• What is a ferret?
• What are they like?
• Should I get a ferret?
• Care
• Cages and housing
• Toys
• Other pets
• How many?
• Trouble to watch for
• Ferret Gates

Ferrets are domesticated members of the weasel family. Their latin name is Mustela furo, or Mustela putorius furo, depending on who you speak to. Their closest relatives include the polecat, otter and mink, all long-bodied, brazen, agile animals.

Ferrets have been used in the past for hunting rabbits by allowing a ferret to run down a rabbit hole to flush out the rabbit into a net. Females were used most often because they were less likely than the much larger males to kill the rabbit and stay in its hole for dinner. They have also been used for rodent control as they will crawl into the deepest recesses of a barn to locate rat and mouse nests. Today ferrets are kept by many as loving and rewarding pets.

There is some disagreement as to whether or not ferrets are capable of surviving in the feral state. Some regions ban ferret ownership by misclassifying them as wild animals, and claim that there is a danger of pet ferrets escaping and establishing feral colonies. The only area where ferrets are said to exist in a feral state is in New Zealand, and it is likely that they are ferret/polecat hybrids rather than ferrets. Some of these animals were released in the late 1800's for rabbit population control, others were released from ferret fur farms in the late 1970's when the fur industry began to decline. The warm climate allowed these animals to survive in the wild there and they have begun to have a detramental impact on the local ecology. Considering that most ferrets sold in North America have been spayed or castrated before they reach pet stores, the risk of these ferrets establishing feral colonies is nearly non-existant. top

What are ferrets like?

They are lithe, tubular creatures that love to play and explore. Ferrets will repeatedly upset a garbage can to rummage through its contents and it is useless to scold them. If you haven't yet, you will soon learn that it is much easier to remove potted plants and waste paper baskets from a room that ferrets are allowed to play in than it is to train the ferrets to leave them alone.

Ferrets are the living definition the word "persistance." Another word that comes to mind is "entropy," as they will doggedly unshelve every book and push every nicknack onto the floor that they can reach, leaving the room in the greatest state of disarray possible. They are jubulant, playful animals; full of spunk and personality. They are smart and interactive and have the proud designation of being the third most popular companion animal in the world, after dogs and cats. top

Should I get a ferret?

Ferrets are wonderful animals, but they are definately not for everyone. People who love tidyness would probably not appreciate a pet who would enjoy nothing more than to spill your glass of red wine onto the carpet and uproot your favourite houseplant. People with very young children should think long and hard before bringing home a pet of any kind. Young kids are not as careful with pets as older ones and ferrets can get injured when stepped on or dropped. As well, ferrets require more attention than dogs or cats do and if you find your hands are full now, you may not have the time a ferret needs. Ferrets are best kept in cages for their own safety when they aren't supervised but must be allowed out for at least a couple of hours to play every day in a ferret-proofed area.

Ferret people find pleasure in watching the ferret's happiness. They are mischievous and thieving little beasts that make us laugh. When I'm having a rough day I let my ferrets out for a romp and soon I have forgotten all about it. When they are revved up, it's like having your own personal three-ring circus in your livingroom. Ferrets require a lot of patience because their mischief gets them into a lot of trouble. It is the things that make ferrets so much fun that people might find frustrating at times. This can be controlled by providing the ferrets with a ferret-safe room and a gate that cannot be climbed over. When you aren't worrying about your plants or the cleaning chemicles under the sink (ferrets can open cupboard doors easily) you can relax and watch the show. top

Care:

Ferrets are quiet pets, and make exceptionally good apartment companions. They require cages, litterboxes, water bottles and a high-quality kitten or ferret kibble. They are sociable and need daily interaction with their people. Ferret owners often restrict ferrets' access to certain rooms that have been ferret-proofed. This involves removing dangerous objects such as glass that may be pushed over and broken, or rubber (erasers, sneakers...) that could be injested. To see what things you may need to secure in your ferret's rooms follow it around and watch closely to see what things it is able to get into. We joke about securing cupboard doors and such because it seems as though it merely slows ferrets down instead of stopping them. We usually keep the kitchen off-limits to our ferrets because we can't be sure they won't get into the cleaning chemicals or behind the refrigerator. Ferrets can easily climb child gates, but plexi-glass doorway barriers for ferrets are sold. We have tried several different gates and so far the best has been something we made a few months ago. This is described in detail below. top

Cages and housing:

Although some people keep ferrets uncaged in their homes, I feel that a cage is a very good thing to have. I mentioned that ferrets are persistant, and something in your home that has never posed a threat to your ferret for years may someday surprise you. I say this from experience. My ferrets were "free range" for years. We had a large glass vase (3' tall and 4"diameter) that we dropped pocket change into. One morning I woke to see that a toss cushion had been knocked over against the vase and Newton had used it to climb into the vase headfirst. She was stuck and had been in the vase upside down all night. She was delirious and dehydrated when I rescued her.

A cage is a great safety investment. You may buy one or build one yourself. We used a large dog crate modified with half inch square wire mesh attached to the walls for our ferrets when we began confining them. It held their litterbox, a hammock, a water bottle and a j-feeder. It had 6 square feet of living space for the two ferrets we had at the time. When we got Mojo, our third ferret, we decided to expand. My father in law helped us to build a three-level oak cage that fit in with the decor of our livingroom much better than the dog crate had, and it provides much more space for our ferrets (photo to the left). It's dimensions are 2' deep, 3' wide and 4' tall. The three levels provide almost 18 square feet of living space. We are able to use one level as a "rec-room," one as the "bedroom" and one for food and litterbox. If you build a cage, make it easy to pass through a doorway (2'x3'). In the event of a fire, firefighters will make an effort to retrieve caged animals, but only if it can be quickly and easily removed.

When choosing a cage for your ferret keep in mind what kind of animal a ferret is. They are not arboreal. They do best with long, wide floorspace. There are ferret cages for sale that have short benches and are built vertically. Undoubtably many ferret owners use these cages without problems, but they provide little floorspace and geriatric or ill ferrets may have problems navigating the narrow shelves to get to their hammocks.

I knew someone who kept her ferrets comfortably in two rabbit cages that were joined together by PVC pipe (holes were cut in the plastic bottoms to fit the pipe through and pipe strapping was cinched around the pipes to hold them in place). This gave the ferrets double the space that typical pet cages provide. There are also plastic cages that come with built-in corner litterboxes and feed troughs that work well for ferrets. Because ferrets sleep most of the day, a cage with 4 to 6 square feet of floorspace can accommodate one or two ferrets provided that they are given plenty of playtime out of their cage. top

Toys:

One of their favorite toys is a dryer hose stretched out on the carpet. A couple of ferrets will entertain themselves for hours chasing each other through it (be sure to place duct tape over the sharp wire ends on either end of the dryer hose so they don't injure themselves while playing). They also love plastic grocery bags, paper bags, small stuffed animals (especially ones that make noise). They will tackle a towel being dragged across the carpet and love to pounce on small toys dangling on strings. A clean litterbox half filled with water will become a wading pool for ferrets, and of course their favourite plaything of all is their humans. top

Other pets:

Ferrets usually become great friends with cats, dogs and other ferrets. Their playing style is very similar to a cat and it is fun to watch them chase and pounce on each other. Dogs and ferrets play chase and sometimes tug-of-war with a toy. It is wise to be very cautious with predatory cats and dogs, terriers have been bred for generations to hunt small quick animals. Introducing ferrets to puppies or kittens is the best way to ensure compatibility. Be sure to stop playtime when the excitement level escalates to rowdiness and reward gentle play. Providing treats throughout introductions is a good way to make their time together even more pleasant. I gave my dog, Maggie (an Airedale terrier) her treat last and I think it kept her from becoming pushy with the ferrets. Even still, I always supervise their time together, because although Maggie shows no aggression to the ferrets, she weighs 50 pounds and her clumsy play could result in a stepped-on ferret.

Ferrets should not be expected to cohabitate with birds, reptiles or rodents. Ferrets, like cats, feel their instincts kick in when a small, fluttery creature is in front of them. They have been known to steal fish out of bowls, and carry off any that may have jumped out of an aquarium. top

How many?

A single ferret will be happy if given lots of human attention and play. This means getting down on your hands and knees and wrestling and tickling your ferret. Having more than one ferret is great because they have a companion at all times, and of course, as hard as we try, we just can't play with our ferrets in the way that they play with each other. Ferrets are normally gregarious, but a ferret who has lived in a single ferret household for years may not take well to other ferrets. Smearing the necks of ferrets with bitter tasting cream when introducing them for the first time will reduce squabbles. top

Trouble to watch for:

If curiosity killed the cat, then curiosity must have run ferrets down with a cement truck. Their insatible curiosity gets ferrets into more trouble that you can imagine. Ferrets have been known to climb into refrigerators, dryers, washing machines, dish washers, under couch cushions, under the floor mat by the door, under the bedsheets, up to the very top of the patio door screen... the list is endless and frequently such activities have ended in tragedy whether the ferrets succumbed to hypothermia in the fridge or were stepped on while under the floor mat. Never underestimate your ferret's ability to get into trouble. top

Ferret Gates:

We have tried many different things over the years to confine our ferrets. Baby gates merely slow them down until they learn to climb them. We attached plexiglass to one side of the baby gate, and this worked pretty well, but the occasional ferret (Pesto) learned how to leap, grab just the right spot and pull himself over. If necessity is the mother of invention, then ferrets are the mother of necessity. We have a gate now that we made, and it is the best that we've used to date. This is a gate that is easy to make, easy to use and is clear and easy to see through.