Ferrets and rats??? ?

Question

I have 4 female rats at the moment, but i would really like to have 2 female ferrets as well. If i got ferrets they would have a separate cage to the rats but are they likely to get on outside of ther cages???

Answer 1

No,they probably wouldn't as ferrets/stoats in the wild will kill & eat rabbits so mixing rats with them could result in serious fighting,i wouldn't suggest to do so. Rats are/can be Territorial so can ferrets. Though rats are more likely to mix as there has been some rare cases of rats being kept with rabbits!! But think about it if you were to suddenly introduce a large rat they probably wouldn't take kindly to it. I don't know much about ferrets,but i have kept rats,so thats all i can say really!

Hope this has helped. x*x

Answer 2

NO WAY! Just keep the rats. Don't bother with the ferrets. They are a different animal all together.Of course if I had a choice I'd rather a ferret over a rat any day.

Answer 3

For starters, you can NOT keep rats and ferrets in the same cage!

Ferrets are NOT rodents, and they need special ferret food as they need specific nutritional diets. You'll need to do a bit of research so that you can identify a good brand of ferret food when you see one. :)

You'll need to buy a separate cage for the ferrets. Make sure it's big enough as you're getting two ferrets. :)

Another thing: ferrets can NOT stay in their cage all day like rats, so you'll need to "ferret proof" the room in which you wish to keep them. You should do this BEFORE you bring your ferrets home.

Ferrets love to explore and get into things, so sofa-beds and recliners are a potential hazard to them. If you have them either remove them from the "ferret-proof" room(s) or disable the mechanism inside them.

When you're ferrets are out of their cage, keep your rats in their cage or they will most likely fight to the death!

Finally, and most importantly, get them spayed! Especially if they are female as they will go into heat and remain on heat until mated. If they are not mated they will get seriously ill and die.

    I hope this helped! :)   Laura x

Answer 4

i have 5 ferrets and 8 rats plus other animals. i keep the rats in one room and the ferret cage in the living room. when the ferrets are playing the rat room door is closed. ferrets could hurt rats and rats could hurt ferrets. either one has teeth that can do damage to the other. it's fine to have both but they can NEVER interact or be near each other's cages.

EDIT-@ laura: rats can't stay in their cages all day either. no animal should. it's unfair to either.

Answer 5

h**l no. ferrets aren't rodents you know >.>

Answer 6

LOL!!!!  You're joking, right?  Ferrets are CARNIVORES and would quickly KILL and most likely EAT your rats.

Please educate yourself about ferrets - you obviously don't know a thing about them.

Answer 7

sorry but your ferrets would probs eat, kill or at least seriously hurt them really not a very good idea

Answer 8

Ferrets need plenty of space, and shouldn't always be in a cage. they are kind of like dogs and cats.

Answer 9

Hi I keep Ratties and recently got 2 ferrets, I had a huge double decker cage with Ratties living in top and ferrets on bottom anyhow my rats wouldn't come out, 2 in particular were very stressed, 1 silly boy went in the ferrets cage anyhow nothing happened, the ferret kep trying to jump into the ratties cage if I forgot and opened it to put plate in ect.. while he was free range, he did succeed in getting in 6 big ratties were stood in a line he went rigid and I think they all were in shock...so it wasn't working....the good news is I bought 2 smaller cages the ratties is one on legs and wheels FERRETS can't reach..the ferrets cage in floor level I have put the cages on opposite sides of the room AND HEY I put a stool in front of ratties cage and they all came out, running around just like they used to do, in fact 3 of them went mithering the ferrets, they could have reached each other but there was just sniffing..nothing happened...ALL I have to do is make sure all the ratties are locked in their cage before I let the ferts on, ITS going well thank goodness, and glad I tried a different approach as the ferrets days had been numbered as my rats are the love of my life....and i was sad for them but it seems to be as though theres no ferets there now...might just have been because they couldn't see them before and I had them too close so as long as you are always careful about whos out and whos in,, i don't see any reason why you shouldn't get yourself a ferret......