Some Things to Consider
- Do you have children?
- Do you have other ferrets?
- Have you considered food and medical costs?
- If you rent, do you have permission, preferably in writing, to have pets?
In general, ferrets do not make good pets for very small children. Anyone purchasing a pet for a 2- or 3-year-old is seriously misguided. If the pet is for the parent, and they are merely sharing with the child, that’s different. Very young children can be rough and ferrets will bite if injured.
No child should be left alone with any pet. Thirty seconds is all it takes for a child to accidentally step or fall on a ferret, resulting in a bite. Ferrets can be unpredictable around infants, and no infant should ever be left alone with any animal. Any resulting incidents are the fault of the adult human, not the animal.
Not all ferrets want a buddy, especially as they get older. Females over 3 or 4 are notorious for refusing to make new friends, although there are exceptions.
Are your current ferrets old? They may not appreciate an energetic youngster. Are you prepared to have separate play groups if it doesn’t work out?
Ferrets need high-quality food with a meat source as the main ingredient. The food should have little or no grain. This kind of food is expensive. Are you prepared to pay $20 a bag for ferret food? [Good food now means fewer vet bills and a longer-lived ferret.]
Are you prepared to pay for vet bills? Ferrets are prone to a number of diseases and illnesses. They are small and become dehydrated quickly if they get sick. Almost all ferrets get adrenal disease at some point in their life (I’ve seen it happen to 2-year-old ferrets). There are good treatments available, but you need to be prepared.
Many ferrets equals lots of fun, but also big vet bills. They can catch the human flu and diarrhea just like kids do, and like kids they will pass it to every ferret in the house. If one has the runs, they all will have the runs. Can you afford to take them to the vet if they all get sick at the same time?
Landlords are notorious for suddenly changing their minds. If you don’t have it in writing, you don’t have a leg to stand on. Even if you do have it in writing, sometimes there isn’t anything you can do if the landlord sells to someone else or just decides he no longer wants pets. Check your lease. It’s safer if you own your own place, but if you do rent, really go over your lease to avoid disappointment and heartbreak later.