As others have pointed out, if you have a water bowl in the ferret cage,
it is going to need frequent cleaning, there's really no way around that.
My guys have bottles in their cage, and use them at night.  But when I
first let them out in the morning, the first thing they do is head for
the dog's water bowl in the kitchen (after stopping to beg for treats!).
Since they're out most of the day, they have free access to the dog's
bowl, and also the cat's bowl upstairs.  Both are heavy enough so the
ferrets can't move them.  After my old dog passed away several years ago,
I couldn't look at his dishes any more without crying, so I gave them away
and got a smaller water bowl to keep on the floor for the ferrets.  Big
mistake!  Even though it was ceramic, those little buggers thought it was
great fun to drag the bowl across the entire kitchen floor, sloshing a
trail of water as they went.  So I went back to a BIG ceramic bowl that
they can't budge (although they tried very hard for some time!).  So, if
you want to provide water in a bowl for your ferrets, my advice would be
to get a HEAVY bowl for them, located on a tile or linoleum floor ;) and
well away from their food or anything else that might end up in the water.
 
Regarding ferrets and dogs, I have two general comments to add.  For one,
a dog that is bred to hunt rodents won't NECESSARILY consider a ferret to
be prey, because ferrets don't SMELL like rodents.  Secondly, you can't
make any generalizations about the suitability of particular dog breeds;
the dog's individual personality is key.
 
I've had three dogs since I first became a ferret addict.  My first, and
by far the best of the three (who I had for several years before the
ferrets came into the picture) was probably a pit bull / German Shepherd
mix (that's what my vet thought).  He was a stray, found wandering around
a crack house in upper Manhattan.  With this background, you wouldn't
think he would be a great dog, let alone a great ferret companion, yet he
was the best.  He was the sweetest, kindest, happiest, and most unassuming
dog I have ever known.  (If anyone remembers, I wrote about him several
times when I first joined the fml about six years ago.) He was wonderful
with children, so smart and easy to train, and just so happy to hang with
the people who cared about him.  And he was the same with the ferrets.  He
chased them, they teased him by diving under the furniture, then peeking
out.  And they provoked him (if he was sleeping and they wanted to play,
they would sometimes burrow between his back legs and bite his private
parts to wake him up!).  And they all had fun.  I never had to worry about
him hurting one of them, even though he was 80 pounds, because he had the
common sense to be gentle with them - even when they stole his food out of
his dish right under his nose!  I truly believe he loved the ferrets; he
certainly accepted them as part of the family.  Sadly, he passed away from
kidney failure five and half years ago.
 
My next dog was a black lab, also a stray, who had been abused.  He
learned to play nicely with the ferrets, and also obviously enjoyed them.
I didn't trust him as completely, though, and had to be careful to keep
the ferrets away from his food dish and his bones.  (Sad story with this
dog, but this is a ferret list, so I won't go on about him.)
 
Two and a half years ago I got a Rhodesian Ridgeback puppy.  First dog
I've ever had that wasn't adopted, but I wanted a puppy so he could grow
up with the ferrets.  He learned early on that the ferrets are part of the
family and he really enjoys playing with them - and they with him.  For
the first year their play was CLOSELY supervised, because he was a very
rambunctious puppy, a bit clumsy, and did not exhibit a lot of common
sense.  He's matured quite a bit now, so he and the ferrets (and my cat)
have free run of the house when I am home (I work at home).  But when I go
out, either I take the dog with me, or the ferrets go back in their cage
for safety.  As much as he obviously likes the ferrets, I still don't
completely trust that he won't hurt one of them by accident.  Not because
of his size, but due to his lack of common sense.
 
Sorry this got so long, but I thought the ferret-dog experiences might be
helpful to those contemplating adding a dog to their families.
 
Happy Thanksgiving to everyone, 2- and 4-footed!
 
Nancy and critters
[Posted in FML issue 3609]