Choosing a Ferret

Selecting a pet ferret is an emotional commitment. However, there are a few objective factors that you can use at to help make a decision.

First, you want to consider the age of your prospective ferret companion. An older ferret may already be litter and bite trained which are strong plusses. On the other hand, a young ferret, like a puppy or kitten, has not yet formed any specific attachments and will bond easily.

But a younger ferret will need much more training and a lot of care. They will need litter training, vaccinations and lots of attention. If they are left alone they will become hard to handle and unhappy.

Pet ferrets are domesticated animals and will bond with a companion, whether human or another ferret. If left isolated, they have no outlet and will become depressed. You may want to consider getting more than one ferret. One exception may be older, non-neutered males which will frequently revert to wild characteristics. They may display what is known as 'same sex exclusivity' and attempt to isolate themselves from other non-neutered males.

That leads to the decision of whether you should spay or neuter your ferret. Unless you are an experienced and responsible ferret breeder, it is best to leave breeding to the experts. Breeding ferrets requires a great deal of knowledge and can be quite expensive. You may have that as a legitimate long-term goal, but one should invest a lot of time and effort in education.

Male or Female Ferret?

Male ferrets are slightly larger, at about 18 inches and around 3 to 5 pounds. The average female is slightly smaller, at  about 15 inches with correspondingly lighter weight. Once they are spayed or neutered, ferrets of both sexes get along fine.

Males and females will play and mock-fight with each other. But males do have a somewhat higher tendency to spray, if they haven't had their anal scent glands removed.

The incidence of disease is about the same in both neutered males and spayed females. However, a non-spayed female will have special concerns. They will come into heat seasonally from March through August. If they aren't bred they can remain in heat for almost six months.

In addition to their heat cycle, non-spayed females can also suffer from a higher incidence of tumors as a result of raised levels of hormones. Unneutered male ferrets will also have this higher risk.

Choices such as coat color and individual personality are completely up to your personal preferences. But you should know that one color choice, albinos, can require special care. Like other albinos of other species, they can suffer from vision problems. They are can also more easily become prey, if they get loose where domestic or wild animals can get to them.

As long as you give your ferret proper care, though, you can hardly go wrong. It's easy to see why these friendly, entertaining clowns have become a favorite domestic pet. They're delightful!