92741cdae7
  • 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 / Ferrets As Pets / Ferrets And Children

Ferrets And Children

Ferrets and children can be good companions, if appropriate measures are taken to keep both parties safe (especially the ferret!). Children are often very curious about ferrets! Less common than cats and dogs, ferrets are adorable, playful, and cheeky. Like many pets, ferrets offer children the opportunity to learn about animal behavior and empathy, which can be a valuable part of a child’s emotional development. All children should be supervised when interacting with ferrets. Whether you have children and would like to add a ferret to your household or you are a ferret owner expecting your first baby, the following guidelines can help ensure everyone is safe.

A woman cradles a ferret in her arms and shows it to a little girl beside her.

Safety is key

The number one issue when it comes to ferrets and children is safety. Because ferrets are so small and playful, it’s important to supervise ferrets and children closely. It’s best to allow an older, well-trained ferret to interact with one child at a time because younger kits are prone to biting (and therefore unsafe for children to handle). All ferrets need to be treated delicately because they can be injured by rough handling.

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

Common mishaps with ferrets

Accidentally stepping on a ferret. Adults and children can easily step on a ferret and crush her spine, resulting in paralysis or even death.

Being bitten. If a ferret is stressed, he may bite the person who is holding him.

Children especially need to be careful not to yank or squeal at a ferret or hold the ferret in an insecure position.  (To hold a ferret securely, place one hand around and underneath her belly and use the other hand to support the hind legs. Hold the ferret against your body to help her feel snug and safe.)

A young girl on a colorful tricycle with two ferrets riding along in the rear basket.

Things to consider before bringing a ferret into your family home

  • Do you have the time to supervise a ferret? Ideally, ferrets need four hours or more of time outside of their cage, and they need to be supervised because of their ability to get into trouble while roaming around the house.
  • Are you willing to invest time and money into “ferret-proofing” your home? Ferrets will squeeze themselves into dangerous spaces, steal your belongings, and chew on household objects. To make your home safe for a ferret, you’ll have to spend time modifying your space to remove tempting but dangerous things.
  • Are you willing to train a ferret? Younger ferrets or rescue ferrets may need to be trained not to bite and to use litter boxes.
  • Are you able to afford a ferret’s vet care? Ferrets often develop chronic diseases that require a vet’s care.

Do ferrets eat human babies?

There are some terrifying stories in the news about ferrets attacking babies. To our knowledge, these incidents have occurred when the ferret is neglected and/or abused and the baby is not being supervised. These attacks are not common. Ferrets and children can live peacefully in the same house. To keep everyone safe, make sure your ferret is safely secured in his cage when he is not being supervised. Always supervise interactions between ferrets and children.

A pair of ferrets peak out from an opening in a wooden fence.
A ferret rests in the palm of someone's hand.

How to introduce your ferret to your children

There are ways for you to facilitate a safe and loving relationship between your ferret and your children. Here we’ll discuss ways how older children (age six and older) can love and bond with a ferret. We’ll discuss younger children and ferrets below.

  • Consider the temperament of ferret and child. If either is prone to aggressive behavior or is easily excitable, it is best not to let the child handle the ferret directly. If the ferret is known to be a biter, it’s especially important not to let children handle him or her.
  • Don’t play rough with your ferret to encourage him to be gentle with humans.
  • Let your ferret become familiar with your child’s smell by placing a used piece of bedding, like a small blanket, in the ferret’s cage.
  • For the first few encounters between the ferret and the child, consider holding your ferret. Encourage your child to pet the ferret, move slowly, and use a soft, calm voice with her.
  • One way to help a child with gentle petting is to instruct her to use two fingers, index and middle, to pet the ferret. That way, the child will be less likely to grab unintentionally. Another idea is to teach the child to use her pinkie finger as a “petting finger.” Have the child make a fist, then extend just the pinkie for petting the ferret.
  • Always supervise children and ferrets together. Children don’t have the skills to supervise a ferret, so it’s up to you to supervise them both when they are together.
  • If you do allow your child to hold the ferret, have the child sit down and hold the ferret such that her back legs are being supported. Let the child know that the ferret will want to sniff him a lot and that he shouldn’t be scared of this behavior. This is just the ferret getting to know a new human! In addition, depending on the ferret, you may want to caution your child that the ferret doesn’t always want to be cuddled and may want to be set free of human arms.
  • Prevent your kids from playing in the ferrets’ litter boxes. Germs can be transmitted between ferrets and humans, and litter boxes are a particularly disgusting way to pass germs back and forth.

Baby ferrets (kits) should not interact with children

Baby ferrets (kits) are not a good match for children. Kits have a tendency to nip (bite); after all, nipping is a normal part of ferret play. Ferrets have thick skin, which means that nipping tends to cause little or no damage to other ferrets. Comparatively, humans have thinner, more delicate skin and are more likely to be hurt by a ferret’s playful nip.

As a ferret owner, it’s up to you to teach your kits not to nip. Until they learn to do so, it’s best to not allow them to interact with human children. Kids may be upset, frightened, or startled by an unexpected nip. Their reaction may cause them to move suddenly in a way that could injure a ferret. We don’t see a good reason to take this chance with your ferret or kids.

A ferert kit snoozes in the palm of someone's hand.
A little girl excited pets a ferret held by an adult.

Can babies and ferrets play together?

Generally, it’s best not to allow babies and ferrets to interact, as it can be dangerous for both child and ferret. If you are at all concerned that your ferret may hurt your baby or vice versa, the safest thing is to not allow them to play together until you are able to teach your child how to behave around a ferret.

For experienced ferret owners who want to introduce a younger child to a ferret, consider taking the following precautions in addition to the advice above for older children.

  • Teach your child to be gentle with the ferret. Remember that this process may take time, but your role as a parent and ferret owner is to facilitate a healthy relationship between your child and your ferret.
  • Ensure your ferret’s safety by holding him securely during all interactions with young children. If you feel it’s safe, let the child pet the ferret gently.Refrain from having your ferret near a baby who is feeling fussy, as a baby’s cries may stress your ferret. In addition, it may be best to keep your ferret’s cage in a room that has some soundproofing so as to muffle any sounds from the baby.
  • Be aware that ferrets love to steal items, so you may find some of your baby gear has disappeared! Many ferrets love chewy, rubbery objects, so they might go after baby bottle nipples and baby toys, these, if chewed and swallowed by the ferret, could also potentially cause an intestinal blockage that needs an operation to save the ferrets life. So make sure all your babies items are put away, out of reach of the ferret.

Make sure you have a parent’s permission

If a child other than your own wants to pet your ferret, be sure to obtain the parent’s permission. A parent or guardian is likely the person best suited to decide whether their child is capable of interacting well with an unknown animal. It’s best if you hold your ferret outside of the house to minimize the chance of your ferret escaping. Do not allow strangers to pet your ferret if the ferret is not up to date with her rabies vaccinations.

Nurturing the relationship between your children and ferret can be a beautiful, rewarding experience. Keep in mind safety and the needs of all involved to ensure that no one gets hurt.

A couple of ferrets snuggle in someone's lap.

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.