they can be litter boxed  trained with good results ,  I use newspaper in a box.

  ferrets love to play with you !  they will come up to ya wanting to play !

  there not much on that -sit in lap , watch tv thing.  if there not sleeping there on the go, playing or snooping.  they sleep ALOT . most shnooze 14 - 16 hrs a day , some even more,

  they have a very hi metabolisim , thier diet is 38% protiein , they burn up the energy !

    there not much like a dog ( or a cat ) there kinda unique. 

  ps- jd's right, if they want something , its gone. they like to steal stuff and hide it in thier 'special place'.   they also get a big kick outta shoes , the stinkier the better lol.  I'm missing many a nike insole. and they like to "tunnel ' luv pant legs and dryer duct.

 

 

  they are the 'coziest sleepers ' I ever saw , love to get in a sweater .and when there snuggling together it makes ya go - awww.  they get wrapped up around each other like kids who've been married for a week, and unlike people , continue to do so .  lol  i love you too , now get on your own side of the bed.

 

 the one thing that seperates ferts from the rest , thou they grow old physically

  mentally they stay young at heart.

Yikes.

That sounds like a lot of work.

You almost had me thinking about a ferret in the future, but I don't know if I could deal with having to ferret-proof the house. I know I'd miss something and wind up having to tear out a wall to "save" the ferret

 

 ya , they have thier moments , but know what ? wouldn't trade 1 day with them for the world.

hey dave I distinctly remember the ferret comin up ready to play, but I remember trying to teach it to do a catch and retrieve thing with a superball, but the feret didn't get it. It'd grab the ball and run away. Sure as $#! it was in the sleeping bag sock the next day. What's good ferret games?

awesome! how fun!

 

 They can make a hissing type noise when thier playing , I did have one squeek at me once when I tried to take a toy away , other than that, pretty quiet.

 after they 'go'  there good for a few hours.

My brother had a ferret and he won't get another. He loved his ferret - but a life expectancy of 6 to 8 years tops just about killed him when Boomer got tumors and died. Plus they have a unique odor - as I recall he had to give Boomer frequent baths.

They do use a litter box... my brother didn't totally ferret-proof the house, but he had Boomer in an extended cage structure when he wasn't playing with him, so there was never a chance for the animal to go where he shouldn't.

He was definitely cute and playful, but I prefer a more independent creature. Cats bathe themselves, generally don't smell and live twice as long, I'll stick with cats.

My daughter wants to get a chinchilla... that guy looked adorable in the pet store, and apparently they're pretty friendly as long as you don't threaten to make a coat out of them.

But maybe you ought to stick to the aviarian type, Mr. Penguin. Ever consider a parrot? Apparrotly, they're incredibly intelligent, very loyal, and most likely will outlive us all. Of course, they cost as much as a small car, but that's beside the point...

But if you're stuck on ferrets, maybe get in contact with a ferret rescue and find a cage at a flea market or yard sale.... then you can become a foster home for a more brief time period to give you a better idea without making a commitment.

Hey Zim,

I was actually reading on a Ferret website last night that if the smell bothers you you should bath the Ferret LESS. Something about the water washing away essential oils on their skin and their glands go into overdrive after a bath to replace them.

The oils smells their worst when they're fresh, and as time passes it's not so bad apparantly.

As for life expectancy, it's always hard to lose a pet, but there's a creepy feeling to the thought that your pet is probably gonna outlive you, so I'd prefer the 10 - 15 range for a pet.

Regardless, I think I'm skipping the Ferret, I was just curious what they were all about. I know Dave loves them, and before he came along I always thought they were like a bigger, longer gerbil. A pet that just sits in a cage.

Now they sound like a lot of fun. But maybe more work than I'm interested in.

I used to have 2 ferrets. Moe & Belle. I was offered them by someone else so I didn't name them. I had to give them up because the apartment I was moving into wouldn't allow any pets. I also knew that I wanted more for them. They weren't getting as much exercise as they should because of space confinement and me not being home. I cried so bad on the last day. My hubby had to take the pictures that day because I was so upset. But I gave them to an ex-coworker who had a ton of ferrets who had run of the house. So it was better for them. They are a lot of fun and I so miss their "happy dance". Later on I kept coming across make-up tubes that they had got hold of and chewed & it would make me smile.

 

 Glad to see JR is doing his homework ! The odor thing realy gets people , he's right , a bath takes off their oil so they produce even more to compensate for the loss. The SECRET is to wash their bedding once a week .

 I ain't bragging or complaining but I've had more than 1 person tell me they would never guess that I had 6 ferrets living in a 10 x 40trailer based on the smell. ( now it's 3 ) ( sigh ) .

  Woo Hoo - it's to bad your buddies couldn't go with ya but from the sounds of it they went to a good home .

  we have another name for their ' dance' - The Weasel War Dance !

  my best advice to anyone thinking of getting a fert is - do your homework , and find someone who has 1 or 2 and spend some time with them , and don't be afraid to ask questions. Most fert owners will be straight up with you as we don't want to see another fert in a shelter , or worse ( turned loose outside )