1. How much do they smell? I can stand it, but my parents don't like it.
The smell is the first thing everyone asks me. Also, when people come over its the first thing they say "Hey! They don't stink!"
Oh, but they can!
Like the others have said, it depends on how much you clean their cages, what kind of litter you have, etc.
For me, I use Yesterdays News and even when the box fills up it doesn't stink [until I scoop it out (lol) then it stinks up the room! I only let it it get that bad one time when I was really sick
) I have covers on the levels that I can take off and throw in the wash, or I leave it bare and wipe it off when I need to. When it does start to smell your best bet is to wash all bedding, hammocks, etc instead of the ferret itself
If you bath them too much they
will stink worse
There
diet also effects there skin, coat, and smell. My ferrets eat raw and sometimes Innova EVO - there skin and coats are nothing like the ones in the pet store, trust me!!!
I would say that if you wash the bedding weekly (or bi-weekly depending on how many you have) and feed GOOD food your parents definitely won't smell them at all if there in the next room. My Mom has asthma and a sensitive nose to animals and she didn't think they stunk until she put her nose to them and sniffed lol.
2. Is it possible to keep them outside? We live in Florida, so it doesn't get cold but it does get hot.
I don't want to be repetitive - I agree with the above.
3. In fact, our house gets hot because we don't turn on the air all the time. It has gotten to the 90s before we turned the air on.
I wait a while before turning the air on as well. As long as there is proper ventilation, fans, water, etc they should be okay. I turn my air on earlier for them, lol. Some ferts like to snorkle or swim, I've put a huge pot of cool water in there cage before when the air died and it was pretty miserable inside! I've found they like to play with ice cubes as well. Very amusing to watch!
4. How is their interaction with dogs and cats?
It varies ferret to ferret. A majority of them play very rough - you have to be careful that the dog or cat won't get offended and attack, because there size alone can do more damage. Mine get along great with the dogs, and the dogs are very gentle with them. They are Not afraid of dogs, so when I have a foster who is not very gentle I have to work hard to keep them separated, because Izzy especially will try and meet the newbie and play with them, which cannot be allowed sometimes... They like to play chase or wrestle. Sometimes they ignore each other, though!
Ferrets like to steal cat/dog toys... so the dog might have to get used to that! lol
5. How easy is it to just let them roam around, in a safe room?
Easy in some ways, but you have to keep an eye on them, because if there is a way that they will find to get out of the ferret proofed area, they will find it in time. Trust me! Izzy got stuck in the drier!! She slipped under the door, over the baby gate, and into the back of the drier. :yikes: But its usually easy to fix
6. How hard is it to make a room "ferret safe"
I didn't think it was too hard. But it depends on the room. The best way is to literally lay on the floor and look around at all the stuff you could mess up! Anything there heads can slip through, the rest of them can slip through, or get stuck! Mine roam in the hallway which allows access to 2 rooms and the small bathroom. The bathroom doesn't have much in it but tp. Although one time Izzy found out how to get on the counter and she tried to hide my toothbrush, so I had to get a new one LOL
7. About how much would it cost yearly to upkeep them?
Depends. Sometimes its hard to find a ferret savvy vet, and there prices may very. Your best bet would be to call around and ask. AND just because a vet knows how to vaccinate a ferret, doesn't mean they are going to be well educated on some of their illnesses or how to treat them. It also depends on what you feed them, and how much you spoil them. I do limited vacs, but the first round and vet visit was about $100. You'll need to have an emergency fund set aside, like with dogs, because they can develop adrenal disease, insulinomas, and aleutian disease (ADV) to name a few. Pet store ferrets >> Marshall Farm ferrets are MUCH more prone to these... a privately bred ferret would be A LOT less likely to have any of these, and they have health tests done, and are started on a natural diet already. I will own one someday! Also, rescues usually test/vet and are adults so you will know more what your getting. To be honest, it is a gamble when you buy a kit from a pet store.
8. How easy is it to litter train them?
For most ferrets
Peyton's being a pain, but Izzy and Annie were super easy. I've been putting Peyton in the litter box when she wakes up, or after she's been playing for a while and when she goes I give her a treat. She's catching on super fast!
10. Is it okay to only have one ferret?
Yes - if they get plenty of time and attention.
Ferrets really need to be out of the cage around 4hrs a day. I break mine up, some in the morning before work, and in the evening after work. Weekends is more. When I have a foster who is not okay with them, they are confined to the one end of the house (mentioned above). When I don't have a foster, they get free roam minus the laundry/kitchen area!!
The love to go to new places, and play outside ,, but you have to be careful on who you let handle them sometimes... especially if they are nippy, but also ferrets can catch some human colds & flus.
Izzy goes to work with me sometimes (I work at a preschool) and she LOVES the kids, and they love to laugh at her and play with her, build giant lego tunnels that she rarely goes in,they screech and squeal with excitement, but she's deaf so it doesn't bother her. It teaches them compassion, responsibilities of having pets, and about special needs/diversity. I personally feel like I need to socialize them like a puppy.
They do learn, they are stubborn and have a SUPER short attention span. Izzy knows the sign for "no", Annie comes to her name, and both her and Peyton respond to "no" as well. I'm trying to teach Izzy "come" with a sign but its challenging so far.
They are a joy to have, but they are a big responsibility. One thing that I noticed you didn't ask about was a cage. You can actually have them in a room. BUT if you can't ferret proof the room to 100% they'll need to be in a cage when you can't watch them (or aren't home). The bigger the better. I personally LOVE the FN cages... I have a FN 142 which was HUGE for 1 fert (excuse to get more LOL).But the doors open all the way which makes it easier to clean the cage. The super pet cages are nice, but very hard to each all of the areas to clean. I had plastic ramps/shelves fold and break after being used for a while with the ferts
Also - does this mean we possibly have another ferret joining the Chaz family???
I hope so! lol
Hope that helps a little!