About how much would it cost to get a ferret, assuming i have nothing for one now?

Question

i want to get a ferret but i need to know how much the shots, cage, maintenance, and ferret itself will cost

Answer 1

instead of buying the toys you can make the yourself to save money,but,if you want to go out and buy the toys they will cost around $20.00,cage $130.00 and be sure to get the right size,if you get your ferret from like Petsmart or Petco they already have their shots.The ferret itself is $120.00,and maintenance varies on how often you clean the cage,but you will be doing a lot of that because they are messy and stink for the most part

Answer 2

Some ferrets are free to good homes with their cages!

http://www.preloved.co.uk/fuseaction-adv...

If your in the UK...

FERRET- £10-20 depending on the breeder.

TOYS-

tunnel - £4.99

rope - £2.99

wood chew - £1.99

super playground - £19.99

ferret ball - £9.99

wheel - £12.99

VACCINATIONS

need 1 every year.

costs about £20.

CAGE - £40 - £200

I had this one it it is great!

http://www.petcentreonline.co.uk/ecommer...

FOOD- £3.99- £29.99

I used this one and it's a great value price and my ferret loved it! It lasts about a month.

http://www.feedem.co.uk/small-animals-40...

BEDDING- 4.99 - 12.99

I bought an actual bed so i didn't need bedding.

http://www.pet-accessory.com/store/ct/sm...

FLOOR COVERING- £1.99- 15.99

I bought a large bag and it lasted me for like 6 months.

http://www.ukpetsupplies.com/Details.asp...

I had my ferret vet check once a year which cost me about £15 and he had his shots once a year which was £21.

My little fella cost me about £100-£200 a year.

I also treated him with some meat and treat and stuff like that.I always bought these as treats...

http://www.ferretcouture.co.uk/Treats003...

He loved them!!!

I sometimes put them in a treat ball which costs about £4.99

To start off with my ferret i spent about £150 which included that cage, ferret, treats, food, floor covering and the fluffy bed.

Hope i could help and if your in america try converting all that info into dollars and it might give you an around kind price!

And also i put some mineral drops in his water and gave him lots of calicum licks and this...

http://www.ferretcouture.co.uk/Vitamins0...

He only got sick once which cost me £179.

Answer 3

First off, you asked this question in the Rodent section, and a ferret is NOT a rodent.  A ferret is a carnivore, like a cat or a dog.

Ferrets require alot - alot of time, alot of patience, alot of stuff, and alot of cash!  

Vet bills are high for ferrets, because you have to find an exotic animal vet knowledgeable with ferrets.  They require all the same shots that a cat or dog gets, rabies and distemper - rabies boosters 3 in first year, same with distemper, then one each yearly.

A ferret needs at least 4 hours of play time (with YOU) out of its cage everyday - every single day - no exceptions.  Although not cuddly, they bond greatly with their human and need lots of attention.  You need litterboxes scattered around a room that has been ferret-proofed (no holes larger than 1 inch, no rubber, no plants, covered electric cords, no rocking chairs or recliners).  Ferret will get inside a recliner and get killed next time someone sits in it.

Ferrets get into everything, climb everything, chew on everything, knock over everything, and hide everything under the bed, couch, etc - you have to have alot of patience, and be prepared to change alot in your house for them.  You have to know whether your ferret is deaf (alot of them are) so that you can understand that it doesn't hear you say NO.

They need a multilevel cage, with a litterbox, hammocks to sleep in, cloth tunnels to hide in, and blankets all over.  The blankets can be gotten at Goodwill or something.

The litterbox needs have at least one very low side (cat boxes will work, but you must cut them down), and need to be cleaned daily, and the cage needs cleaned at least every week, with the blankets, bedding, hammocks and everything washed at least weekly.  Use Yesterday's News litter - NOT Clumping clay litter as it can be digested and cause severe illness.

For food a ferret eats meat, NOT VEGGIES!  No sugars, starches, fruits, veggies, carbs - they don't have the proper digestion system to process these things.  The best ferret diet is actually very high quality cat food - I mix Innova EVO with Chicken Soup for the Kitten Lover's Soul brands, about 50/50 mix.  This food is grain free, ensures a high meat-based protein level (at least 40% required), and a high fat level (at least 20%).  They can also eat raw or cooked meat, chicken preferred.

Ferret $120

Cage $200 for a decent one

Litterpan - at least 4 of them at $10 each

Food - about $2 a pound

Vet bills - anywhere from $100 - $300 a visit

Hammocks/toys - $30 minimum

You'll need an initial outlay of about $500 for cage, ferret, bedding, food, litterpans, toys, and the first trip to the vet - even a baby ferret from the petstore is overdue for a vet visit - they need a vet visit at 14 weeks, 18 weeks, 22 weeks for their rounds of shots - most ferrets come into the pet store at 8 weeks old.

Bedding and hammocks can be homemade - I buy alot of baby blankets at Goodwill and sew into hammocks, covers for cage shelving, and make bedding from them - it's cheap at $1.39 per baby blanket.

But, the biggest expense is the surgery - alot of US ferrets get a disease that requires surgery, and it's $700 - $1500 for the surgery.  Sometimes it can be avoided with meds, but the meds are just as expensive over the long term.  Most ferret owners need to start a savings account for the ferret the day they get one.

They are great little creatures, but they require a commitment unlike most any other animal - just make sure you are willing and able to make such a commitment BEFORE you take another poor ferret from the pet store only to wind up in a shelter.  

And seriously consider adopting a shelter ferret - there are many shelters all over that are full of ferrets that were bought by people that couldn't handle the responsibility.

Check out http://www.ferretvillage.org - a great forum for ferret knowledge

Answer 4

I would say a ferret would cost $120. Plus the cost of the cage. So probably around $150.

Answer 5

i would go with jw_baum answer start with at least $500 just for basic start stuff.