What does everyone mean by; ferrets are "costly" ?

Question

Do you mean the vet bills, or all the stuff you need to buy for them? what all should i buy for them? estimates? thankssss(:

Answer 1

I don't know why you would think they are costly. True it is expensive to start up $100 per ferret and $119 for a decent cage. They will need a bed $14, one they can crawl inside of will be best or else they will tear their own hole in it. A bowl  $12 that bolts to the cage or they will just dump it out (you can find them in the small animal aisle or the bird aisle). You will need one for food and water you could get one of those water bottles but the noise drove me insane because Bucky stayed in the bedroom. Bedding $9 to go in the floor. A litter box $6-$15, scoop $5, and litter $10. Wait till you have the ferret to get it toys then carry them to a pet store and let them pick. I made that mistake and wound up wasting money on toys that my Bucky hates. Same goes for treats. Harness $12 and I would get an extendable leash $15 like for small dogs. A collar with a bell $8 would be a big help locating your pets when they try to hide. And of course ferret food $14.

After you get all the stuff you need upkeep is fairly cheap they don't eat much and it takes a while for them to go through a box of litter. Cat litter works better than ferret litter and is cheaper. Bucky has only been sick once and it only cost us $85 and his regular visits are about the same if you had a dog or cat. Just watch them when they're out Bucky destroyed my love seat and chewed our leather stuff.

Answer 2

I have 7 ferrets. Ferrets can be  costly.

You should check out local animal shelters and see if they have any ferrets to adopt. I rescued all of my ferrets. They were only $40 ea. If you buy a ferret from a store where Iam (Southern Indiana)  they're $150.   99% of the time your ferret is already decented and fixed.

Cages can be expensive. Check in your local newspaper. I lucked out and noticed the cage I purchased in front of someones house for $30. My cage is 4 1/2 feet tall and the rest is 4ftX3ft. When buying one it can cost anywhere from $60-$300 depending on how big you want.

As far as hamocks go, I make my own out of old sheets. There's no sewing involved, just cut and fold and attatch w/ zip ties or bread ties. They're free that way, and when they break them it's free to replace them as opposed to buying another $15 hammock.

The litter I use is a pellet type litter. (The kind pet stores use when they have hampster, bunnies, and guinea pigs in bins) I get a big 20# bag for about $15. It lasts me about a month.

And remember, that's w/ 7 ferrets.

The litter pans I use are cut milk cartons. Again they are free and I just cut them into the right shape to fit into the corner. Again tie down w/ zip ties or  bread ties.

The food I use is  Purina complete formula cat food. Lot's of people will tell you that this is bad, but I've gone over w/ their vet and he said that they are just as healthy as a ferret that is on Marshalls ferret food, or anyother pricey food. I pay about $12 for a 20# bag and that lasts me about a month.

When I used the other pricier ferret foods, their pee and p**p stunk VERY badly, but once I changed to this food, there's no more smell.

As far as toys go, pretty much anything is a toy to a ferret. Shoes, Lamp Shades, Christmas Bags, a box w/ newspaper clippings, a box of rice to dig in, a PLASTIC dryer hose, a shoe box taped shut w/ holes cut out, little cat toy balls, mini remote control cars, toys w/ real fur.....When purchasing "ferret" toys in the pet store expect to spen ALOT of money. If you get a ferret let them run around and see what they turn into a toy for them.

The most expensive thing about a ferret is your vet bill. Yearly shots/ check ups are anywhere from $50-$80 per ferret. The real cost comes when they get older. They sometimes get sick, or their intestines get blocked, or they get diarhea, or they dislocate their elbows. Vet bills can run anywhere from $100-$800. $800 being an EXTREMELY sick ferret that the owner (my friend) said no matter what the cost she's going to get better, and she did.

They also need a food dish and water bottle. I personally use the cheap $1 double basin cat food bowls. I cut holes into the back of them and attatched them to the cage w/ zip ties. That way they can't tip them over.

You'll want to buy treats ($3-$4) and Ferret Vite ($7-$10)as well. Ferret Vite is a vitamin/ weight gain/ treat for ferrets. It's good to put a bit of it on their tummy when you're trying to clip their nails and clean their ears.

You'll need to buy small animal (cat or ferret )toe nail clippers ($5-$8)

Also regular everyday q-tips to clean ears, but DON'T put it down in their ear canal.

Make sure you do ALOT of research on ferrets before buying one. Yes, they are a caged animal, but they require as much if not more attention as a dog does. They need to be out of their cage  2-4 times a day for about 30 min -an hour. Make sure you're ready for the commitment before purchasing one.

Answer 3

i just got a ferret for my 4 kids and the ferret cost $130.00 at petco and then i got a 3 store high cage for $99.00 at the same place because i had seen the same cage at pets market for 109.00 so the made me a better deal.plus the ferret was already desented,most of them are if you buy them at a pet store.

Answer 4

i don't personally own a ferret, but if you look on petstore websites, they are kind of expensive. cages alone can be over $200. ferrets need large habitats because they get bored quickly. htey also need food, dishes, a water bottle, a hiding house, toys, ect. like with my guinea pig for example, every time she needs a new bag of food, that costs about $7; when she needs more bedding, thats about $20 for a large bag. face it, all pets cost money to take care of. if you want a ferret, save up the money and get what you want. do some reserch though, and find out if they are right for you, and add up the approximate cost and have a budget.

Answer 5

It means they cost alot, and the stuff they need costs alot. Also, any small animal vet that is trained with exotics is going to be more expensive.

Ferrets alone usually run about 150-200$. A GOOD ferret cage will usually cost you about 200-300$. So with JUST the ferret and cage, you've already spents around 500$, give or take a few hundred depending on how you shop.

I know to take my rats to the vet is 55$ JUST for the exam, that doesn't include any medication or anything else.

Answer 6

When I say "costly" I mean their food mostly. I never realized how much they eat. I have to refill my ferrets bowl at least twice a day, maybe more. In response, that bag of food goes empty very fast. And the small cheap bag of food that the vet claims is the worst thing to feed your ferret is $15! And then you have to buy bedding often as well. The vet bill for my ferret to get his rabies shots and what not was about $75. My ferret was about $120. His cage was about $60 and I wish I'd gotten the bigger, better Ferret Nation cage. Then you have to buy a litter box and litter. And a water bottle. And hammock. And any toys you want for your ferret. Ferrets just add up in the long run. haha And they stink!

Answer 7

the ferrest themselves are about $100 depending on where you get them. A good size cage could run up to $200 too. Also vet bills can be very expensive.

Answer 8

Ferrets where I live are $99 a piece, and the reason they are so expensive is because they are spayed/neutered and descented. I also pay $13 for a 5 pound bag of ferret food.

Answer 9

It means they cost alot to buy and to maintain

Answer 10

Hi, I'm not sure what they mean by 'costly'.  But what you can expect is; from the vet the ferret will need to have rabies shots at a minimum, also, it will need to be descented..  (they smell like they are first cousins to skunks !) also it's very important to have it spayed/neutered unless you're certain you plan to breed it.

The cost of the housing.. is up to you, I made my ferret's house myself,  how much time will it spend in the cage?  mine only slept in it at night , otherwise had the run of the house.  Toys, hammocks, water bottles, cat litter box, food dishes, proper food,  vet exams.  Most important though, is your time and attention.. they are very bright, funny, active and affectionate, they require from you patience, care and love. Please do some research before you get the ferret,  they can be aggressive, they can give a nasty bite even in play,  learn how to properly hold one and care for one first and you'll both be much happier.

Answer 11

The ferret itself is going to be the cheapest thing (pet shop ferrets are usually $100-150; shelter ferrets are usually $50-75; and private breeders will vary with their prices). A good cage is going to be at the very least $100 (I spent almost $200 for mine, the 2-story Midwest Ferret Nation cage). You'll also need things like water and food bowls (I like the kind that attach to the cage, the ones I got were only about $3), litter boxes (usually less than $10), toys, litter (I use Kaytee Aspen bedding, the 4 foot cubic bag is $13), and bedding (blankets, hammocks, old shirts, etc.). Oh, and of course, food. I buy a variety for mine and the bags vary in price from $10-20 each. You'll also need things like ear cleaner, nail clippers, treats (ferretone and ferretvite are really good for training, ear cleaning, and nail trimming), ferret lax, harness/lead (optional), shampoo (either kitten, ferret, or human baby shampoo, nothing made for dogs), brush, flea comb (I like to check mine for fleas on a weekly basis), flea spray (I use Marshall's Flea & Tick spray, which I spray on their bedding every week as a preventative; if they ever actually get fleas, something like Frontline would be needed), and I think that's it. All of those things are under $10. You'd probably also want a carrier for those vet visits. Now, the vet bills, they are usually what people are talking about the most when they say ferrets are "costly." Exotic vets do tend to be more expensive and ferrets are also prone to a lot of illnesses that can be very expensive to treat. Most ferret owners (including myself) will tell you to set up a "ferret fund" - money that you can use if/when a large vet bill might pop up (I recommend keeping at least $1000 in the fund).  A general exam and shots shouldn't cost more than $100, but blood work, dental work, surgeries, medications, etc. can be rather expensive.