Ferrets..?

Question

Hey,

I want two pet Ferrets for my birthday. Two girls. How can I convince my parents to let me get them? My cousin had some but they went ferrel from lack of attention ear mites! My dad is strongly against them. How can I convince them to let me get them? Also what is the basic care etc. what type cage and how much will it all cost in total? How much does de-sexing cost? Thanks,

Matt

Answer 1

Ferrets are a ton of work, I hope you are prepared to spend a LARGE amount of your time playing with them and cleaning up after them.  They can also be very destructive when left alone.  Females are more prone to illness such as Adrenal disease which can kill them.  Males might be a better choice (they tend to be more docile).  Most ferrets in pet stores usually have been spayed or neutered and have had their scent glands removed already, but there is still a slight musky odor to them.  You will need a large cage to house two of them, I suggest spending at least $100 on a multi-level cage, and probalby another hundred on the various other accesories (food, water bottle, litter box and litter, toys etc...)  Hope this helps =)

Answer 2

i have 2 boy ferrets and they are the cutes things, but ALOT of work! they need to be out of their cages everyday for long periods of time, and they have to be watched carefully because they WILL get into trouble and either get hurt or lost.so many people get ferrets without researching them. they p**p ALOT, because their digestive tract is so fast. so be prepared to clean up massive turds and not just cute little pebble turds, big sometimes sloppy messy turds. another thing.....they do not stink. people that say this probobly never even smelled them, or just smelled the cage that someone didnt clean properly. they have a musky smell, but you will grow to love that smell. deffinatly adorable and fun they will love you to death if you take care of them properly.

good luck!!

Answer 3

Ummmm well you should try to show your parents that you are responsible, but I can see how they are againt ferrets. Ferrets smell horrible, but you can get their scent glands removed. And as for the de-sexing, I think you mean spaying or 'fixing' them. You can't de-s*x an animal. But I am sure that it would be fairly expensive.

Answer 4

my parents were against them, too. i did a TON of research on them and really showed my parents that i knew a lot about them. i ferret proofed my room (MAKE SURE THAT THEY HAVE A VERY VERY SAFE ENVIRONMENT... DONT LET THEM ANYWHERE THATS NOT FERRET PROOF!!!) and offered to keep them ONLY in my room (where they are perfectly happy). i even cleaned to make room for a cage... when they saw how much i was willing to do to keep the ferrets they agreed to get me two. now, i have three. ^_^

make sure you're going to be a GOOD ferret owner... i can't stand to think of poor animals with owners who don't give them safe environments or care for them...

GOOD LUCK!! ^0^

Answer 5

read this link to help you learn ALOT..

http://www.gomestic.com/Pets/Unusual-Pet...

if you know about their care, and are ready for it, your parents are more likely to agree

read this link on how to convince your parents

http://www.gomestic.com/Pets/Convincing-...

Answer 6

I always suggest reading Ferrets For Dummies, it's by Kim Schilling and is a part of the For Dummies series of books. It provides a great overview of ferret care including training, nutrition, healthcare, housing and socialization.

Start up costs for two ferrets can vary a great deal but a good starting point would be about $150-250 cage, $100 litter, litter boxes, bottle, food bowl, food, hammock. Many use old t-shirts for extra bedding as it's free, otherwise bedding sets can cost around $100 but you can purchase online from a ferret shelter in which case you are benefitting the community as well, a search of the Support Our Shelters link below will not only give you a list of nearby shelters but many will sell supplies for fundraising.

Vet bills vary a great deal by region, best thing to do is to call a couple vets in your area and ask what the cost of a checkup is along with a surgery (never met a ferret that didn't need at least one in it's lifetime) and bloodwork. That will give you an approximate idea of how much you will be paying over time, in my city a check up is $90 per ferret and surgery (adrenal) is $2000, however my friend in a rural area of the US pays $35 for a check up and $500 for the same surgery.

As far as de-sexing (spay/neuter) it depends on where you get your ferrets and where you are located on whether you will require this. In North America ferrets sold in pet stores are already altered and descented. In the UK, Austrailia, etc. the animals are sold intact and descenting for anything but a medical reason is illegal as it's considered animal cruelty. It does nothing to alter a ferrets everyday odour but it does remove the ferrets natural defensive mechanism of "poofing" when startled or under attack. The smell of a poof isn't that bad anyway, think stinky socks, and it goes away in about 5-10 min. An unneutered male can have a rather pungent odour but neutering at around 8-10 mos will correct that and he will be a happy healthy pet, a female should be spayed around 5-7mos as she can develop health issues from going into heat and not being bred.

Finally the best way I can think of to show your parents that you are ready and serious about caring for two little jills would be to commit to caring for a few animals. Volunteer! If there is a ferret shelter in your area spend a few months going in and helping out, then you will know more about caring for ferrets and your parents will see that you are serious about having a pet. Most times parents are afraid that a child will adopt a pet and the novelty will wear off and the pet will become the parents responsibility, if you commit to helping out at a shelter and go through all the effort of going to another location and scooping p**p and playing with animals that are not even yours they will see that you are indeed mature enough to make the commitment to an animal of your own. In fact you might even find a ferret that you bond with at the shelter and will give a good home to one in need.

If there are no ferret shelters near you try contacting your local Humane Society, volunteering at any shelter will demonstrate the responsibility and commitment your parents are hoping to see!

Good luck!!