Is Owning a Ferret is Right for You?

Ferrets have been growing in popularity since 2005, and are the third most popular pet to own in the United states today. These critters are fun to play with, have an endless amount of energy, and well, they are just so darn cute! So how do you know if owning a ferret is right for you? Here are a few points to consider before you commit to ownership of a ferret:

Cost

Most pet stores sell ferrets for around $120.00, so ferrets themselves can be quite pricey. Ferrets have very specific needs so the initial shopping list for a new ferret owner would look something like this:

Food made especially for ferrets

Nail clippers

Toys made for ferrets (1 or 2 to start out with)

Litter pan

Ferret litter

Ferret brush

Ferret shampoo

Water bottle or heavy bottom dish for water

Medium to large cage

At least one ferret hammock for each ferret you commit to

Young Children

If you have young children under the age of five, you might want to consider putting off a ferret purchase until your young child can gently handle small animals. Young children under the age of five may drop, squeeze or otherwise hurt the ferret by accident, or your young child may be bitten by the ferret who may have become frightened by mishandling. Never leave a child under five unsupervised with a ferret under any circumstances.

Time

Do you have the time for the ferret. Ferrets are curious by nature and need to be out of their cages at least 3 hours a day to run, play and explore. If you require monthly out of town trips for your job, or are out of the house sixteen out the twenty-four hours in a day, a ferret would not be right for you. Illness occurs in ferrets who are under exercised. For this very special point, you need to at least invest 3 hours a day for their supervised, outside the cage play.

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