We had loads of ferrets - we used to rescue unwanted and lost ones, and we hunted rabbits with them as well. They never lived in the house - indoors in Europe is a little warm for them, and it would have been too easy to step on them or hurt them if they fell asleep under a rug or in the laundry or something - but we'd bring them in the house for playtime most days.
In character, they're a bit like kittens that never grow up. They love humans as long as they've been handled from a young age, like any other pet. The most common noise they make is a sort of quiet chuckly chattering that they do nearly all the time, like talking to themselves. If they're upset or overexcited the hair on their tails all stands on end - if they're extremely frightened or hurt they scream like children and let off a terrific stink from their musk glands - in the wild that would make most predators drop them at once.
We fed ours on dead day-old chicks and rabbit - they can eat cat food, but they're better on real raw meat. I've heard of them living as long as fifteen years, but 9-10 seems about average.
If they're happy and excited (which is a lot of the time) they bounce madly about sideways, chuckling like mad. They're fearless and they love to explore, especially small spaces and tunnels.
If you do ever decide to get one, get at least two - they don't like to live on their own. They'll also be healthier, less trouble and much less smelly if they're spayed or neutered. Unneutered male ferrets will stink and fight each other in summer, and unspayed females need veterinary treatment (or mating) to bring them out of season every year - it's a big pain in the arse.
They're lovely, fun animals. If the new place only had a garden I'd be getting some straight away...
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Date: 2005-01-23 08:46 am (UTC)In character, they're a bit like kittens that never grow up. They love humans as long as they've been handled from a young age, like any other pet. The most common noise they make is a sort of quiet chuckly chattering that they do nearly all the time, like talking to themselves. If they're upset or overexcited the hair on their tails all stands on end - if they're extremely frightened or hurt they scream like children and let off a terrific stink from their musk glands - in the wild that would make most predators drop them at once.
We fed ours on dead day-old chicks and rabbit - they can eat cat food, but they're better on real raw meat. I've heard of them living as long as fifteen years, but 9-10 seems about average.
If they're happy and excited (which is a lot of the time) they bounce madly about sideways, chuckling like mad. They're fearless and they love to explore, especially small spaces and tunnels.
If you do ever decide to get one, get at least two - they don't like to live on their own. They'll also be healthier, less trouble and much less smelly if they're spayed or neutered. Unneutered male ferrets will stink and fight each other in summer, and unspayed females need veterinary treatment (or mating) to bring them out of season every year - it's a big pain in the arse.
They're lovely, fun animals. If the new place only had a garden I'd be getting some straight away...