[Jeffrey]

My roommate just brought a ferret home and asked what I'd think about keeping it. I said I'd research the amount of work that goes into taking care of one. Advice?

[jthomas1600]

I guess they can have their scent glands removed(so they don't stick as bad) and be some what trained, but people I know that have had them have had their hands full. They will never be fully domesticated the way we expect a dog or cat. Good luck

[Art]

Even with the scent glands removed, they smell bad. In my opinion, they are pretty much a pain in the butt. I would not own one, personally.

[PontiusPirate]

Their poop smells FOUL...& there's alot of it.
Their food smells FOUL.
As Art said, they are not domesticated animals...so be aware of that.
They are escape artists.
They're crazy.
Find an Exotics Vet.
Some people can be allergic.
If you have any birds or reptiles, don't get one.
The expense is more than most small mammals.

Good points?
They can be potty trained (for the most part).
Leash Trained.
They're crazy.
When they sleep....they sleep.
They're pretty stinking adorable.

.

[SecretAgentRat]

My experience has always been that they're not worth the hassle or the mess. But I do know some people who LOVE their ferrets.

Do you like messy, smelly, neurotic, rodent-like animals?

[Skeeter]

I had a ferret for a while. I loved that guy...

Even with their scent glands removed, they will still smell. They can be trained to a certain extent and are absolutely adorable; if I had the chance to have a ferret again (they're often prohibitively expensive) I would totally get one.

[slap_j]

weasel war dance!!!!11!!

[Jeffrey]

I appreciate the advice. He kept it, paid for all of the various fees and deposits himself, and immediately went out and bought a number of apparti to keep it out of trouble. I'm worried it'll be too cooped out in his room, but it's a fair size. When he leaves each day, he basically put a bunch of stuff on either side of his door to keep it out of trouble.

It's certainly cute as can be, but I knew I wouldn't want it to be a joint pet spending much time in our shared spaces.

[Role Modlin]

I have had two ferrets and the experiences were totally opposite. The first ferret I owned was a sweetheart. He had been de-musked and didn't smell any worse than a cat. He was housebroken (for the most part) and he was fun to watch. He had a very gentle disposition and the whole family cried when he died of old age.

Robin and I got a ferret before Geoffry was born. He was also de-musked but had an odor that just couldn't be masked. He was fun to watch as well...but he liked to nip at you. We decided to sell him right before Geoffry was born and we don't regret it. They are very HIGH maintainence.

I've been told that the sable ferrets smell worse than others...but I don't know how much truth lies in that. BTW...both of mine were white.