# Wannabe ferret owner- lots of questions?!



## Shoey (Jun 26, 2014)

Okay so I have loved ferrets for a while now and have done a lot of research on them but have found a fair amount of confusing things. So I thought maybe I could get clear answers? :huh: So I have a cage here that is a similar size to an explorer with the same sort of layout so I am sorted on that front (I hope). I would want to get more than one ferret as they need company, but I'm unsure on what sex. I would get them neutered whichever sex they were. I live with my mum and she is unsure about them due to the smell, so which smells less? I know they aren't as smelly as people think but as they would be in the house we share I think it's best I try and keep it down. :001_tongue: Also what diet is best because some people have said ferret kibble type food and others swear by meat! So confusing. Also how much does neutering/vaccinating cost on average. I know it depends on the sex and the vets and everything but I was just wondering on a ballpark figure. Sorry for the long post, but any advice will be much appreciated. Thank you :w00t:


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## thedogsmother (Aug 28, 2008)

Shoey said:


> Okay so I have loved ferrets for a while now and have done a lot of research on them but have found a fair amount of confusing things. So I thought maybe I could get clear answers? :huh: So I have a cage here that is a similar size to an explorer with the same sort of layout so I am sorted on that front (I hope). I would want to get more than one ferret as they need company, but I'm unsure on what sex. I would get them neutered whichever sex they were. I live with my mum and she is unsure about them due to the smell, so which smells less? I know they aren't as smelly as people think but as they would be in the house we share I think it's best I try and keep it down. :001_tongue: Also what diet is best because some people have said ferret kibble type food and others swear by meat! So confusing. Also how much does neutering/vaccinating cost on average. I know it depends on the sex and the vets and everything but I was just wondering on a ballpark figure. Sorry for the long post, but any advice will be much appreciated. Thank you :w00t:


Explorer size cage is fine, I keep mine in an extended explorer at the moment 

For smell avoidance you might find that females would be a better choice, it's not advisable to neuter ferrets before their first season and males can be a wee big pongy when in season. As far as ferrets generally smelling it's really just god litter trays that smell if they are kept in a clean cage, if you clean the litter treys regularly then there is virtually no smell.

Diet wise I feed mine raw meat with a very small amount of dry food (alpha ferret feast), dry fed ferrets I find smell more (or at least their poo does) and they need to drink far more, I had an old boy who we found who had no interest in meat, he was too old to convert, so I've been able to compare the two diets, I would always rather raw feed.

Vet fees really do vary greatly depending where in the country you are, for instance a female ferret neuter at my vets is around £100, an overnight vets stay recently cost me nearly £80, and a consultation is £25-30. Having said that I know of a vet elsewhere in the country that charges £35 for a ferret spay.

Ferrets are a huge commitment though, they need to come out of their cages for playtime for at least on hour a day, they are incredibly intelligent and need to be mentally stimulated, the raw feeding alone isn't to everyone's taste, but they are hilarious to own and I wouldn't be without ferrets again


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## Shoey (Jun 26, 2014)

Thanks for the reply. The litter tray cleaning is fine, I always daily spot clean my cats litter trays anyway as its just nicer when they're clean! 
The raw meat diet wouldn't personally bother me too much, but it seems like that would be quite expensive? Though saying that someone did say they fed theirs on hearts and the parts we don't usually eat so if thats right then I guess the price would be lower.
I have plenty of spare time to dedicate to play time with them, and enough space to create a ferret safe playroom  
Vet fees are something I'm really going to have to think about but I have always had pets and have a bit of money saved for fees! 
One more question, do they need vaccinations? I could only find information about ferrets in the usa needing them and wanted to see if its the same over here. Thanks so much for your help


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## thedogsmother (Aug 28, 2008)

Vaccinations are a personal choice really, if yours are going to live outdoors or you plan to take them for walks then it might be a good idea to have them innoculated against distemper, ferrets do not ever survive distemper sadly .

As far as raw feeding goes it is right that you can feed them food that would normally be considered distasteful to humans (offal, and the bits we generally discard), I give mine a mixture of pet type minces, and chunks, day old chicks occasionally, chicken wings, human quality mince, fish, and cheap frying steak. They also get a tiny bit of alpha ferret feast underneath their meat as it can help keep their weight up if you have a ferret that is very active. It really wouldn't cost much to raw feed a couple of ferrets and lots of pet shops sell frozen raw food. I can feed my 8 current ferrets (2 are temporary visitors) for around £10 a week, that is with more than usual human grade mince for the kit. So two ferrets would be very reasonable to feed, and in my opinion would be healthier ferrets, they would definately have cleaner teeth and less smelly poos


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## Shoey (Jun 26, 2014)

Thank you :smile: 
I think theyll be indoors so I'll think into vaccinations more. Raw feeding does sound a lot better for them and if it reduces the poo smell too thats another plus haha! 
The more I research them, the more I want them! If you have jills would you say they're friendly? I've read people saying they're quite independent and don't spend much time playing with humans? Whereas males sound more cuddly. I guess it must vary depending on the ferret.


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