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this post was submitted on 25 Jul 2023
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Asklemmy
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I don't have them currently, but people really need to experience owning ferrets for a couple of weeks before deciding to purchase them (and I do mean THEM - don't just purchase one). They are like playful and adventurous kittens 24/7 between naps, which seems awesome, but they need vet check-ups, diligent cage cleaning, and tons of play time.
They are playful and adventurous kittens that smell bad all the time (and will smell even worse if you try to bathe them too often), will actively try to kill themselves eating things they shouldn't and getting into places they can't get out of, and will shit in corners of your house rather than anything else you might set up for them to you. Unlike kittens, they bite hard when they're playing. They'll also pass out and sleep so hard that you'll think they're dead.
My wife has had a lot of ferrets, more than 20 for sure. Our home can absolutely not be made ferret-proof, which is probably the biggest reason that she hasn't been pushing to get more.
That's a lot of ferrets. Wow.
She worked in animal rescue. And they weren't all at the same time. But a lot of them were.
An ex had ferrets. They were fantastic. I don't think I'll ever have any of my own though.
...and that's why I suggested spending time with ferrets before owning them. They are so much fun and full of energy, but they take as much energy as they give.
My brother had ferrets. I loved them, awesome personalities and adorable, but ferret-proofing your flat seems like more work than child-proofing. Even then they can and would get absolutely anywhere they weren't supposed to be. They'd always get out again, but not after making you stress for fifteen minutes trying to figure out how to extricate them.
The smell was omnipresent too.
Huh. This comment and the other below just made me realise I won't have a ferret. I love cats, but kittens wear me out, not so much because of their energy but because they don't understand they are being annoying (I guess that's why one can't be mad at them ha). I love the smart, energetic cat breeds though. I've heard a lot of praise for ferrets from ferret owners, but nobody mentioned their smell or that they would be like kittens.
Nobody mentioned the smell? Holy shit, that sounds like the setup to an awful prank.
The smell is an intense sensory experience. We had ferrets for a few years, and at no point did I ever go nose-blind to them. They are the stinkiest things anyone otherwise sane has ever willingly let into their home. Cleaning their litter boxes practically requires a respirator. And that's after their musk glands have been removed (which, at the time, was standard practice; you couldn't hardly get ferrets from anywhere with their musk glands intact).
They're fuckin' adorable, and playful, and fun, but man, the smell. All the other problems with them being only-just-barely-domesticated wild animals aside, the smell is probably the most important thing to know about them.
Well! Thanks for clarifying. I just crossed out ferrets from the list of potential future pets in my life :)
100% this. They're cute as fuck, but there's a reason why my wife and I just adopted a pair of 6yo cats. Might get a few years less with them, but as least they won't drive me insane for a year.