Chinchilla or Ferret - Which is a better pet?

Question

I want a pet that is smarter, learn tricks & not smelly.

I don't care if they get in trouble, I am kind of a trouble-maker myself, too. I want a pet that'll play with me alot, keep my company & active/PLAYFUL. I will look after it & won't neglect it. I would also like to teach tricks. Like, I call it's name, it responds etc. Also, I like tricks like beg etc. I am only asking which one of these is better for me? A chinchilla or a ferret?

I hear Ferrets smell, but I like them better because they are more playful & fun, but, how can I make them smell nice, not stinky at all?

Answer 1

They both make great pets, and are both adorable.

I have owned both, and if I were you I would get a Ferret. Chinchilla's like to hibernate during the day and aren't really into being held. The funnest things about my chinchilla's were giving them their dust bath and feeding them raisins.

Now my ferret's also loved to sleep it's in their nature, but they are hilarious. You can teach them to do all sorts of things and alot of things they learn on there own. You will have to keep a close eye on them when you have it out for the first couple weeks bc they are very curious. Once we learned our ferret's escape routes and fixed them she had free rein. She would actually greet me at the door like a dog, and follow me out the cat door down  the steps and out the garage to the car when I unloaded grociers. Then she would snoop in the bags. As far as the smell goes they sell ferret shampoo's but they still stay kind of smelly. Just make sure to clean the cage often and bath her as directed on whatever shampoo you choose. I also would put just a little bit of baby powder on her back.

But def. go for the ferret. They are so great.

Answer 2

you have a tough situation. ferrets smell but are playful and they do tricks. chinchillas are smart and they don't smell as bad as ferrets do. i would say that you should get a chinchilla because they are cute, smart, sometimes do tricks (it depends) and they are easy to care for.

Answer 3

Get a cat or dog

Answer 4

Ferrets are smarter, and they only smell if they are not maintained. They are very playful, and very curiouse. you can train them to do different things. They are very personable, easy to get along with. Sounds like what your looking for. they arent that pricey to keep either. not much more than a cat, except you will need a cage.

Answer 5

i misread and thought u were asking CHIHUAHUA's or ferrets.

chihuahua's are cute,

anyways don't ferrets bite and stuff?

Answer 6

A chinchilla won't really keep you company. Sure, they will hop around you and on your lap and stuff but they hate to be held. Also, they are nocturnal, so its best if you let them out at night and let them sleep during the day. On the other hand, ferrets can come out during the day and love to play with you if you train them well. Ferrets are wonderful for learning tricks. Chinchillas don't know their name or know tricks.

Your best bet would be to get a ferret. Also, chinchillas are VERY high maitenence. If I knew they were this high I don't think I would of got them 6 years ago.

Answer 7

It sounds like a ferret might be what you would prefer. However, please learn all you can about them before getting them. As others have said, they like to play and are very smart. This sounds cool, but what you may not think about is that this combination can lead to problems. Just this morning, one of my ferrets named "Trouble" (guess why), found out that if he climbed on certain boxes, he could reach the top of a shelf that had access to a small hole between the basement bedroom where we keep them and the upstairs bathroom. I did not know this hole was there and neither did he for the last 8 months at least. Now I have patched the hole, but it could have led to problems. You have to "ferret-proof" any area your ferret has access to. And just because you don't think they can get somewhere, doesn't mean they won't figure out how to if you give them time. Ferrets tend to be most active around sunrise and sunset. They can be taught tricks. As to coming to their name...I describe a ferret this way: If you call a cat, it generally ignores you. If you call a dog, it comes to you. If you call a ferret, it has to decide if coming to you would be more interesting than whatever else it is doing first.

I highly recommend visiting the Ferret FAQ at Ferret Central and learning as much as you can about ferrets before you make your decision. They can be a lot of work. They can also be a lot of love.

Answer 8

ferret! they are soo sweet and adorable :)

Answer 9

ferrets are easier to teach tricks.(and are much cuter).to get rid of the smell get him/her spayed and dont think bathing him/her will get rid of the smell it will just make it worse! and when him/her needs a bath(if it gets dirty) dont use human shampoo get a ferret shampoo.