Ferrets- Other Unusual Pets

[TeeDee]

Hi , Has anyone got a lot of experience with ferrets?? I am interested that they
( apparently ) make quite good pets? So I dont want them for Rabbiting , Just a trying to find out if the make reasonable pets?
It was covered briefly on Stephen Frys QI prog the other day that Boeing use them to pull Aircraft Control Looms through Aircraft Cross sections and that they make reasonable pets? They ( apparently ) are pleased to see you when you get home ,"talk" to you , relativley clean , can be 'lap' ferrets (??!!) and make a different alternative to Dogs or Cats.

Now before I go on I already have pets and all are from the Blue Cross so I am not looking to add to may domestic Chaos just yet , I was just wondering it its true?
My previous experience of ferrets from my youth when On a rare occassion that i did go out Ferreting for Rabbits ( not my Ferrets ) with them are that they can be smelly , bad tempered and very , very pointy teethed? But as with all animals this may have been the owner to blame??

So anyone got Ferrets or other Unusual Pets that they would happily leave at home and entrust would not destroy the Furniture??

 

[Bushwhacker]

I own two - a polecat and an albino, and although mine are kept in an outbuilding on a farm, I know that they're great house pets although you do have to 'ferret-proof' your house a bit.

I work mine but they're still good natured an don't bite the hand that feeds them.

They aren't smelly, they will use a litter tray but you have to let them choose which corner it goes in.

They are more robust than a kitten and cost less to feed than a dog and very comical.

 

[TeeDee]

Odd question I realise Bushwacker , But would you say they are intelligent enough to be 'trained'? ie respond to whistle, clicker etc?? - i was tring to think how Boeing trained them to run through specific areas of the aircraft and ot just go for a wander?

 

[camokid]

as above there a wicked pet all they want to do is play with you there into everything and anything. as for the smell if you dont cleen them often it will smell but just keep on top of it and they are sound. handel them a lot and get one from young and they will never bite you they will become your little mate and they n not to

 

[camokid]

ye they can be trained mine new the wistle as food so they would allways come. unless they made a kill underground my hob would stay with it and nothing would shift him

 

[Bushwhacker]

I have seen someone on youtube with some highly trained ferrets, but it must take a lot of work.
Mine come to the rattle of the food bag and they know not to bite hands, but that's about it.

My favourite thing they do is the 'war dance' it always makes me laugh.

 

[Dean]

If any animal feels threatened (humans included), they naturally respond in a defensive manner. The ferret's only real weapons or tools of protection are its teeth; therefore it cannot be blamed for employing them when it perceives the situation to be dangerous.
If a handler does not hold a ferret correctly, by which I mean that they hold it such a way that they cause the ferret hurt or discomfort, or hold it too tightly so that it feels threatend, then it will naturally respond unfavourably and could bite.

I had this book for my birthday, Ferrets And Ferreting by Ian C. Rickard
This book will tell you about

1 Housing
2 Adoption
3 Food & Feeding
4 Breeding
5 Handling
6 Introduction to Ferreting
7 Equipment
8 Obtaining Hunting Rights
9 The Art of Ferreting
10 Dreesing the Kill
11 To The Table

Here is a link to a good little book
http://www.bol.com/nl/p/boeken-engels/ferrets-and-ferreting/1001004001826340/index.html

 

[Bushwhacker]

They also drop 'stink bombs' when alarmed.

 

[HillBill]

I have had a few, all workers and i prefer jills to hobs, no reason for that just prefer the smaller ferret always had polecat colours over albino too.

They are good in the house and fun to own. You can even get leads for them and take em for walks.lol.

As said above they can be smelly if not cleaned enough but thats owner error. A good practical, easy to care for, not food fussy animal to have. Mine were in the house most of the day but slept in a hutch outside. Had no problems other than the houdini acts they are capable of. They do like attention and respond well to careful hands. Mine used to like playfighting they never full on bit just played. It makes me laugh when they arch their back and run sideways away from you. Just good fun.

 

[TeeDee]

Ok . me being dull.. What do you , can you feed them on? Cat food?

Trip to the Library to get a book I think.

 

[Toddy]

Tengu is looking for a volunteer to look after her's for a month
Her pet is called Ming

http://www.bushcraftuk.com/forum/showthread.php?t=39505

cheers,
Toddy

 

[HillBill]

Ok . me being dull.. What do you , can you feed them on? Cat food?

Trip to the Library to get a book I think.

They will eat most things meat/protein based. Mine liked raw egg, dried dog food etc plus they got all the left over rabbit and the heart kidneys etc

Some info here

http://ankhet.demonweb.co.uk/fin/faqs.htm

 

[Tengu]

Ill bathe him I promise!

 

[Lurch]

Ok . me being dull.. What do you , can you feed them on? Cat food?

Cat food is better than dog food, but did you know that you can get ferret food?
There are more than one brands but I used to feed mine the James Wellbeloved brand.

 

[warthog1981]

Ok . me being dull.. What do you , can you feed them on? Cat food?

Trip to the Library to get a book I think.

You can get dried ferret food from any good pet shop it doesn't go smelly when the weather turns warmer Ive had a fair few all were trained to come when you whistled

 

[Bushwhacker]

Ferrets are obligate carnivores and need a higher protein content in their food than cats or dogs, they have very short digestive tracks, so need the protein because it absorbs really quickly. IMO cat food isn't good enough.
If I've managed to catch some rabbits, I'll chuck a whole one in with them, it'll last for a couple of days and they'l eat the bones, fur and all. Ferrets don't suffer from worms and don't need worming tablets, the fur content in the diet acts like a kind of brush and, in effect, cleans them out.
Sometimes they get a wild duck from one of our ponds or raw chicken from the shop.

 

[Tengu]

Its so nice when they jump up and down chittering.

Even my dad finds that endearing.

Ming comes to call but I havent found him that trainable.

 

[BorderReiver]

Its so nice when they jump up and down chittering.

Even my dad finds that endearing.

Ming comes to call but I havent found him that trainable.

You could try clicker training, that's supposed to work on any animal.

 

[Justin Time]

Saw a bloke yesterday walking his ferret on a lead and harness... along the seafront in Porthcawl!