Ferrets, Ferret Cages and 20 20 Hindsight

Ferret Cage

Ferrets are cool. It seems the ferret is becoming the “hip” animal to have as a pet these days due to the fact that they are uncommon, small, and somewhat easy to take care of. If you are considering a ferret as your next pet, here are a few things I have personally experienced and how ferret cages could have solved several problems had I known then what I know now.

I owned a ferret in the early eighties and “Farley” was pretty cool. One of my favorite weekly routines was the ferret bath. Yes, Farley hated it and made it as difficult as possible however when the last rinse was through and it was time to dry off. All I had to do was put him down and he would take off like a rocket. He would proceed to speed around every piece of furniture, under every chair, table, bed and couch in an attempt to get the evil wet stuff off his body. This process should be entered in the dictionary as the definition of the word SPAZ. After the rampage he would finally settle into one of several inaccessible spots such as behind and underneath the TV stand, then poop in protest. Also, every piece of furniture he had rubbed up against now had a small deposit of fur attached which had to be plucked off. In retrospect I should have used a ferret cage, placed a few towels in there for him to run around in. Clean up would have been much simpler.

Ferrets are quite smelly. A deep musty smell that is not necessarily bad but definitely announces the animals presence to anyone who enters the abode. Frequent baths can reduce the smell a bit but it returns fairly fast. Using ferret cages will not solve this problem however, if the animal has one, likes it, and has been trained to sleep there, it will be less inclined to use other areas as a napping spot. The spots where the ferret sleeps tend to be the more pungent areas of the house or apartment.

Although Farley was very nice and would cuddle every once in a while, I have known other ferret owners who did not get along too well with their pet. Ferrets were not bred to be domestic animals as extensively as dogs or cats so there is still a bit of the wild in their blood. One thing I realized was that most of these people had acquired their ferrets when they were over a year old and had no idea where they were born or what the environmental conditions were when the animal entered the world. If you are going to get a ferret, the younger the better. Give it lots of love and teach it the cuddle early on. If you have other pets in the house this may be a bad choice, a trial period would be a good idea if you are able to negotiate one with the seller. If you do have a dog or a cat and they do not like the ferret all hell can and will break lose. In this situation you will be glad you have a ferret cage for sure. Keeping the ferret in the cage for short periods of time will let the other animals know that their seniority is not disrespected and it will keep them all safe while they become accustomed to the new situation.

It is a good idea to keep in mind what the other definitions of the term ferret are. Ferrets are great hunters, there ability to “ferret” out other animals from their holes is a perfect asset to hunters who use them for that exact purpose. Does your house have nooks and crannies? Broken heating ducts? Holes of any type that are close to the ground or a flat surface? Your ferret will find them all, immediately. You really need to ferret-proof your home before bringing your new pet home.

One last tip, ferrets will use a litter box if they are taught to do so early on. Otherwise you will be introduced to the “chocolate swirl”, a lovely surprise you will find just about anywhere, in my case it was on the way to the bathroom at 6:00 am, squishy and between the toes, multiple expletives followed. If I had known better I would have put the little guy in a ferret cage during the night.

If you are considering a ferret, ferret cages can be a invaluable asset. They can act as a safe haven, a spot for “time out” when your pets behavious is less than perfect. and if prepared properly, a preferred nook for ferrets to call their own.

For a more comprehensive website on ferrets check out Laughing Ferret, it has everything you could possibly need including ferret cages, pictures, videos, screensavers, as well as a ton of quality information.