Ferrets As Pets

Ferrets are playful active curious and loving.

Ferrets as pets. Having two or more ferrets increases the fun factor for the owner and the ferrets as they will interact and play together sometimes with wild abandon. Ferrets mustela putorius furo are small members of the weasel family that have been domesticated for more than two thousand years these energetic little bundles of curiosity are a big responsibility often requiring as much if not more care than a cat or dog. My other ferrets were easily trained not to bite. While they may not be good pets for young children in general ferrets are wonderful little pets.

It is often recommended though not essential to have more than one pet ferret. I had one ferret rascal who never made any attempt to bite or nip at anyone. All i had to do was give them a little tap on the nose and say no and they soon learn that biting is unacceptable. Ferrets are unique pets that can be easy to fall in love with due to their cute appearance and quirky personality.

There s a lot of information about keeping ferrets as pets that isn t always completely accurate but you do need to know that this pet is still a huge commitment. Ferrets are sociable friendly and affectionate. The ferret mustela putorius furo is the domesticated form of the european polecat a mammal belonging to the same genus as the weasel mustela in the family mustelidae. Discover our tips and advice for caring for ferrets as pets.

Finally ferrets can t really be trusted with smaller pets such as mice rats and even rabbits if these pets are already part of your family then a ferret is probably not ideal. Ferrets are rather more demanding than most other caged domestic animals but if you are prepared to put in the commitment you will be handsomely rewarded by these loving and personable pets. For many years kept as working animals for hunting wild rabbits and vermin today s pet ferrets are descended from wild european pole cats. Lots of homeless ferrets live in rescue shelters so if you do decide to add one to your family.

Ferrets can make wonderful entertainment and intelligent pets but it s important not to get one on a whim. By the same token cats and dogs probably can t be trusted around a ferret particularly unsupervised even friendly cats and dogs can risk hurting a ferret during rough play due to their size advantage. Their fur is typically brown black white or mixed. New york city for instance instituted an infamous ferret ban in 1999 and the animals are illegal as pets in most of california as well.

They have an average length of 51 cm 20 in including a 13 cm 5 1 in tail weigh about between 0 7 and 2 0 kg 1 5 and 4 4 lb and have a natural lifespan of 7 to 10. Ferrets are adorable high energy pets that do best in small groups. 14 things to consider before buying a ferret what every prospective ferret owner needs to know.