Question about ferrets...

[mara0203]

Okay...so I am thinking about getting a ferret, but I have a question about vaccinations. If I am going to keep it indoors at pretty much all times, do I really need to have the vaccinations? After all, it wouldn't be exposed to any animals that have rabies or anything.

[breburtch]

where are you thinking of getting one from? I would suggest you get it atleast rabies when you bring it home just incase and then that should be it if its going to be indoors and your not going to be introducing a strange one with it and then you shouldn't need to worry about anymore

[mara0203]

I would be getting one from pet supermarket. I was told they have already had their rabies shots and another one (I forget the name...) when you buy them there. So I guess I'd be good then, and I most likely wouldn't be introducing it to any other ferrets. thank you

[breburtch]

are you planning on having its stinker removed? Might be a good idea as they can smell pretty bad with it

[gypsy]

I would guess that an annual Rabies vaccination is state law. It is in Arkansas for dogs, cats and ferrets. They need the distemper vaccine as well because they are highly susceptible to canine distemper. They also need heartworm prevention.

[mara0203]

do they need heartworm prevention even if they are strictly an indoor pet? I've never owned a ferret before, so I'm just trying to find out everything I'd really need with my budget and all!

[Dusty's girl]

I never got mine on the heartworm stuff and they were indoor pets. I did keep up with the rabies vaccine and there was one other, I can't remember what it was. I had them from the time I was 12 until I was 22, and they both lived a happy life. They can catch a lot of the same diseases cats can apprently, but if you keep them inside you should be good.

In terms of expenses, start up is a bit pricey ( I was a kid, took that for granted) the cage, beginning shots, vet visit, etc etc. And I won't lie, its hard to stick to just one, you almost always end up with a buddy. Long term though up keep isn't too bad def cheaper then a horse Bedding and food is what you will buy the most, so price food in your area. All in all, they are fun pets, I miss mine a ton but I have a cat now who would eat them.

Biggest tip I can give you: no matter how tempted you are, try to bath them as little as possible, the more you bathe them the worse they smell, even if you have the scent glands removed, the body still produced an oil that smells, and if you wash a lot they over produce it.

[sparkyharky]

Yes, they should be on heartworm preventative..mosquitos can come in the house even if the ferret doesn't go out. We have a small rescue and have 8 of the little darlings! Also by law you must get a license for that ferret.

[Fancy's Mom]

you have to have a license to own a ferret? Never heard of that.

My brother has one.

[jcarnahan]

They should have a rabies and distemper vaccine.

[GodsGifts]

I got my ferrets their distemper and Rabies vaccine. They were indorr too but I wanted to be safe.
I had 3 little ferrets. I loved them so much, but I found they took alot of time. With having 4 dogs and 2 cats as well as 2 horses and a house to up keep I didn't have a whole lot of time for the ferrets. They require ALOT of attention. I found mine were like my dogs.
Oh but they play so funny. They were a hoot to watch!
And I agree...once you get a ferret it's very hard to stick with just one.

When I get a bigger house and have more time...I'll be getting ferrets again.
Good luck and have fun!

[sparkyharky]

The license you need is like a dog or cat tag..not a wildlife license..

[Fancy's Mom]

Originally Posted by sparkyharky

The license you need is like a dog or cat tag..not a wildlife license..

ahh thanks for clearing that..i thought they was talking you had to have a permit to own them so that was confusing since my brother owns a ferret and doesnt have a permit..So its a tag like you would for rabies and owner tag.

Me im scared to death of ferrets and my brother aggravates me with his.Did have a female and she attacked my leg when i went over there ( he gave her away)..Ive been bitten in the face by one too so im not particularly fond of them..

[wildcat180]

In many states you DO need a permit to own them. When you buy them from a pet store, you usually get a temporary permit. Many people just never bother to file for the annual permit after the temp expires.

Yes, you should do vaccinations, as well as annual check ups on them. Ferrets are prone to many forms of cancers and illnesses and it's a good idea to have them checked out every year so any ailments can be caught early.

[Rissa]

Originally Posted by Dusty's girl

I never got mine on the heartworm stuff and they were indoor pets. I did keep up with the rabies vaccine and there was one other, I can't remember what it was. I had them from the time I was 12 until I was 22, and they both lived a happy life. They can catch a lot of the same diseases cats can apprently, but if you keep them inside you should be good.

In terms of expenses, start up is a bit pricey ( I was a kid, took that for granted) the cage, beginning shots, vet visit, etc etc. And I won't lie, its hard to stick to just one, you almost always end up with a buddy. Long term though up keep isn't too bad def cheaper then a horse Bedding and food is what you will buy the most, so price food in your area. All in all, they are fun pets, I miss mine a ton but I have a cat now who would eat them.

Biggest tip I can give you: no matter how tempted you are, try to bath them as little as possible, the more you bathe them the worse they smell, even if you have the scent glands removed, the body still produced an oil that smells, and if you wash a lot they over produce it.

This poster is correct to an extent although I've never heard of ferrets getting many of the same types of diseases as cats. However, I'm not aware of many cat things. Just ferrets, lol.

Infrequent bathing and high quality food are a HUGE part in ferret "odor".

Ferrets in pet stores will smell icky because their usual filthy living environment and the poor quality food they eat.

In a pet shop, in the US most times ferrets come from Marshalls Ferret Mill. Marshalls is basically a "Puppy Mill" for ferrets. They breed their jills year 'round and once the jill is all used up they donate her to an animal testing lab or they put them to sleep.

Marshals also spays and descents their stock at three weeks of age, and breed for quantity, NOT quality.

Please keep in mind that over fifty perfecnt of Mill bought ferrets will come up with some sort of illness. Be it the VERY common costly Adrenal Gland disease or Insluminoa. Those are just the tip of the iceberg in ferret sicknesses that are all too common.

I run a two very large ferret communities. Weekly two or three people post about a death, or another battle against somed kind of disease.

Some people get lucky and own a ferret the duration of their life without those troubles. MOST however do not.

I'm in the middle mark thankfully. I have one ferret that's sick ALL the time, since birth. An inbred Marshals Ferret and I have one that's also an inbred Mill ferret that's never sick at all.

If you're truely interested in getting a ferret, do lots of research. LOTS, before you take the plunge.

You can check out my forum here
http://ferretattitude.com/

Feel free to ask AS MANY questions as you want. I've had ferrets for years and I'm still learning.

I also run a much larger ferret community on LiveJournal. You have to be a member to post to the Live Journal community but you can read unlocked posts.
http://community.livejournal.com/ferretattitude/

As well as take advantage of the extensive list of links on the user info.
http://community.livejournal.com/ferretattitude/profile


I'd also suggest picking up a book called Ferrets for Dummies by Kim Shilling.

It covers many of the diseases and costs, as well as VERY IMPORTNANT things you should FULLY understand such as ADV, and what ADV is what what ADV testing is and why understanding what that disease is and why it's so importnant to test for it.

It's got a great section on diet and why it's so important ot feed a proper diet. The food that is pushed on new ferret owners by pet shops is Marshals Ferret Diet, made by the mill Marshalls. It's fish oil based and will make a ferret REEK to high heaven.

There should also be a link to some ferret rescues on Ferret Attitude's Live Journal page. There are MANY ferret shelters out there jam packed with ferrets that also need forever homes.

Ferret kits are super cute, but can be really over whealming and stressful for a new ferret owner. I often suggest adopting from a shelter, which in turn helps a shelter, gives a homeless ferret a home!



"In many states you DO need a permit to own them. When you buy them from a pet store, you usually get a temporary permit. Many people just never bother to file for the annual permit after the temp expires."

I have never, in my entire "ferret career" heard of getting a temp permit fo own a ferret in the USA and then needing to renew a permit. You'll need to get your ferret's shots though and in turn the Vet will give you tags proving they've got their rabies shots.


As far as permits. Ferrets are illegal totally in California. They are totally illegal in New York City, but as far as I know not the rest of New York.

In DC, you have to obtain a special permit but as far as I know they're legal without issue in the rest of the USA, spare Hawaii for obvious reasons.



Ferrets DO need shots, rabies and distemper as mentioned. You'll need to find a exotics Vet or a regualr Vet that fully understands ferrets. Trust me, you'll need one. But the main thing is many ferrets have negative reactions to distemper shots and will need a certain type that most dog and cat Vet's don't carry and even so will have reactions to it. Which is why you'll need to fully understand those symptoms and so will your Vet. When I go my boys get the correct amount of Benadryle twnety minutes before their shots. Then I have to hang around for another twenty to make sure no one has a reaction. A friend of mine nearly lost a ferret due to a reaction they had to a distemper shot. Scary thing, is she's had it in the pat without reaction so you never know what'll happen.



Ferrets do need a lot of training, more so than a puppy in my opinion. They need a kind hand and a positive, VERY patient person. Some ferrets are very nippy, kits especially love to bite bite bite.


Thankfully my old man Toad has never gone though a biting stage. However, my resuce ferret George had been though many homes before I got him. Our first night together he latched onto my face and wouldn't let go till I pryed him off.

Ferrets bite for so many reasons, and often it's fear. Although they like to play rough, you have to carefully and firmly teach them they just can't play iwth you the way they play with other ferrets. They catch on, but somtiems it takes a LONG time.


My boys are also litter trained, and their cage is cleaned every single day. Twice a day. All their bedding is washed weekly. I don't keep stinky odor retaining unhealthy wood shavings or any sort of bedding at the bottom of their cage. Just puppy pads and litter pans.

That's another huge key to odor, clean cage. High qualty food and infrequent bathing and you've got yourself a normal smelling ferret!

I can ramble on and on and on...my goodness. I really can.

I dont' know a lot of people who actually do heartworm treatment on their ferrets. I don't, but I do use Revolution flea treatment on the boys so that also does heartworms as well as a number of other things.

Here is my old man Toad.




Just do as much research as you can first. They are very time consuming, lol.

Not to mention annoying.

[wildcat180]

Originally Posted by Rissa

I have never, in my entire "ferret career" heard of getting a temp permit fo own a ferret in the USA and then needing to renew a permit. You'll need to get your ferret's shots though and in turn the Vet will give you tags proving they've got their rabies shots.


As far as permits. Ferrets are illegal totally in California. They are totally illegal in New York City, but as far as I know not the rest of New York.

In DC, you have to obtain a special permit but as far as I know they're legal without issue in the rest of the USA, spare Hawaii for obvious reasons.

With all due respect, just because you never heard of it, "in your entire ferret career", doesn't make it any less true. I not only lived in a state where temporary permits (30 day) were given with the sale, along with being told to renew it annually, but I also worked in a pet store that sold ferrets and was required by law to give the temporary permits with any ferret sold.

The permits were NOT because they were considered illegal, but because they are an exotic species and, as such, required a permit to own. (And it IS a wildlife permit, not a license like for dogs and cats.) It has nothing to do with a vet and rabies. A rabies tag is NOT a permit. In fact, I don't believe the application for the permit even asked if they were current on their shots. (Though it's been over 10 years since I've seen one, and they may have changed since then.)

NJ, RI, and IL, all require a permit at the state level. It was in NJ that I lived and owned and sold ferrets.

Here's the state regulation:
http://www.state.nj.us/dep/fgw/pdf/permregs.pdf

Notice, on the second page, under "mammals", ferrets are listed first.

[Rissa]

Originally Posted by wildcat180

With all due respect, just because you never heard of it, "in your entire ferret career", doesn't make it any less true. I not only lived in a state where temporary permits (30 day) were given with the sale, along with being told to renew it annually, but I also worked in a pet store that sold ferrets and was required by law to give the temporary permits with any ferret sold.

The permits were NOT because they were considered illegal, but because they are an exotic species and, as such, required a permit to own. (And it IS a wildlife permit, not a license like for dogs and cats.) It has nothing to do with a vet and rabies. A rabies tag is NOT a permit. In fact, I don't believe the application for the permit even asked if they were current on their shots. (Though it's been over 10 years since I've seen one, and they may have changed since then.)

NJ, RI, and IL, all require a permit at the state level. It was in NJ that I lived and owned and sold ferrets.

Here's the state regulation:
http://www.state.nj.us/dep/fgw/pdf/permregs.pdf

Notice, on the second page, under "mammals", ferrets are listed first.

Dude, will all due respect.

All I was sayin' is I've never heard of it. You don't have to get so catty. I wasn't saying it's never happened or it's not true. I've just never heard of it.

[wildcat180]

Dude...trust me, that wasn't catty. Simply filling in the blanks for you. Who knows? You may get someone asking that question on one of your ferret communities and you can give them factual information. All for the greater good and all.

[Rissa]

Originally Posted by wildcat180

Dude...trust me, that wasn't catty. Simply filling in the blanks for you. Who knows? You may get someone asking that question on one of your ferret communities and you can give them factual information. All for the greater good and all.

Well I didn't mean to sound like "My word is God" on my post. I was rushed and being stupid and not going to work.

More like "the more you know" right?

I've written my friend who was a private breeder and then a popular resuce in NJ for many many years about the permit things.

I'd like to know more information so I can update my own communities with these answers. Since in all the years I've been online communities I've never seen permits with sale of ferrets mentioned. So maybe it's not a common known thing. No one else I have talked to has ever heard of it either. So thanks for the link, and the information.

So, truce. I didn't mean to sound like a creep.

[Sunlei]

Originally Posted by wildcat180

In many states you DO need a permit to own them. When you buy them from a pet store, you usually get a temporary permit. Many people just never bother to file for the annual permit after the temp expires.

Yes, you should do vaccinations, as well as annual check ups on them. Ferrets are prone to many forms of cancers and illnesses and it's a good idea to have them checked out every year so any ailments can be caught early.

yes some states require permits to import them or own them. Do a google search for USDA and feret permits. Here's Rhode Islands regs.

http://www.dem.ri.gov/pubs/regs/regs...d/f_wferet.pdf