by Lynda Chitwood

Created on: January 27, 2009   Last Updated: November 23, 2009

The Don'ts of Ferret Ownership

Don't Get A Ferret If You Don't Have The Time

If you travel a lot, work long hours, or have a lot of outside commitments, a ferret is not a good choice. These days, families tend to be on the run a lot, with kids doing many activities. While this is an outstanding way to raise your kids, it is not the kind of home where a ferret would thrive.

Ferrets sleep a lot, but they need a couple of hours daily to just run around. If you have one room to completely ferret-proof, and allow them free reign of that room, that would be ideal for a ferret, although not practical for most of us. A decent sized, multi-level cage is good for housing, but they still to need to get out and play. When we got our ferret, she had been confined to a cage for some time, and could barely walk; she probably would have become sick and died had that gone on much longer. Our ferret runs in the evenings and several hours on weekend days, supervised by at least one of us.

Additionally, a ferret cage needs continual monitoring. Food, water, and waste management are constant with a ferret, due to their high metabolism. While it's true that ferrets will use a litter box, it's not the same as cats, who will carefully bury their waste. Ferrets drop and run, leaving a smelly pile right on top, and will produce 5 or more of these piles daily.

Don't Get A Ferret If You Have Small or Excitable Children

My grandson is three years old, and while he understands "be nice" and will hold her gently, once she's running around, he wants to chase and tackle her. When she is playing, we will often point a toe at her, or nudge her with a foot. My grandson misunderstands and thinks it's OK to kick her. Even worse are older children who will insist that they want to hold her, only to scream and try to throw her the second they do. I have had to draw a hard line, only allowing them to pet her if one of our family is holding her. You know your own children, and those that visit your home. Plan accordingly.

Don't Get A Ferret If You Are A "Neat Freak"

Even the most careful "ferret-proofing" may not keep a clever ferret out of things. Just when you think you've gotten everything out of the way, that clever little animal, whose name is Latin for "thief", will find something to get into. A common phrase in our house is "How in the heck did she get that?"

As mentioned above, ferrets have high metabolisms, and when they need to eliminate, will do so as quickly as possible. They like corners,

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