15 Things You Need to Know Before Adopting a Ferret

It’s easy to fall in love with a ferret when you see a cage full of young kits in the pet store. Over the past few decades, these pets have experienced a massive boom in popularity, becoming more and more common in households across the United States — in fact, they’re now the third most popular pet after cats and dogs. In 1996, a government study estimated that more than 800,000 ferrets were being kept as pets throughout the country, and the number has undoubtedly grown since.

Unlike cats and dogs, most people don’t know much about ferrets or how to care for them. Many people simply aren’t prepared for how much work they can be to care for. So if you’ve been thinking about adopting one of these adorable (and sometimes downright goofy) creatures, today I want to share 15 facts every prospective ferret owner needs to know before taking the plunge.

1. Ferrets are NOT wild animals.

While ferrets may have only become a “cool” pet in the last 20 years or so, the truth is that humans and ferrets have coexisted for thousands of years. Ferrets were first domesticated more than 2,500 years ago, but not as pets — much like early cats or dogs, ferrets were working animals, used for hunting rabbits or controlling pests near farms or grain stores.

This misunderstanding may stem from people confusing domesticated ferrets with the black-footed ferret, a wild endangered animal native to the Western United States. While related, these animals are completely different species, and bear about as much resemblance to each other as a house cat does to a wildcat. After so many centuries living side-by-side with humans, pet ferrets are unlikely to survive on their own in the wild and prefer being with their human families.

2. Ferrets aren’t rodents, either.

It’s easy to see how someone could mistake a ferret for a member of the rodent family, but they’re actually carnivores that are descended from weasels and polecats. The horrifying truth (at least for pocket pet lovers) is that these animals were domesticated and bred to be highly efficient rodent-eliminating machines, much like domestic cats. So if you keep pet rabbits, rats, hamsters, or mice, a ferret probably wouldn’t be a good addition to your animal family.

3. Ferrets are very social animals and bond strongly with their families.

Perhaps one of the biggest mistakes people make when they buy a ferret is assuming that they don’t bond to their owners the way a dog or a cat would — and so if the family doesn’t get along with the pet, it’s no big deal to give them up. Actually, ferrets bond with their humans for life. When you adopt a ferret, you need to be willing to make a life-long commitment to your new pet.

Because ferrets are such social creatures, they do better in groups of two or three. A single ferret will require much more time and attention from an owner than a ferret who has friends to keep him or her company while their human is gone during the day. Be careful, though: ferret ownership can be addictive!

4. Ferrets are incredibly intelligent and can be trained — to a point.

Okay, so you’re probably not going to be able to train your ferret to sit, stay, or fetch. But ferrets are very smart animals who can and will respond to their names when you call (some more reliably than others), and ferrets are usually very easy to litter-train. They naturally seek out corners to use as bathrooms, so usually just putting a litter box with cedar or newspaper pellets in the corner of their cage on the opposite end from their food is enough to get them started.

Much like dogs, ferrets truly do want to please their people — you can even teach them to do tricks. But like cats, they’re always trying to push the envelope to see exactly what they can get away with.

5. Ferrets are not aggressive toward humans.

While it seems like everyone’s heard a horror story about domestic ferrets being vicious or unfriendly toward humans, nothing could be further from the truth. Ferrets are incredibly playful and friendly, and they are incredibly safe pets unless they’ve been hurt or abused. They’re often able to coexist peacefully with cats and dogs, as well.

That being said, very young ferrets sometimes like to play rough and may nip their human companions during play. Like kittens or puppies, this is their natural way of interacting with each other. Ferrets have very thick skin, so a nibble that wouldn’t hurt another ferret can be painful for a human. Again, this is a behavior that your ferret can be trained not to engage in. Most ferrets outgrow their nipping phase as they reach adulthood.

6. Ferrets cannot live their lives in cages.

A lot of people buy ferrets thinking it’s like getting a gerbil or guinea pig — that they can stay in their cage most of the time and just come out once and awhile for play when it’s convenient. The truth is, ferrets need lots of freedom to roam, play, and exercise. They’re actually very high-maintenance and require 3-4 hours of supervised playtime every day.

Some people let their ferrets roam freely like a dog or a cat, but I don’t recommend it. For one, ferrets tend to get tired and fall asleep after 1-2 hours of play, so they’re probably not going to appreciate the extra freedom anyway. It’s also very difficult to completely ferret-proof your house (or even just one room), so it’s safer and healthier for them to be caged when they’re not playing with you.

Just be warned: if you don’t let your ferret out to play often enough, he or she will start to get frustrated and act out. I’ve seen ferrets overturn food dishes, rip water bottles off the wall, and even toss dirty litter across the cage when they aren’t able to let out their energy in a more productive way. If you don’t have several hours a day to dedicate to a ferret, do yourself a favor and get a goldfish instead.

7. Ferrets MUST be spayed or neutered to live healthy, happy lives.

Unlike dogs or cats, pet ferrets must be spayed or neutered unless you plan to breed them, or you’re putting them at risk of serious health issues. Intact male ferrets tend to be more aggressive and may fight more with other animals in the home, and intact female ferrets will eventually die if they’re not bred. (Yes, literally.) For these reasons, it’s very difficult to buy pet ferrets in the United States that haven’t already been spayed or neutered — most pet stores and breeders will only sell them to prospective owners after the surgery.

8. Ferrets are not dirty animals.

In fact, ferrets are very clean creatures. They will naturally develop the habit of using a litterbox if you provide one and they are constantly grooming themselves to stay clean. Now, it’s true that ferrets can have a distinctive natural odor — males more than females. Most pet ferrets have had the glands that produce their strongest scents removed during spay or neuter surgery, but their natural aroma still takes a little getting used to. (Personally, I think dogs are smellier — and I even like dogs.)

There are steps you can take to reduce the ferret scent in your home, and surprisingly enough, bathing your ferrets regularly isn’t one of them. Washing a ferret with shampoo strips its natural scent temporarily — until its body goes into overdrive to rebuild its identifying odor, and then your pet will smell even worse than before for a few days. Instead, cleaning the litterbox and washing your ferret’s bedding regularly is the best step you can take to keep your house from smelling overwhelmingly like ferret.

9. Ferrets are very affectionate, but they don’t show it the way a cat or dog does.

If a ferret’s not deeply asleep or eating, it’s probably bouncing off the walls. Ferrets are affectionate animals, but most of them are just too excited about life to sit and snuggle with their people. There are definitely exceptions to this rule. Lap ferrets exist, but they’re hard to find.

Be warned: even the cuddliest ferret will still want to spend more time playing with you than snuggling up. Instead, they show their love for you by trying to engage you in play. They might try to steal things out of your hands to get you to wrestle, pounce on your feet, follow you around the house to get your attention, or even try to get you to chase them across the room. It will take a little time to figure out what games and toys your ferret likes the most — after owning four different ferrets, I’ve never stopped being shocked at how different every ferret’s personality and preferences really are.

10. Ferrets love to get into trouble!




11. Ferrets live almost as long as some dogs.


















Photos by author


Sai And Andie K.
Sai And Andie K.5 months ago

Its really helpful

Jim Ven
Jim Ven10 months ago

thanks for the article.

Jim Ven
Jim Ven10 months ago

thanks for the article.

Jim Ven
Jim Ven10 months ago

thanks for the article.

Jim Ven
Jim Ven10 months ago

thanks for the article.

Jim Ven
Jim Ven10 months ago

thanks for the article.

Jim Ven
Jim Ven10 months ago

thanks for the article.

Carrie-Anne Brown

thanks for sharing :)

Sheila D.
GGmaSheila D.2 years ago


John Doe
james rico2 years ago
