If you want anactive, playful, mischievous pet that will bring endless fun, then a ferret maybe the right pet for you.

But before youbring one of these rambunctious little creatures into your home, here are 11things to know about ferrets and proper ferretcare.

1. Ferrets areillegal in some areas of the United States.

Before you adoptor purchase a ferret, you should check out your local laws. Pet ferrets areprohibited in California, Hawaii, and New York City.

Whileveterinarians in these locations will still treat sick ferrets, the adoption orpurchase of new ferrets is not allowed. If you live in one of these areas, it’sbest to consider getting another type of pet.

2. Ferrets have astrong, musky odor, even when they’re de-scented.

Ferrets havescent glands near the base of their tails that produce a potent,musky-smelling oil.

For many petferrets, these glands are surgically removed during the process of“de-scenting” when the animals are very young—before they are sold. Ferretsthat retain these glands smell so musky that most people would never want themas pets.

However, evenafter they are de-scented, ferrets will still retain a milder musky odor thatsome people find unpleasant.

So, if you aresensitive to odor, and you’re considering a ferret as a pet, you might want tospend some time around one to be sure you can tolerate the smell before youbring a ferret home.

3. Ferrets lovecompany.

Ferrets aresocial creatures that typically live in groups or colonies in the wild. Becausethey love company, pet ferrets generally look for human family members or otherferrets to hang out with.

It’s much morefun to play when you have friends to play with. Consequently, many ferretowners end up owning more than one ferret.

On rareoccasions, two ferrets might not get along. So, if you get more than oneferret, you’ll need to supervise their interactions for several days to ensurethey get along before you can safely leave them alone together.

To minimizecompetition between ferrets, each one should have equal access to food, toys,hiding spots, and sleeping areas so that they’re less likely to fight overresources.

4. Ferrets need torun!

Ferrets love tocurl up and sleep, particularly if they can find a warm place to nap, but whenthey’re not napping, they also love to run, jump, climb, and hide. Ferretsalso love toys.

Young ferrets,in particular, enjoying skittering across the floor and chasing toys. Exercisefor ferrets is key, or they will overeat from boredom and become obese.

So, if you’regoing to own a ferret, plan on lots of out-of-cagetime for them to run around.

5. Ferrets chew EVERYTHING.

Ferrets are called ferrets because theyliterally “ferret out” everything. They chew on, dig up, and pull out nearlyevery object they encounter—especially when they’re young and very curious.

Objects made of foam, rubber, or cloth,including furniture and shoes, are special favorites. Ferrets notoriously stealeverything they can get their mouths on and store their treasures in closets,under beds, or anywhere they can hide them.

This mischievous behavior can lead tosignificant health problems, since foreign objects they inadvertently swallowcan get stuck in their gastrointestinal (GI) tracts and cause life-threateningobstructions that require surgical treatment.

So, if you decide to get a pet ferret,you’ll need to commit to ferret-proofing your home. That means picking upeverything from the floor, creating a ferret-proofed area that’s free oftempting things to chew on, and supervising your new pet whenever he or she isout of the cage.

6. Ferrets eat meat.

Wild ferrets are carnivores that hunt forand consume rodents and rabbits. Their GI tracts have evolved to digest animalprotein and not vegetable matter.

While a pet ferret should also be eatingmeat, their intestinal tract is not adapted to consuming raw meat in the sameway as their wild counterparts. In fact, pet ferrets can develop severeintestinal infection with toxic bacteria such as Salmonella.

Pet ferretsshould be fed commercially formulated,high-protein/moderate-fat/low-carbohydrate diets that contain all the nutrientsthat ferrets require. These diets have also been prepared to eliminatepotentially harmful bacteria.

Several kibble diets are available for petferrets, and they generally love them.

Before diets were developed specificallyfor ferrets, many people fed their pet ferrets cat food. In general, it’spreferable to use commercially available ferret food over cat food becauseferret-specific diets meet the nutritional needs of ferrets more closely.

7. Ferrets need annual veterinary checkups.

Ferrets can live to be 6-9 years old ormore, so it’s important to provide consistent, preventative veterinary care.They should see their veterinarian annually and then semi-annually as they age.

By examining ferrets every year,veterinarians may diagnose and treat conditions earlier and may help ferretslive longer, happier lives.

After 3 years of age, ferrets also shouldhave annual blood tests to help ensure that their blood sugar levels and kidneyand liver functions are normal.

After 5 years of age, ferrets should bechecked every six months, since by this age, they have often developed morethan one of the conditions they commonly encounter as they age.

8. Ferrets often develop certain diseases as theyage.

Ferrets sold in pet stores in the UnitedStates are typically from one of two very large breeding facilities, andconsequently, they are extremely inbred.

Inbreeding, unfortunately, increases thechances for developing certain diseases, including adrenal gland tumors andpancreatic tumors called insulinomas.

These illnesses can occur in ferrets asyoung as a year of age. Older ferrets commonly develop heart disease and othertypes of cancer.

If you’re planning on getting a ferret, youshould expect that at some point, your ferret will develop one or more of theseconditions and will require veterinary treatment.

9. Ferrets need shots.

Ferrets can contract and pass on rabies. Therefore,in many of the states in which they are legal as pets, ferrets are required bylaw to be vaccinated for rabies at 4-5 months of age and then annually afterthat.

Ferrets are also very susceptible to thedeadly canine distempervirus that commonly affects dogs, but it’s preventable throughvaccination. There is a ferret-specific distemper virus vaccine that should beadministered initially in a series of three shots (three weeks apart), startingat 2 months of age, and then annually after that.

Very rarely, ferrets can develop diarrhea,vomiting, or collapse after receiving either the rabies or distemper vaccine.For this reason, ferrets that receive vaccines should wait at the veterinaryhospital for 15 minutes after receiving their shots to ensure they’re nothaving a reaction.

Ferrets that suffer from vaccine reactionsshould not be revaccinated in the future if their reaction is severe.

Even if pet ferrets are kept indoors, theyshould receive annual booster vaccines against both rabies and distemperviruses for life. This is because their owners can track distemper virus insidetheir homes on their shoes, and pet ferrets might also have contact withwildlife, like bats, which can carry the deadly rabies virus.

10. Ferrets need flea and heartworm diseasepreventative.

Just like cats and dogs, ferrets aresusceptible to flea infestation anddeadly heartworminfection. This is true even for ferrets kept indoors, as fleas can comein from outside, especially if there are dogs and cats in the home. Mosquitoscan also make their way indoors and transmit heartworm disease to indoorferrets.

Ferret-savvy veterinarians can prescribe fleaand heartworm preventatives that are safe for use in ferrets, asnot all flea and heartworm products are appropriate for ferrets.

11. Ferrets get hairballs.

Ferrets shed a lot of hair, particularlywhen the weather gets warm, and like cats, they may ingest this hair as theylick and groom themselves. This means that—like cats—ferrets canproduce hairballs too.

If they ingest a large amount of hair, itcan stick together in their intestines and cause a potentially life-threateningobstruction.

Ferrets with adrenal gland tumors commonlylose lots of hair as a result of hormones secreted by their tumors, and thisoften predisposes them to hairball development.

To help prevent hairballs from forming,ferrets should be brushed at least once a week with a narrow-toothed hair combmeant for brushing either a ferret or a cat.

If a ferret is shedding excessively,hairball laxatives made for either ferrets or cats can help hair pass throughthe GI tract more easily. These can be given by mouth once or twice a week.

Talk with your veterinarian to find outmore if you are worried about hairballs in your ferret.

How to Find a Pet Ferret

If you decide that a ferret is right foryou, you can rescue a ferret from one of several shelters across the UnitedStates, purchase one from reputable pet stores, or adopt one from a privatebreeder.

If you are rescuing a ferret from ashelter, be sure to quarantine them from other pets, as animals from rescuefacilities can carry illness (e.g., GI parasites, mild upper respiratory tractinfections, etc.) that they could potentially transmit to other ferrets or tocats or dogs.

Try to find out as much about the ferret’shistory (i.e., why they were given up to the shelter) as you can, so that youcan make the transition to your home as easy as possible.

If you adopt a ferret from a breeder, besure to ask the breeder these questions:

·       Has the ferret been vaccinated?

·       What diet has the ferret been eating?

·       Does the ferret get along with other animals?

·       What is the ferret’s health history? Do they have veterinaryrecords?

·       What is your policy regarding a guarantee if the ferret is sick?