ed74ed11c1
  • Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
Ferret World
  • Home
  • About
  • Shop
        • Popular Products
          • 101 Ferret Games and Homemade Ferret Toys
          • Poop Patrol: Litter Train Your Ferret
          • Lick, Lick, Chomp: Stop Your Ferret Biting You
        • Ebooks & Courses
          • Ferapy: Ferret Colouring In Art
          • 101 Ferret Games and Homemade Ferret Toys
          • Poop Patrol: Litter Train Your Ferret
          • Lick, Lick, Chomp: Stop Your Ferret Biting You
          • Warm & Fuzzy: Ferret Stories To Warm Your Heart & Soul
        • Dook Dook Ferret Magazine
          • Buy individual copies of Dook Dook Ferret Magazine
          • Become a Ferret-World Member
  • Ferret Magazine Editions
  • Ferret News
  • Learn More About Ferrets
        • Buying Ferrets
          • Tips for Buying a Ferret
          • Where to Find Ferrets for Sale
          • Ferret Prices and Other Costs
          • Ferret Breeders
          • Ferret Adoption
        • Ferrets As Pets
          • Are Ferrets Good Pets
          • How To Take Care Of A Ferret
          • Ferret Sleeping, Biting And Other Behaviour
          • Ferret Training
          • Hunting With Ferrets
          • Ferret Games
          • Ferrets and Other Animals
          • Ferrets And Children
          • Choose The Best Ferret Names
          • Ferret Tattoos
        • Ferret Accessories
          • Ferret Cages
          • Ferret Toys
          • Ferret Clothes
          • Ferret Food
          • Ferret Beds
          • Ferret Litter
        • Ferret Care
          • Ferret Health – Is Your Ferret Healthy?
          • Ferret Food
          • Ferret Diseases
          • Ferret Sleep
          • Finding A Ferret Vet
          • Do Ferrets Smell
          • Ferret Poop
          • Ferret Fleas
        • Ferret Facts
          • Ferret History – Where did they come from?
          • What Is A Ferret?
          • Ferrets In The Wild
          • Ferret Breeds
          • Ferret Lifespan
          • 29 Ferret Facts

Ferret World

Everything you need to know about ferrets as pets.

You are here: Home / Buying Ferrets / Tips for Buying a Ferret

Tips for Buying a Ferret

FIRST, FIND OUT IF IT IS LEGAL FOR YOU TO OWN A FERRET IN YOUR AREA

Before even thinking of getting a ferret you need to think of legal requirements and legislation in your country or state. There are countries, states, and cities around the world where ferrets are illegal to keep as pets. For example, New Zealand passed a law in 2002 banning the sale, breeding, and distribution of ferrets. Some places in the United States ban ferrets, including Hawaii, California, and New York City. In Australia, ferrets are banned in the state of Queensland and Northern Territory.

Doug kissing Yuki on the head.

Spend Time with Some Ferrets

There are many photos and videos floating around on the internet that make ferrets look like adorable, fluffy little angels. But don’t be fooled! Ferrets are very intelligent and mischievous, as well as highly energetic animals that need a lot of human-supervised time. You need to make sure that their temperament is right for you.

Another thing that you need to consider is ferret’s smell. Like dog and cat owners, ferret owners typically get used to the way their ferrets smell, but you’ll need to make sure it isn’t too unpleasant for you. We recommend visiting a ferret rescue or shelter and spending some time in that environment to see if the smell is something you can live with.

Ferret World - Dook Dook Ferret Magazine

Helping Your Ferrets Live Healthier, Happier Lives

Join other ferret owners and experts and get access to Dook Dook Ferret Magazine, Ferret-World Members Community and other Resources!

Join Ferret World

Do Your Research Before Buying a Ferret 

As with any animal, it is important to know what you are getting into before you buy a ferret. While ferrets are small and sleep a lot, they can still be quite high maintenance. There are a lot of things you need to know about ferrets to keep them happy and healthy, including:

• What to feed your ferret for optimal mental and physical wellness
• The amount of exercise they require to remain physically fit and mentally stimulated
• What kind of cage will keep them safe and comfortable
• What injuries and diseases ferrets are prone to and how to spot them
• Understanding ferret behavior, so you know if your ferret is happy and healthy
• How to find a good vet who is experienced with ferrets
• How to ferret-proof your residence to keep your ferret safe

The good news is that you have found this website, which means that you are on the right track! We have put together a wealth of knowledge for you to learn about all these topics and more. But don’t think the education ends there. What we know about ferrets continues to evolve as they are better studied.

A ferret gazes into the camera, a twinkle in its eye.

Where to Buy a Ferret

Ferret shelters

We always have and always will be the biggest advocates of getting your ferrets from a credible ferret shelter. Ferret shelter owners and volunteers are generally huge ferret lovers, with a wealth of knowledge gained through years of experience. They handle the ferrets in their care, get to know them, some toilet train them, vaccinate, and desex them, and they will be able to match you up with a perfect ferret to suit your needs. There are hundreds of cute little ferret faces waiting to be adopted into their loving forever homes all around the world in ferret shelters. Make sure to check if there is one in your area.

Reputable breeders

Reputable ferret breeders are few and far between. The best ones will breed ferrets that are genetically sound, and they will be able to show you their breeding ferrets’ family lineage. They will feed their ferrets an optimal diet, which gives the ferret a sound start in life. A credible ferret breeder will typically request or require that you continue feeding your ferret the diet it was raised on. They should also indicate that if your ferret is not suitable for you for any reason, the ferret should be returned to them. If a breeder does not want an unwanted ferret back, then they are probably a backyard breeder.

We do not recommend purchasing ferrets from pet shops or backyard breeders.

What to Look for in a Ferret

Unless you are an experienced ferret owner who is financially capable of looking after a sick ferret, then it is best to start off with one that is younger and healthy. That way you will have a bit of experience looking after a ferret before it gets older or sick. A good ferret shelter will help you pick out a ferret that is suitable to your needs. However, if you go to a pet shop or a breeder here are a few things you should look for:

What to look for in a ferret
  • Age: A lot of bad breeders and pet shops will try to sell ferrets under the age of 8 weeks old to make more of a profit. (Babies are quite cute and can demand a higher price.) Ideally, if you are looking to buy a baby ferret, then you want to make sure they are over the age of 8-10 weeks old. Babies younger than 8-10 weeks old should still be with their mother to get the best start in life.
  • Temperament:Is the ferret scared of humans? Is it overly nippy? (Note that most babies are pretty nippy and you will need to train them not to be as they grow up.) Is it unsocial with people or other ferrets? Pay attention to your potential ferret’s behavior, but know that a ferret that acts tired is not necessarily ill or lazy, since ferrets do sleep for most of the day.
  • Health: Take a look at the ferret’s eyes; they should be wide open, inquisitive, and clear. Eyes that are squinting or crusty might indicate that the ferret is in pain or sick. Make sure the ears are clean. A coat should be soft and shiny; if it is dull and bristly, then it could indicate poor health. Take a look at the skin to make sure that there is no dryness or flakiness. You should always have a new ferret checked by a vet for fleas or ear mites, but both of these are easy to treat, so they should not keep you from getting a particular ferret. If all of a breeder’s or pet shop’s ferrets have fleas, however, it indicates that they are not keeping their ferrets in a healthy environment.
  • Check their environment: Is the environment that they are living in clean? Are the litter boxes clean? In a healthy environment, there are not too many ferrets living in a small cage, and they should have plenty of clean blankets to curl up in. Ideally, the cage will also have some clean hammocks to climb up and sleep in as well. There should be separate areas for food and water and the litter box(es).

 

Food: Check which food(s) are being fed to the ferret. Not all commercial ferret foods are good for ferret health. Do your research on what types of ingredients you need to look for and which brands are best beforehand, as you may need to switch your ferret over to a healthier diet to keep it as healthy and happy as possible. Note that a ferret who hasn’t been fed a specific food before 6 months of age may not accept any new foods easily (you might need to transition them).

How Many Ferrets Should You Get? 

A pair of ferrets sit on a chair covered in beautiful moss.

Some ferrets prefer to live a solitary life, while others like living with other ferrets. We do not advocate having large groups of ferrets, as this can cause them to experience stress. Treat each ferret on a case-by-case basis. Don’t just assume ferrets will get along with each other and accept a new addition to the family because it doesn’t always work out. In fact, there are a lot of owners around the world who made this mistake and now need to cage their ferrets and exercise them separately, which costs more money and takes up more of your time. Also, you need to take your own financial situation into consideration. If you can only afford to feed, care for, and take one ferret to the vet regularly, then stick with one ferret! Ferrets can be perfectly happy living a solitary life with plenty of care and attention from you.

Make sure you are prepared for the increased cost, cleaning, cage requirements, food, and veterinary costs if you are thinking of getting more than one ferret.

Is Your Chosen Ferret Desexed? 

Female ferrets when not desexed can suffer from a condition called aplastic anemia if they are not mated when they are in heat. Essentially, it is a build up of sex hormones that leads to a slow and painful death. Therefore, we recommend desexing your female ferrets if they don’t already come desexed. Male ferrets can become extremely smelly and aggressive when they go into rut. So it is advisable that you desex your male ferrets as well. In some countries around the world, ferrets almost always come desexed when you purchase them. Check with the place you are purchasing from to see if your new addition has been desexed or will need to be desexed.

Is the ferret you are getting desexed?
Someone wearing what looks like blue scrubs carries a white ferret.

Make Sure There's a Ferret-Savvy Vet in Your Area

Before you get a ferret, make sure there is a good ferret-knowledgeable exotic vet in your area. Ferrets need to see a vet for a check-up at least once a year when they are under 5 years old and twice a year once they are over 5 years. Ferrets are also prone to injuries and a variety of diseases, so you want to make sure you have a good vet nearby. Unfortunately, not all vets know about appropriate ferret care.

Privacy Policy

Ferret World ("Ferret World") operates ferret-world.com and may operate other websites. It is Ferret World's policy to respect your privacy regarding any information we may collect while operating our websites.

Website Visitors

Like most website operators, Ferret World collects non-personally-identifying information of the sort that web browsers and servers typically make available, such as the browser type, language preference, referring site, and the date and time of each visitor request. Ferret World's purpose in collecting non-personally identifying information is to better understand how Ferret World's visitors use its website. From time to time, Ferret World may release non-personally-identifying information in the aggregate, e.g., by publishing a report on trends in the usage of its website.

Ferret World also collects potentially personally-identifying information like Internet Protocol (IP) addresses for logged in users and for users leaving comments on ferret-world.com blogs/sites. Ferret World only discloses logged in user and commenter IP addresses under the same circumstances that it uses and discloses personally-identifying information as described below, except that commenter IP addresses and email addresses are visible and disclosed to the administrators of the blog/site where the comment was left.

Gathering of Personally-Identifying Information

Certain visitors to Ferret World's websites choose to interact with Ferret World in ways that require Ferret World to gather personally-identifying information. The amount and type of information that Ferret World gathers depends on the nature of the interaction. For example, we ask visitors who sign up at ferret-world.com to provide a username and email address. Those who engage in transactions with Ferret World are asked to provide additional information, including as necessary the personal and financial information required to process those transactions. In each case, Ferret World collects such information only insofar as is necessary or appropriate to fulfill the purpose of the visitor's interaction with Ferret World. Ferret World does not disclose personally-identifying information other than as described below. And visitors can always refuse to supply personally-identifying information, with the caveat that it may prevent them from engaging in certain website-related activities.

Aggregated Statistics

Ferret World may collect statistics about the behavior of visitors to its websites. Ferret World may display this information publicly or provide it to others. However, Ferret World does not disclose personally-identifying information other than as described below.

Protection of Certain Personally-Identifying Information

Ferret World discloses potentially personally-identifying and personally-identifying information only to those of its employees, contractors and affiliated organizations that (i) need to know that information in order to process it on Ferret World's behalf or to provide services available at Ferret World's websites, and (ii) that have agreed not to disclose it to others. Some of those employees, contractors and affiliated organizations may be located outside of your home country; by using Ferret World's websites, you consent to the transfer of such information to them. Ferret World will not rent or sell potentially personally-identifying and personally-identifying information to anyone. Other than to its employees, contractors and affiliated organizations, as described above, Ferret World discloses potentially personally-identifying and personally-identifying information only in response to a subpoena, court order or other governmental request, or when Ferret World believes in good faith that disclosure is reasonably necessary to protect the property or rights of Ferret World, third parties or the public at large. If you are a registered user of an Ferret World website and have supplied your email address, Ferret World may occasionally send you an email to tell you about new features, solicit your feedback, or just keep you up to date with what's going on with Ferret World and our products. If you send us a request (for example via email or via one of our feedback mechanisms), we reserve the right to publish it in order to help us clarify or respond to your request or to help us support other users. Ferret World takes all measures reasonably necessary to protect against the unauthorized access, use, alteration or destruction of potentially personally-identifying and personally-identifying information.

Cookies

A cookie is a string of information that a website stores on a visitor's computer, and that the visitor's browser provides to the website each time the visitor returns. Ferret World uses cookies to help Ferret World identify and track visitors, their usage of Ferret World website, and their website access preferences. Ferret World visitors who do not wish to have cookies placed on their computers should set their browsers to refuse cookies before using Ferret World's websites, with the drawback that certain features of Ferret World's websites may not function properly without the aid of cookies.

Business Transfers

If Ferret World, or substantially all of its assets, were acquired, or in the unlikely event that Ferret World goes out of business or enters bankruptcy, user information would be one of the assets that is transferred or acquired by a third party. You acknowledge that such transfers may occur, and that any acquirer of Ferret World may continue to use your personal information as set forth in this policy.

Ads

Ads appearing on any of our websites may be delivered to users by advertising partners, who may set cookies. These cookies allow the ad server to recognize your computer each time they send you an online advertisement to compile information about you or others who use your computer. This information allows ad networks to, among other things, deliver targeted advertisements that they believe will be of most interest to you. This Privacy Policy covers the use of cookies by Ferret World and does not cover the use of cookies by any advertisers.

Privacy Policy Changes

Although most changes are likely to be minor, Ferret World may change its Privacy Policy from time to time, and in Ferret World's sole discretion. Ferret World encourages visitors to frequently check this page for any changes to its Privacy Policy. If you have a ferret-world.com account, you might also receive an alert informing you of these changes. Your continued use of this site after any change in this Privacy Policy will constitute your acceptance of such change.

cta-book

We will only send you awesome stuff

Privacy Policy

video cover

About Ferret-World.com

Learn more about Ferret-World.com and what we are all about. If you would like to support us please visit the below links to check out the membership and products: Ferret-World.com Membership https://ferret-world.mykajabi.com/p/ferret-world-membership-program-1 Ferret-World.com Products https://www.ferret-world.com/ferretshop.html FREE GIFT GIVEAWAY https://ferret-world.mykajabi.com/p/free-magazine-issue-8 Visit the Ferret-World website on http://www.Ferret-World.com Also join the Ferret-World community on: Facebook - http://www.Facebook.com/FerretWorld Twitter - http://www.Twitter.com/FerretWorld Pinterest - http://www.Pinterest.com/FerretWorld You can also buy the 101 Ferret Games and Homemade Ferret Toys eBook here: https://www.ferret-world.com/101ferretgamesandhomemadeferrettoys.html Also don't forget to subscribe to this channel! Thank you! :) Join Other Ferret Owners and Experts and Get Access to Research Database and Magazines
Join Ferret World
cta-book

Download Free Ebook

“Ferret First Aid And Emergency Care” eBook!

Download Free Ebook
Scientific Researched Information

Scientific Researched Information

Created by ferret owners for ferret owners

Created by ferret owners for ferret owners

5% of revenue goes towards ferret shelters

5% of revenue goes towards ferret shelters

Largest ferret owners community in the world

Largest ferret owners community in the world

Over 10 years providing ferret education

Over 10 years providing ferret education

Navigation

  • Home
  • About Us
  • Shop
  • Ferret News
  • Buying Ferrets
  • Ferret Accessories
  • Ferret Facts – A Crash Course on Ferrets
  • Are Ferrets Good Pets
  • Ferret Health – Is Your Ferret Healthy?
  • Contact Us

Social

  • Subscribe
  • Like Us
  • Follow
  • Follow
Join Membership
Login

© Ferret World|All Rights Reserved|Privacy Policy|Site Map

Hi Farent! Have you got your FREE copy of the ‘Ferret First Aid And Emergency Care’ eBook (worth $17) yet?

It’s a must have, ferret life saver for all ferret parents. You can get it by filling in your details here.