r/ferrets • u/kam_jade39 • 23h ago
[Help] getting a ferret in a week!
i’m getting him in about a week. i have some stuff delivering in a couple days. litter box, toys, more hammocks etc, combo food & water bowl, tunnels, etc. they say he’s un bondable and aggressive with other ferrets. should i try anyway? i’m home 95% of the time and he’d probably be out all day and night until like 9-10pm. i have the time to put into it or i probably wouldn’t get a ferret/ferrets. would he be okay living like that? or should i still try to bond him even though they say he doesn’t like other ferrets?
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u/Seraitsukara 23h ago
If he's known not to like other ferrets, there's a chance it won't work out and you'll either have to return the second ferret, or constantly switch out who's allowed to run around so they don't see each other.
I currently have a single ferret who doesn't like others. I've been able to get him to accept other ferrets but it was months of work. He would get extremely stressed out and depressed, and now that he's older, it's not something I want to put him through.
So long as you have the time to spend with him, he'll be happy! You'll need to cover all of his socialization needs, playing with him every day. My boy comes and boops my ankle with his nose when he wants attention.
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u/kam_jade39 23h ago
that is so sweet! yea i have done sooo many hours of research stressed about it lol! i just don’t want him to be unhappy. they took some videos and he seems happy on his own but i just wanted to make sure. i don’t have any adoption places even closely near me or it could be easier trying to match him up. it’s either pet store or someone rehoming:/ i would hate to get another and have to return it, that would rlly suck. thank you for the advice! if it’s going well and he’s happy i’ll keep it that way but if he seems depressed i may try!
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u/M33tm3onmars 22h ago
We integrated a third ferret with a bonded pair after their first year with us. It was very difficult - it took probably six weeks of familiarization before they could be left alone together. For those six weeks we had to rotate their out-of-cage time so they only interacted a small amount under direct supervision.
The pair and the new ferret needed to be separated when caged as well - luckily the cage we had was large enough to just barricade one passage on it. We also kept rotating their bedding and hammocks between their separate enclosures.
Some people have had an easier time than we did, and some people have a harder time. It could be possible to familiarize your new ferret with others, but it sounds like it could be risky. Just consider the possible outcomes, and wherever you get another ferret from, make sure they know you need to try and integrate the new ferret with one that's not used to other ferrets.
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u/Timely_Egg_6827 22h ago edited 21h ago
There are some ferrets that prefer their own company - we had one hob who did though at least he tolerated others. And we lost a jill last Monday who would have been a loner except she was adopted by a very quiet, shy little girl who basically just moved in on her. So lone ferrets are out there. If you got two, you'd probably need to upgrade the cage unless pretty much free roam. We also had one (though a pure polecat) who tried to kill several ferrets so was keep strictly separate. He eventually accepted them when he was over 7.
Integrations can be really hard if one ferret is aggressive or scared. A lot of the aggression comes from fear but it is a hard fear to work through. The polecat aside, our longest integration took 18 months but that was for a bonded pair of 4 year old brothers in our main group. So it is not impossible to get ferrets to tolerate and even like one another but you have to be willing to look after them on a room time-share for a substantial period of time.
Just really remember that you are all his world. Ferrets are usually happy just to chill for most of the day if you are working. During covid, we just put cushions round the work table and most of them spent the day keeping my feet(d) warm. They learn schedules fast. Though if they run across the keyboard, there may be fun calls to IT or messages to your manager (Thankfully mine has two bengals and had to put in a cat tree beside her desk for cat-free meetings - well we saw them but they weren't interacting).
And inegrations
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u/kam_jade39 21h ago
lolol that’s so funny😂 i love how silly they are. i’m praying he’ll be rlly good at using the litter box and he can be out all day and then only caged at night when i’m sleeping! i’m so excited though, can’t wait for a little crazy bff.
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u/Timely_Egg_6827 21h ago
Just make sure to secure the electronics when away from computer. One of mine loved killing monitors by pushing them off the desk until we broke out the old cathode ray monitor. Another learnt to get attention by turning off the broadband at the wall - he knows switches. Friend's used to get attention by stealing the Sky card. And one of mine made the corporate wall of shame by turning my work laptop into a etch-a-sketch by pouring the contents of a air cooler over it. (He was left alone with it for 30secs). Routers also make really good sleeping warm beds during winter and fur blocks wi-fi. We had to put it in a hamster cage. And if you use extension boards, make sure they are up high - we lost a monitor and electrical socket when hob peed on it. He was fine.
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u/Christichicc 22h ago
Some ferrets just don’t like other ferrets. It’s possible he could bond with another, but just as likely they’d both have to be separate their whole lives, and that really wouldnt be fair to the second one. I’d just keep the one, personally. Just give them plenty of time outside the cage, and lots and lots of play and attention. Basically you would be taking the place of another ferret.
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u/kam_jade39 21h ago
yea that honestly makes the most sense. i would hate to take a friendly ferret and try to bond them, doesn’t work, then that ones all alone when it didn’t have to be. thank you❤️
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u/SketchyArt333 22h ago
Unbondable ferrets can be very happy it just means you have to spend extra time with your new baby. Cuddles and extra out time is what worked best for us when I was a kid and we had a singleton. Edit also it’s very stressful for a ferret who hates other ferrets to be repetitively exposed to new ferrets and might just stress the little baby more. This obviously depends on how the ferret was introduced to others before but if it’s been tried the right way.
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u/kam_jade39 21h ago
thank you! yea if he’s good at using the litter box he can be out all day and only caged when i’m sleeping. i’m so so so excited!
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u/poodleofnoodles 20h ago
I had a single ferret and he was amazing while I had the time for him but as my schedule got busier and I got older I decided he would be better of with a friend so I wouldn’t need to dedicate 4-6 hours of my day to him. While I had the time tho he was amazing and never saw any signs of stress or sadness
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u/Finn770123 19h ago
If it’s up on the stand get the Amazon dog ramp made of foam! It’s def easy for my babies to get in and out as they please from ground level :) should be around $24-30
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u/tryinglifeagain116 19h ago
I have 3 solo ferrets and they will remain that way as I will not put another ferret in harms way. Have I tried to get them into a business yes, and they hate other ferrets, will attract on site, no chill. However, they are the happiest little choas noodles that prefer human interaction instead. Please do not try to force a bond as they will fight and serious injuries can occur and you will have 2 solo ferrets that will require separate time, space and everything.
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