Ferrets rate highly with pet owners…

Believe it or not, ferrets are the third most common uncaged pet (after dogs and cats) in North America today, according to ferrets.org, a ferret rescue and shelter group based in Vancouver Canada. Ferrets live about six to ten years and when spayed or neutered make lovely and entertaining family pets.

A ferret’s exuberance is a large part of its charm, but only if you don’t mind having your world upturned on a regular basis.They are not recommended for families with small children because of the ferret’s excess excitability and energy.  These curious and playful little creatures like to investigate absolutely everything and like their cousins (pet otters) they can turn a place on its head in no time. Ferrets can be great fun and easily make you laugh… but they can just as easily make you curse with their inane antics. Patience and understanding are the first requirements of being a pet parent to a pet ferret. Though they are very engaging when awake, ferrets sleep a great deal which may or may not be appealing to a potential owner.

Ferrets belong to the weasel family (Mustelidae) and are related to mink, skunks, weasels, otters and badgers. Ferrets are the only domestic subspecies in this family and they should not be confused with the Blackfooted Ferret, an endangered species which is only distantly related. - ferrets.org

Owning a pet ferret is a big responsibility and before adopting a ferret as a pet, one should do a lot of research into the care required.Ferrets do not fit in with a lot of other pets so care must be taken to know more about the shoulds and should-nots before adopting a ferret. Many ferrets end up at shelters or are set loose when new owners of ferrets discover just how much care is needed and that they cannot or are not willing to cope with the responsibility of proper care for their ferret. Ferrets have long been domesticated which means they have come to rely on humans for care. As a result, ferret survival skills are slim when faced with abandonment. When dumped and left to their own devices, sadly, a pet ferret’s life expectancy is roughly about a week, according to the American Ferret Association Inc.

So before you decide to adopt that very cute ferret kit from your local shelter, check out this great article about choosing your first ferret that also provides other links to valuable ferret information. While ferrets are very popular they are, from a care point of view, much more exotic than a cat or dog. And, keeping a ferret as a pet may not be legal where you live so be sure to check on licensing.