ!! What a small world.

Sarah:7

 

[Hotspur]

Hi Debbie,
As far as ferrets go, they're so cute and fun to be around but they really STINK. You'd have to change the cage 2x a day. They do need a lot of attention. A lot of people may not think so because whenever you go to the pet store they're usually sleeping. They like to rip things up as SarahS said. I honestly don't think a ferret is a good choice for a teenager especially if he's in school. A dog is a lot easier and smells better than a ferret.

My cousin had a ferret and I was surprised the ferret managed to live that long considering he really didn't take care of it. The house stank badly from the ferret even when he first got it. (when he first got the ferret, he took a good care of it) Outside of the cage would be so messy. Also, the ferret can rip up the corner of your couch, your clothes, etc.

You know your son very well. Hamsters are easier to care for but if he's very mature and you can take his word for it, then go ahead. Just be careful when purchasing one. They carry diseases especially if they're from a dirty place.

I wish you a lot of luck! )

 

[kgravel]

I will have to also concur with the SMELL problem. DH and I did not have a pleasant experience owning a ferret. We both grew up with all kinds of animals but did not enjoy the ferret.

Unfortunately most will tell you that they have a 'musky' odor, this actually means that they smell strongly like pee. I can't speak to the deorderizing ones though, that may help. Ours did bite me continuously and when we did let him out he would hide in little nooks and it was very difficult to get him back in his cage.

Don't want to be discouraging, but I would agree that a well-trained dog would be a much more rewarding pet. Perhaps a small breed if size is your concern.

Best of luck!

 

[sarahs]

I also wanted to add that right now, I have four cats, and find them much easier to take care of.

Might put things in perspective... :+

 

[believer02]

Wow, you received some excellent advice on ferrets. I just wanted to say that I had two ferrets and for someone whose had a variety of pets my whole life, ferrets are VERY HIGH MAINTENANCE...on all levels.

Extremely intelligent, curious, and sometimes destructive (with digging into carpet), they are wonderful, entertaining pets. They require a lot of time out of their cage and a lot of affection from their owners.

Smell can be an issue even when they are descented, but weekly baths help.

This is not a novelty pet, but I recommend, a pet for an adult who can devote time to them.

Hope this helps,
Dawn

 

[Try1ng]

As of right now I am having an extremely positive experiance.
I actually just got a ferret about 2 years ago for my 15 year old son. My house smells fine and my son takes it out of its cage and takes baths with it almost every other day! They don't smell bad if you give them the proper hygiene. My son has tons of fun with his ferret and also has enough time to juggle a school sport, do homework, and have fun with friends. He is in high school now and I thought that it would be very VERY hard for him to take care of the ferret but believe me I was wrong. He plays for the Freshman Football team and he has been taking it for walks everyday with his ferret and it really gives him excersise as well as his ferret. When I first got my ferret, it did smell a little bit, but after about a week my son read up on some websites and started giving him every other day baths. Trust me Debbie, you may think your son isn't ready for a ferret but my son is definintly not the most responsible person but he still has time to do everything he wants and still takes very good care of the ferret. I HIGHLY recommend getting a ferret for your son especially since he deserves it. Don't be so worried Debbie,haha, once you get your son a ferret he will probably rise to the occasion and do everything he could. They are really not that bad of pets, a little stinky at first but a bath every other day helps ALOT, they are kind of like mini dogs.


GOOD LUCK DEBBIE!

 

[Try1ng]

Thanks everyone for your advice. It seems the post from try1ng is from my older son (14 yrs old). I wish he spent this much time with his homework. How many days till school begins? He's only allowed
1 hour on the computer a day I guess he used it up on this post.

Thanks again to everyone your advice was great.

 

[briee]

Just wanted to say that I agree with everyone up there, (except your sons post - ha ha). I am an all time animal lover and have owned everything, mice, gerbils, hamsters, turtles, salomanders, hermit crabs, fish, dogs, cats, snakes, and even raised a ground squirrel that I rescued from some kids (not even to get into hobby farm animals) and I will not get a ferret for my children (I'm such a mean mom!!).

Ours was descented, neutered and he still stunk, we gave him baths all the time and he ruined more "stuff" in the house. He was cute as anything and a social bug, loved people we took him across country, he was in our college dorm, in our home, never bit, but I will never get one again. Wise of you to ask first!!!

My husband does an incredible imitation of a ferret going potty in the corner of the living room, quite comical and no mess to clean up!!! Much more entertaining than even the ferret!!!

Briee