Okay so I've always really loved and wanted a ferret, but of course there are a lot of things I need to know.

1. How much on average does it cost to remove their stink sacks?

2. How much on average does it cost to actually but the pet itself?

3. Should I buy one or more?

4. What is the best age to get them?

5. Are there different breeds (if so what kind)?

6. I hear they're really really good at escaping. Since I have guinea pigs and a cat, it would be really bad for the ferret to escape. If I get a good cage, would it probably not escape? I'm home alone  most every day all day, but when I am gone it's usually from about 7am- 6pm so it could be anywhere by the time i got home if it did escape.

7. Are they generally pretty friendly? I had one playfully biting one in a shop today, but it was really young so do their teeth get sharper as they get older?

8. I know it's a long shot for someone to know this offhand and I'll probably have to research it, but can ferrets be certified as emotional support animals?

9. Food, treats, bedding, and toys?

Any other thing you could tell me would be super helpful and appreciated. Thank you very very much :)

1. If you buy them from a pet store they should already be descented, however, a ferret will always have a natural must even after descenting, the more you bathe them, they smellier they will be too.. I find they are stinkier when they are kits (babies). I personally like the smell, its' like buttered popcorn /cheese doritos. A lot of people dont like the smell.

I have 19 ferrets at this time and have had as many as 32 at one time. All of them were descented when I bought them or rescued them. They do have a musky smell but I like it and even with as many as I have I don't have a smelly home most people who come to visit don't even know I have any at all. The cost varies as to where you live and what country you live in. Here in my area they are usually $169 but they do have sales where they are $150. I get a good size discount at Petland since I have bought so many there and also rescued some they have taken in where they had been found in the street they don't charge me for those ferrets. I have 6 ferret Nation cages they are the best and none of my ferrets can get out of them. Ferrets should be out of their cages at least 4 hours a day mine are out at least 8 hours and some 24/7. There are suggestions about food on this forum and many other forums the food should be high in protein and fat. I give mine only N bones for treats most treats have to much sugar and they shouldn't have any sugar at all. Vet bills are high on ferrets I have 3 adrenal ones right now and one that had a stroke and I feed every four hours a duck soup I make since her mouth just can't grind a kibble anymore. I let her have my office since she needs to be alone she has improved a lot in 2 months she now can move around the room without going in circles. Most of mine have lived to be anywhere from 8 yrs to 10yrs. I have one that turned 10 last month but they can and do get cancers even at young ages I have had 4 die from juvenile lymphoma. I have never had any of mine escape my home since they are in a ferret room that has a child gate in the door so they can't get out I actually have steps on either side for me to go over it then I move the steps enough in their room so they can't get over them I move them in place with a broom when I come into the room. You need to do research before you decide they are more expensive than my cats or dog so you will need to be prepared for that. Lots of luck on making a decision they are wonderful pets and not one of mine that I have now bites I teach them not to when they are kits. Out of a grand total of 48 ferrets in 16 yrs only 1 has been a biter and I got her to be pretty good with me she died last year and lived a good life with me.

1. How much on average does it cost to remove their stink sacks?

Most of pet store ferrets are already descented.  However, the natural scent in ferret
has nothing to do with the anal glands.  The scent is produced by the oil in the skin.
More apparent in whole hobs/jills that are in season.


Descenting a ferret is not necessary.  I have owned number of privately bred ferret
and their anal glands were not removed.


5.  Are there different breeds (if so what kind)?


One breed.  Ferrets come in many colors and patterns.

crisp20


1. If you buy them from a pet store they should already be descented, however, a ferret will always have a natural must even after descenting, the more you bathe them, they smellier they will be too.. I find they are stinkier when they are kits (babies). I personally like the smell, its' like buttered popcorn /cheese doritos. A lot of people dont like the smell.

raml


I have 19 ferrets at this time and have had as many as 32 at one time. All of them were descented when I bought them or rescued them. They do have a musky smell but I like it and even with as many as I have I don't have a smelly home most people who come to visit don't even know I have any at all. The cost varies as to where you live and what country you live in. Here in my area they are usually $169 but they do have sales where they are $150. I get a good size discount at Petland since I have bought so many there and also rescued some they have taken in where they had been found in the street they don't charge me for those ferrets. I have 6 ferret Nation cages they are the best and none of my ferrets can get out of them. Ferrets should be out of their cages at least 4 hours a day mine are out at least 8 hours and some 24/7. There are suggestions about food on this forum and many other forums the food should be high in protein and fat. I give mine only N bones for treats most treats have to much sugar and they shouldn't have any sugar at all. Vet bills are high on ferrets I have 3 adrenal ones right now and one that had a stroke and I feed every four hours a duck soup I make since her mouth just can't grind a kibble anymore. I let her have my office since she needs to be alone she has improved a lot in 2 months she now can move around the room without going in circles. Most of mine have lived to be anywhere from 8 yrs to 10yrs. I have one that turned 10 last month but they can and do get cancers even at young ages I have had 4 die from juvenile lymphoma. I have never had any of mine escape my home since they are in a ferret room that has a child gate in the door so they can't get out I actually have steps on either side for me to go over it then I move the steps enough in their room so they can't get over them I move them in place with a broom when I come into the room. You need to do research before you decide they are more expensive than my cats or dog so you will need to be prepared for that. Lots of luck on making a decision they are wonderful pets and not one of mine that I have now bites I teach them not to when they are kits. Out of a grand total of 48 ferrets in 16 yrs only 1 has been a biter and I got her to be pretty good with me she died last year and lived a good life with me.

wenmister

1. How much on average does it cost to remove their stink sacks?

Most of pet store ferrets are already descented.  However, the natural scent in ferret
has nothing to do with the anal glands.  The scent is produced by the oil in the skin.
More apparent in whole hobs/jills that are in season.


Descenting a ferret is not necessary.  I have owned number of privately bred ferret
and their anal glands were not removed.


5.  Are there different breeds (if so what kind)?


One breed.  Ferrets come in many colors and patterns.

Thank you for the help! I know a lot more now and think that, with money and permission from my parents, I am ready to get one :)

Most important, you will need to find a vet in your area that treats ferrets.  Ferrets are not cheap and they do come down with health issues.  Save your money.

wenmister


Most important, you will need to find a vet in your area that treats ferrets.  Ferrets are not cheap and they do come down with health issues.  Save your money.

I am aware of this and will have some money saved back for such occasions. I do have a vet near me who takes care of ferrets.

1. How much on average does it cost to remove their stink sacks? 
If you are in the US and get a ferret from the pet store, they have already been "descented". Kind of a misnomer, descenting has nothing to with with general odor, it is simply the removal of the anal glands and prevents the ferret from "poofing". Descenting is considered unnecessary by most, and it is illegal in certain countries. 

2. How much on average does it cost to actually but the pet itself? 
Around here, ferrets in pet stores sell for around $140. From shelters, it's around $75.

3. Should I buy one or more? 
I started out with one ferret, but eventually got a second....and then a third....and so on. I do think they are happier in pairs

4. What is the best age to get them? 
It doesn't matter to me, I've gotten them as tiny kits, and as adults. Note that a kit will typically be nipper, and that an older ferret may have more health issues.

5. Are there different breeds (if so what kind)? 
There is only one breed of domestic ferret, though they do come in a lot of colors

6. I hear they're really really good at escaping. Since I have guinea pigs and a cat, it would be really bad for the ferret to escape. If I get a good cage, would it probably not escape? I'm home alone  most every day all day, but when I am gone it's usually from about 7am- 6pm so it could be anywhere by the time i got home if it did escape.  

I would certainly invest in a sturdy cage, such as a Ferret Nation. I wouldn't worry so much about your cat, but the guinea pig could get into trouble if your ferret escaped. 

7. Are they generally pretty friendly? I had one playfully biting one in a shop today, but it was really young so do their teeth get sharper as they get older? 
If they are handled well/socialized and trained from an early age they can be quite friendly. I actually find that their teeth are less sharp as they age (think of puppies with their "needle teeth, compared to an adult dog)

8. I know it's a long shot for someone to know this offhand and I'll probably have to research it, but can ferrets be certified as emotional support animals?  I may be wrong, but I do not think they can officially be certified as emotional support animals. But I might be thinking of service animals.... 

 
9. Food, treats, bedding, and toys? 
Best food is a meat based diet, whether raw or kibble. Never feed fruits, veggies, grains, sugars etc. 
I use fleece for bedding.
Toys- they'll play with anything!

Ferrets: Wesley, Percy, Owen    -rip Bandit-
Bettas- Kitty, Pip, and Logan
Sun Conure- Kita
Gerbils- Piper and Tailer

whiskandbowl


1. How much on average does it cost to remove their stink sacks? 
If you are in the US and get a ferret from the pet store, they have already been "descented". Kind of a misnomer, descenting has nothing to with with general odor, it is simply the removal of the anal glands and prevents the ferret from "poofing". Descenting is considered unnecessary by most, and it is illegal in certain countries. 

2. How much on average does it cost to actually but the pet itself? 
Around here, ferrets in pet stores sell for around $140. From shelters, it's around $75.

3. Should I buy one or more? 
I started out with one ferret, but eventually got a second....and then a third....and so on. I do think they are happier in pairs

4. What is the best age to get them? 
It doesn't matter to me, I've gotten them as tiny kits, and as adults. Note that a kit will typically be nipper, and that an older ferret may have more health issues.

5. Are there different breeds (if so what kind)? 
There is only one breed of domestic ferret, though they do come in a lot of colors

6. I hear they're really really good at escaping. Since I have guinea pigs and a cat, it would be really bad for the ferret to escape. If I get a good cage, would it probably not escape? I'm home alone  most every day all day, but when I am gone it's usually from about 7am- 6pm so it could be anywhere by the time i got home if it did escape.  

I would certainly invest in a sturdy cage, such as a Ferret Nation. I wouldn't worry so much about your cat, but the guinea pig could get into trouble if your ferret escaped. 

7. Are they generally pretty friendly? I had one playfully biting one in a shop today, but it was really young so do their teeth get sharper as they get older? 
If they are handled well/socialized and trained from an early age they can be quite friendly. I actually find that their teeth are less sharp as they age (think of puppies with their "needle teeth, compared to an adult dog)

8. I know it's a long shot for someone to know this offhand and I'll probably have to research it, but can ferrets be certified as emotional support animals?  I may be wrong, but I do not think they can officially be certified as emotional support animals. But I might be thinking of service animals.... 


9. Food, treats, bedding, and toys? 
Best food is a meat based diet, whether raw or kibble. Never feed fruits, veggies, grains, sugars etc. 
I use fleece for bedding.
Toys- they'll play with anything!

Thank you, this is very helpful. I don't think I have any more questions at the moment.

Watch this

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7unlTYsUmvE

And this

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HPBrQJfweuE

THE DOOKS OF HAZARD

SOME states will allow you to register them as emotional support animals, but it takes a lot and I do mean a lot. Thankfully, if you are renting, a lot of landlords (in my expierence) will allow you to have a ferret if you have a note from your psychiatrist stating to own one is detrimental to your health. I had to go through that in my early 20's

thats a good video(s) unclejoe, I love how he got the triple hiss!

Crisp - they do smell like buttered popcorn! I never thought of it like that. But I do like the way they smell because they smell like ferrets and ferrets are amazing. Mine are emotional support animals (not registered, but that's why I got them, and they have changed my life for the much much better). I'm not sure if they can be registered where I live (Florida).

btw they cost $60 to adopt at my local SPCA.

Anyway I've never truly regretted adopting them (at times I've been upset because I felt like I was doing things wrong, not because of anything they did). As time has gone on and I've learned more that's stopped happening.

First thing I do in the morning before their meds/ play time is grab a random ferret, put my face in it, and take a big whiff as if i had been underwater for a minute. My day is not complete without it !

Mine all smell different, and sometimes their smell changes a little.  But a bug huff of ferret usually comes before my first coffee, lol.  

THE DOOKS OF HAZARD

Mine all smell different as well and as weird as it sounds I sniff each one every day! Kit likes to sleep in blankets and she always smells like corn chips when she first wakes up. Summer smells like molasses. Homer is a little stinky head and smells like cheese when his ears are dirty. Jasper always has grape tail, it smells exactly like grape soda. They all get it from time to time but Jasper's gets so strong you can smell it in the air when he walks by!

o man, i love smelling their ears, sometimes when I spot wash poop stains off them, the wet area starts smelling even more! A ferret without smell is like a hockey game without fights! whoops I mean a football game without a 50yd td pass! ( haha canadian!) One thing though... a vet tech at my vet that has (or had) a lot of ferrets says tnat if they have a sweet-molasses-y smell, it means they have insulunoma ( or adrenal, i forget, because she was talking about Tex, and he has both. and Tex DOES smell molasses-y.). I never actually researched this, does anybody know anything about this? I would definetely like to know, because his cagemate Chicha smells like that too, and she hasn't seen a vet, but i always thought maybe it's just because they're sleeping together?

Hmm, that's interesting crisp20 I haven't heard of that before. I heard that orange discoloration in the fur could be a sign of adrenal but this is the first I've heard of the molasses smell being a sign. Floopy and Seymour from my original group had adrenal and insulinoma respectively and neither ever smelled like Summer. She actually smells exactly like FuroVite which I believe has molasses in the ingredient list. I've heard of ferrets smelling when they detox off of certain foods...which gives me a thought. Summer used to get FuroVite as a regular treat from her original owner, that is how we got the tube we have now. She has only had it twice since we got her in September, I wonder if that has something to do with her smelling like it? I'm thinking Chicha is picking up Tex's smell because Kit's Frito smell and Summer's molasses smell are strongest when they have been cuddling together in a blankie or hammock.

so THATS why cuete is orange! Interesting, learn something new everyday. Thats interesting about the food switching, I wonder how they smell on a raw diet. And your probably right about chicha, because she has been smelling like that since they where cagemates 2 years ago, but has never shown any signs of sickness, Im going to opt for a vet though, JIC.