When deciding on a new member of the family it is always best to gather as much information on your desired pet as possible and be willing to decide against a pet that you know won’t fit happily into your family unit, for both the animals sake and yours. People who get a pet, solely because it’s “trendy” or because a friend has one is destined to be unhappy.

For the right person ferrets are fabulous. They are crazy active, inquisitive to a fault, loving, affectionate, incredibly smart problem solvers that need to have free run of the house for as much of the time your are home as possible. I had my two ferrets Philia and Hero for eight years and although they brought me great joy and were the light of my life, they could also wear on my patience at times. My love, however, outweighed the wear and tear on my couch due to their sleeping inside it (yes inside it, they broke in from below); their ability to completely disappear right before leaving for work making it impossible to put them in their enclosure, and the need to clean up poo when they were too sleepy or lazy to make it to their box. On the other hand it brought me the greatest joy when they sought me out for a game of hide and seek, gave me kisses for no reason, were waiting at their enclosure door to be let out when I got home from work, would only take their food from me, not to mention their fearlessness and trust in people to love and protect them in general was, and still is amazing to me. Ferrets in my opinion are one of the easiest animals to love unconditionally.

So, after having said all that……..

If you are someone who does not spend much time at home don’t expect a ferret to do well. If you think that ferrets can be kept happy living in a cage, don’t get a ferret. If you do not intend to get more than one ferret, don’t get a ferret. If you can’t handle a bit of damage to furniture and occasionally cleaning up a corner or two from time to time, don’t get a ferret. If you want a pet that’s relaxed, calm and happy to just sit in your lap all evening, don’t get a ferret. If you expect to train a ferret as you would a dog then definitely don’t get a ferret. Ferrets are trainable, most definitely, however it will be on their own terms; you have to find a way to make doing what you want them to do appealing to them. For example; if they know that every time they use their litter box correctly they will get a special treat then they will use the box.

Read on for some interesting bits of information that I hope will help dispel any misconceptions you might have as well as make an informed decision.

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