Little ferret "gifts" left around the house.

1. As I am sure you've heard, they DO have a natural musky odor to them. However, the smell actually really doesn't stay on the ferret, and if someone cleans out their cage and litter box every day or every other day, then they hardly smell at all. A tip, though. Feeding your carpet sharks the right food reduced the odor considerably. Use Nutro kitten chow in the pink bag, and oddly enough people will actually comment that ferrets smell like a musky perfume. Using incense, diffusers, and scented candles are also great for odor-eliminating in a ferret-occupied area. 2. They are higher maintenance then say, a dog or a cat. They need lots of attention, someone to spend a minimum of two hours a day with them playing and keeping them out of trouble, and they need to have their litter and bedding changed a minimum of five days out of the week. 3. They will never be 100% on litter training like a cat will. They will occasionally have an accident, and if someone can't handle that, this isn't a good pet for them. 4. They get into EVERYTHING. I always say that if beavers are the architects of the animal kingdom, then ferrets are the interior decorators. Cupboards will need child proof locks, you will find them in places that it astounds you they could even reach, they will dig up potted plants, they will "reorganize" their cage, they love stealing phones, remote controls, car keys, pencils, feather dusters, water bottles, and anything else they can get their paws on. Ferret comes from a Latin word that means "little fur thief". This is not a cute little moniker. This is an omen. Putting things up and out of the way of a ferret will become a way of life. 5. You really need to get two or three of them. Most of them don't do well alone. 6. If ANYTHING goes wrong in the handling or training of a kit, you can have a monster on your hands. They need to be nip-trained, played with, and handled for hours on end when they are babies to make sure they are the friendliest they can possibly be. 7. They are illegal in some areas, and there is a heavy fine for anyone caught with them somewhere that they aren't allowed. In California it is a 2,000 dollar fine per ferret.

They stink and are very messy. They also steal your stuff and hide it. Did I mention they are real stinky too!

All the owners I have known have gotten bitten, one of them very badly. Had to have stiches. DO NOT GET A FERRET.

The smell.

They stink to high heaven..and most of them are mean little critters. When they bite, as most of them will...they REALLY bite hard.

they are vicious and the smell to high heaven.

You have to bathe them every other day. And when I had one, she had to be let out to play, and would unroll all the toilet paper from a roll. They like to get into things.

they are illegal in california green peace headquarters

People need to be aware that this is NOT a simple pet. Because of casual and careless ownership by some people, laws have been passed against ownership of ferrets in other areas. Therefore it is extremely important to think thoroughly before you get a ferret, so as not to be unfair to good owners. Ferrets are now commonly kept as pets, but they have been domesticated for thousands of years. They were used for controlling of rodents in barns and for "ferreting", which is flushing rabbits out from their dens. They are a member of the weasel family (they are not rodents), and are carnivores. They generally live about 5-8 years. Before you get a ferret find out if they are legal as pets in your area. Also decide if you are ready for a high level commitment. Owning a ferret can be as much, or more, work (and expense) than owning a dog. They have a very strong odor and are quite messy. Regards.

They are stinky. We had one for 3 months p u!

They're very mischevious. This doesn't make them bad pets in general - it just makes them bad pets for certain types of pet owners, in the same way that a Siberian Husky is a wonderful dog, but it is not a good dog for people who don't have a lot of time to dedicate to their pets. I've also heard that they stink, and I've heard different answers to whether or not you can get them to stop stinking with regular baths as a.. cub, or kitten, or pup, or whatever...

fleas, diet, biting people, getting loose

All rodents make stinky pets, and you can't bathe them.

I heard they are very emotional, too.

they don't stink more than cat first off, if you keep them clean of course, (think of how you would smell if your poo was sitting in a box for weeks) but anyways, they dig at the carpet usually all the way through it, the food they need is expensive (they don't do well on cat food) they can be nippy, they are hard to litter train, there's a good chance it will get sick when its old and need surgery and medication( about 50/50 chance) But you are getting one get an older one from a rescue (a ferret rescue not a pound) and usually those ones are already trained not to bite, to not dig, and to use a litter box.

Very difficult to give them an enema and they require it on a weekly basis.