Been thinking about getting a ferret as a pet companion?  They can be great
pets, especially for people dealing with a space issue.  However, they are
simply not for everyone.
 
Ferrets are highly intelligent creatures and can readily adjust their life
to your lifestyle.  They will sleep anywhere from 16 to 20 hours a day, and
are known to sleep when their owners are not at home.  They can eat a high
quality ferret or kitten food, be trained to use a litter box and can be
kept in a cage.  They can be single pets, or get along with cats and dogs
(depending on the individual cat and dog).  If ferrets are your only pets,
it is often nice if they have another ferret to keep them company.
 
You will need to buy the largest cage you can accommodate, especially if
you plan on keeping them up for most of the day.  Give them plenty of room
to play and wrestle in when you are not around.  Plus you need space for a
litter box, water bottle or bowl, food bowl.  It is good to have linens as
bedding and as covering for the floors, if they are wire.  Hammocks are
great for ferrets, be sure to have one.  If you don't want to use linens to
cover the flooring, it is easy to install stick on tiles or indoor/outdoor
carpet to do the job.
 
Give them some toys.  You should not get rubber or latex toys.  Ferrets are
quite notorious for chewing and swallowing these things.  It can lead to an
intestinal blockage with may require surgery if the ferret is to survive.
 
But you also need to make sure you can give them some time each and every
day.  They get bored easily and they will really bond with you and miss you
if you don't.  They love to play chase, wrestle, cuddle and such with you
their human.  To make sure you can play safe with them, you need to make
sure your home is ferret proof.
 
The first step to ferret proofing is to walk around and pretend you are
preparing your house for a toddler.  Got an expensive piece of decorative
glass?  Put it up high.  Close of your fireplace.  Next, you need to ferret
proof.  Search your house for small openings that they can get into.  Look
for holes around two inches square.  Cover these with something like heavy
cardboard, masonite or other material.  Block of appliances, the toe kick
under the cabinet, under doors if needed.
 
Yes, the ferret can be trained to a litter box.  But this is not a
guarantee.  Or if they do, they may not use it all the time.  You can
just not count on ferrets being as good as cats are.
 
Also ferrets can be prone to cancers as they age and can need surgical
care.  This can be expensive.
 
If you are not willing to give your time, patience, and live with such an
active little animal, then perhaps a ferret isn't for you.  But if these
things don't scare you off, then you might just be in for the most
rewarding pet around.
[Posted in FML issue 3086]