Ferrets as Pets

Ferret or Rat?

I was going to get a ferret but I’ve read that they are very stinky. But if you feed them right and wash their cage and clean the litter box twice a day, will it really stink that bad? This is where I was thinking about a Rat.But I don’t want it to constantly poop and pee all over me.. How often do they really poop? Because I’ve had Hamsters,Guinea Pigs, and Rabbits and they all poop constantly. I just don’t want to have to pick up 30 poopies everytime i let them out or in my sweatshirt pocket XD.

Ferrets and rats both make wonderful pets. Whichever one you do decide to get, you won’t be disappointed. Since you have already done your research, I won’t bore you by writing down information you already know.

Ferrets are fun, fuzzy, curious little critters with great personalities. Beware though, they are also very mischevious and will get into anything and everything. They are very rewarding pets if you have to time, patience, and money to care for them. Yes, ferrets do have a naturally musky odor. There are a number of things that determine how smelly your ferret will be, though.
1. Check the back of the bag of the food that you buy for your ferrets. Fish has been proven to make ferrets’ feces smell worse than it does naturally. However, if you can tolerate the smell, fish is very nutricious for ferrets.
2. There are several “feces deodorizing” products on the market that you can appy to your ferrets’ water to make their feces smell less. One trusted brand is called Bi-Odor by Marshalls.
3. What kind of bedding do you plan to use? Some beddings absorb and deodorize odors better than others. Yesterday’s News Cat Litter or Yesterday’s News Ferret Litter are both very absorbant, deodorizing, easy to clean litters.
4. They make special pads that you can put under the litter in your litter box to deodorize the poo and pee.
5. They make products such as “ferret cologne” and “ferret powder bath” and things that you can use on your ferret in between baths to keep the odor down to a minimum. If you can’t find the special powder bath, baby powder works just as well.
6. You should only bathe your ferret once a month at the most. The less you bathe them, the better. They will actually smell worse if you bathe them too frequently.
7. How often you clean the cage can also be a very big factor. If your ferrets are litter trained, the litter should be scooped 1-2 times daily and the overall cage cleaned 1-2 times a week. You will find that the blankets and such in your cage become far more smellier than anything else. If you wash these daily and replace with a different set, you can also keep odor down to a minimum.
8. Male ferrets tend to get larger and smell more than female ferrets.
** In case you didn’t know, descenting a ferret will not eliminate his daily smell. The scent glands that they remove are ones that contain a skunk-like gas and can be activated when the ferret is scared/angry. The musky, daily smell of a ferret is produced by his oil glands.**

Rats are also very fun, inquistive, friendly pets to have. They rarely bite people, and if they do it’s usually out of fear. They make great pets and are very common pets today. They are very clean animals, despite what most believe. They come in a variety of varieties and colors, which can be fun to choose from. They CAN be litter box trained with patience. This means that they will use a designated box inside their cage to do their “business”. They can also be trained to not poop outside of their cage, or on you. Yes, some rats never get the hang of potty training and may pee/poop on you constantly (especially babies).
I have nothing against rats and am speaking of only one experience, but the first time that I actually held a rat, it pooped and peed all over me. It was a full grown rat, and very large, and guess what, so were his poo’s. The poo smelled awful in a couple of moments, but I’m sure there’s products out there that can help eliminate rats’ fecal odors.

Hope this helps!
Feel free to e-mail with ANY further questions on rats or ferrets.

Me training my ferret, Nuki, to sit on my shoulder

Bowling Ferret Pets Sweatshirt by CafePress Warm up in our stylin’ Hanes Heavyweight 90/10 cotton/polyester sweatshirt. Thick but not bulky, for maximum comfort and durability whether you’re working out or hanging out. 10.1 oz. patented PrintPro174; fabric in a 90/10 cotton/polyester…

Tennis Ferret Pets Sweatshirt by CafePress Warm up in our stylin’ Hanes Heavyweight 90/10 cotton/polyester sweatshirt. Thick but not bulky, for maximum comfort and durability whether you’re working out or hanging out. 10.1 oz. patented PrintPro174; fabric in a 90/10 cotton/polyester…

- I love my ferret Love Sweatshirt by CafePress My sable ferret Tia…

Ferret Legging Power Sports Mens Hoodie (Heather Gray, Sizes X-Small – XXX-Large) This Ferret Legging Hoodie has undergone extensive quality control before reaching you. We have over 10 years experience in selling products on the internet. The items are created by us and are even customizable! Just contact our great customer service for any questions….

Ferret Legging Athl Dept Sports Mens Hoodie (Brown, Sizes X-Small – XXX-Large) This Ferret Legging Hoodie has undergone extensive quality control before reaching you. We have over 10 years experience in selling products on the internet. The items are created by us and are even customizable! Just contact our great customer service for any questions….

I Love Heart Ferrets Black Kids Sweatshirt Black kids sweatshirt with White & Red slogan: “I Love Heart Ferrets”. Fruit of the Loom Kids Sweatshirt, 280gsm. The fabric has been preshrunk to ensure reduced shrinkage and includes a taped neck and twin needle stitching for neatness and strength….