Hmm...haven't spent much time thinking about that!  But it's a
thought-provoking challenge to come up with a list of reasons to caution
people against ferret ownership.  So I thought about it for awhile this
morning.
 
This may be misunderstood and seen as a "ferret bash"...so let me state
clearly that I LOVE my ferrets, wouldn't give them up for anything, and
can cheerfully cope with any destruction, illness, mess, or poop they
fling my way.
 
That being disclaimed, here are my "caveats" to anyone considering ferret
ownership who wants to know about the "downsides":
 
- Not everyone likes ferrets.  Acquiring ferrets may mean that friends
and family are more reluctant to come into your home when invited (I have
regretfully experienced this quite a few times).  It's hard to deal with
at times because when you love your ferret and want friends and family to
know the joy they bring you, it's hard to deal with the fact that they
won't come over unless that "thing" is caged up.  Comments such as "do you
still have those rats?" and "Why do you want to even TOUCH those things?"
can cut quite deep.  Those with insensitive family members may want to
triple-think this choice of pets.
 
- The bills.  Need I say more?  Ferrets are not only more prone to various
illnesses for various reasons (environment, genetics, proclivity for
eating things they shouldn't), but also ferrets live shorter lives than
dogs and cats.  Sukie Crandall made a good point in one post; that ferrets
pack a lifetimes' worth of illnesses and health troubles into a 5-8 year
life span as opposed to a dog or cat that lives up to 15 years (some live
even longer; I have met a 20-year-old cat).  So even though you pay plenty
of medical bills for a dog or cat, it's spread out over a much longer
lifetime.  For ferrets, surgeries and treatments can come right on top
of each other, and cost a bundle.  Those who are unprepared for this are
often in for a very rude awakening and might have to give up the animal
they can no longer afford.
 
- The maintenance.  Ferrets look fairly low-maintenance to unsuspecting
pet store patrons.  Especially when they're in those little glass tanks
with wood shavings...they look like just another hamster or gerbil that
won't need much work.  But they require, in my opinion, slightly less
daily maintenance than a dog but MUCH more than a cat.  My cats are
low-maintenance; my ferrets are high-maintenance.  I do not mind the work,
but some people are not prepared for the effort that goes into caring for
these critters.  Unless you want your house to take on a strong "eu de
musky urine", litterboxes have to be kept clean each day and bedding
switched and washed frequently.  Few pets generate the kind of laundry
that ferrets necessitate!  With 6 ferrets, I do at least one load of
laundry per week that is all "ferret laundry".  To date the only "laundry"
I have done specifically for the cat is when she threw up on her little
fleece-covered window seat and I had to wash the cover.  There is a
constant need for "ferret-proofing" and a need to keep an eye on them
when they are out; whereas cats and dogs can usually be allowed to wander
the house with less worry on the part of the owner.
 
- The curiosity factor.  Cats have got nothing on ferrets when it comes to
curiosity.  Ferrets always have their noses stuck in the trash, the fridge
when it's open, your shoes, your handbag, and stuff disappears like you
live with Houdini (only Houdini usually made things REAPPEAR after he'd
amde them disappear...ferrets don't bother with that!).  It can be trying
to always have to be pulling ferrets out of the rooms they're not suposed
to be in, trying to distract them from the door when someone's trying to
leave, scouring the floor before they come out to make sure there's
nothing on the floor they might try to eat...etc.  It is more dangerous
for a ferret to find a scrap of something inedible and ingest it than for
a dog or cat...smaller intestines mean a greater chance of blockage and
expensive surgery.
 
- The heartbreak.  Simply stated, we lose ferrets too soon.  With a
healthy dog or cat, we can reasonably expect a lifetime of 11-12 years
of vigor followed by at least a few more years of moderate health and a
slowing down due to age (life expectancy is shorter for much larger breeds
of dug such as Danes and woflhounds, but on the whole dogs average 12-15
years).  Losing ferrets after a mere 5-6 years is often very hard to bear.
Some people find the grief unbearable.  We enjoy them so much, love them
so deeply, and too often they are with us for just a few years and are
gone long before we're ready to let them go.  For owners who would like
long years with their pets, the loss of a beloved ferret after only 5-6
years can be devastating.  I've seen FML posts from people who say they
wouldn't have ferrets again because it is too hard to lose them.
 
Anyway, that's my opinion on the few (the VERY few) "downsides", which
are downsides only if you're not prepared for them.
 
I think ferts RULE!
 
-Heather
 Frolicking this Saturday in Massachusetts! Check out www.neferrets.org
 for details!)
[Posted in FML issue 3700]