Ferrets are very robust little animals but can also easily injure themselves. I've read about a ferret falling from a 2nd or 3rd story window and surviving.  Then again my mother told me when she was young a weasel or polecat (very similar to the ferret) snuck into her house and broke its neck while climbing up to eat their birds. So let's outline what is acceptable, and isn't acceptable for play.

Acceptable Roughhousing Ferrets love to play rough. It's totally fine to roll them over on their backs, tickle their tummies, just wrestle with them. Amongst each other they play very rough. Of course keep in mind that they are small animals and you look like a giant to them so don't overdo it. Scruffing If a ferret gets out-of-hand and starts nipping hard or biting you should pick them up by their scruff. This is not painful for the ferret, in this sense they are like cats who can always be carried by their scruff as well. After scruffing you should proceed to discipline them. The best method in my opinion is to hiss at them so they understand you're upset, tell them "NO", then put them in time-out for 5 minutes. Licking I would never punish my ferrets for licking me, just be careful because a lot of times a sweet little ferret kiss will turn into a not-so-sweet little ferret nip. Very Slight Nips If you use your hands to play with your ferrets expect them to mouth you some.  If however this hurts you then they are being too rough.  Mine will often put their mouths around my fingers, but not bite down.  I don't have a problem with this. If you are uncomfortable try using a toy to tease them with instead of your hands, that way they can chomp down to their heart's delight. Just remember to a ferret their mouth is like their hands.

Unacceptable Hitting Never, ever hit your little ferret, no matter how hard he/she bites. Remember how large and intimidating you look to them and how painful just a slight hit from you would feel. This will only encourage your ferret to be afraid of you and to bite your hands. You will have a traumatized ferret if you do this. Throwing Although they can be shaped like a boomerang at times, playing catch with any living animal is wrong. My cousin did this with a hamster once when he was very young and it had a heart attack. This doesn't mean tossing a ferret up 6 inches onto a soft couch. Kicking Ferrets have foot fetishes and will often attack feet. Please don't kick your ferret to get him/her off. Gently shaking is ok, try using your hands to gently dislodge them. Then discipline them as I have written above. Bites This is a no-no on the part of the ferret. Do not let a ferret get away with biting you. Always discipline them. Especially do this if they are kits or might be much harder later on. By biting I mean hard nips that leave teeth marks, or any bite that draws blood. By teaching your ferret not to do this you may be saving its life as well considering if it bites someone else there may be a big legal mess resulting in its death because of it. Pulling the Tail Ferrets are not rats that you can lift by the base of the tail. This is painful to a ferret. Their tails are not handles. Please never pull a ferret by its tail unless its on a slippery floor of some kind where that really wouldn't have a painful effect, or incase of emergency, like having to grab the ferret before it falls to its imminent doom, etc.

There are many things to consider when getting a ferret. Ferrets are high maintenance pets. They require a good deal of time, and a good deal of money. They need runtime everyday, and if not enough runtime can be provided a large cage is necessary. The good brands of ferret food cannot be bought at Wal Marts, or other large chains. A ferret-savvy vet is also a requirement.

So you want to adopt your first ferret and the age-old question passes through your mind, "boy or girl"? It's really not a big deal for ferrets like it may be with some other animals like hamsters, dogs, or cats. Below I've listed the main differences. Enjoy!

1. Size: Males tend to weigh more than females. How much more varies usually by if they were fixed young or not.
2. Temperament: Males tend to become couch potatoes and calm down a lot after one year, where it may take a female two to three years.

There are about 4 choices when deciding where to buy a ferret. They are 1) a pet shop 2) a breeder 3) a shelter or 4) the classifieds. I will examine the pros and cons to each of these sections below.

Pet Shops

Pros	1. It's the easiest place to find ferrets for some people.
	2. Most kits come from Marshall's which gives a 1 year guarantee on the kit if you feed it Marshall's Food.
	3. The kits are already fixed.
Cons	1. Most of the kits come from ferret mills.
	2. Most are fixed very young which may cause health problems later.
	3. Most are descented which may also lead to health problems.
	4. They will generally not grow as large as ferrets bought from private breeders.
	5. Some of the kits may barely be weaned.
	6. You will probably not be able to learn about their parents or other genealogy.
	7. The kits may not be well socialized and have nipping problems.

Reputable Breeders/ Ferretries

Pros	1. You can meet the parents and get a genealogy chart.
	2. You can request to not have the kit descented and only fixed when it is older.
	3. These ferrets should grow larger if they are not fixed young.
	4. You can make a request for a certain gender/color.
	5. You may be able to adopt siblings together.
	6. The kits should be well socialized if the breeder is reputable.
	7. You may be able to visit the kits before they are ready to be adopted out and start bonding with them.
	8. The kit might come with a package of information and extras.
Cons	1. These kits are bound to find homes so you are not rescuing a needy ferret.
	2. The kits will probably be more expensive then those at a pet shop or rescue.
	3. You may need to pay to have them fixed and/or descented later on.

Shelters/ Rescues

Pros	1. You are adopting a needy ferret and doing a good deed.
	2. You may be able to find out some of the ferret's history depending on what the shelter knows.
	3. The adoption fee will most likely not be very high.
	4. The shelter should be able to tell you any health problems before you adopt.
	5. A larger variety of age groups are available here than the other options.
	6. You may get a special deal on adopting multiple ferrets that have come to the shelter together.
	7. You may be able to buy cages or accessories that have been used for a low price.
	8. They should have recent shots and a check-up.
	9. Ferrets that came together you buy should already be bonded.
Cons	1. Some of the ferrets may have issues that you will end up having to deal with.
	2  It may be impossible to tell the age of some of the ferrets.
	3. A ferret given the wrong age may develop a fatal illness sooner than would be expected.
	4. There may be no history available on some of the ferrets.
	5. Most of the ferrets originally came from ferret mills.
	6. Bonded ferrets will usually only be available for adoption together.

Classifieds

Pros	1. Many times the ferret/ferrets will come complete with cage and accessories for a low price.
	2. You can find out the history of the ferrets.
	3. The ferrets will most likely be fixed and descented.
	4. If you're getting multiple the ferrets should already be bonded.
Cons	1. They may be trying to find them a new home because the ferrets have issues.
	2. You may have to adopt them all or nothing.
	3. They may not be up-to-date on their shots or check-ups.
	4. You may only be able to find older ferrets.
	5. They probably originally came from a ferret mill.

A complex argument, what age to get a ferret... do a good deed and get an older ferret, or buy a kit to know it from baby on.  Let's start this out by going over longevity.  Most ferrets coming from a pet store (meaning they probably originally came from a ferret mill), will live 2- 5 years.  Yes, there are always exceptions, but in general this is what I have seen, and been told.  Ferrets coming from reputable, private breeders should live 7 - 10 years.  Of course, thy may also live to only be 2, you really can't know, but lifespan odds are in favor of reputable ferretries.

Kits Pros 1. You get to know your fuzzy from baby on.   2. It's much easier to train a baby.   3. Let's face it kits are adorable. Cons 1. They are not litter box trained.   2. They will probably be nippy.   3. They will need additional shots at the vet's.   4. You may have to feed them mush (watered down ferret kibble), which takes more time to serve.

Adults Pros 1. You can see their personality and know it won't change much.   2. What you see is what you get, they won't grow much besides seasonal weight gain and loss.   3. They are much calmer than kits.   4. You may not to get them shots for a while if they've recently had them.   5. They will probably be cheaper.   6. You're doing a good deed since you're probably getting an adult ferret from a shelter. Cons 1. They will develop diseases more quickly (most likely).   2. You won't know them from baby on.   3. You will have less time with them since they are older.   4. They may have issues that a kit wouldn't be old enough to have yet.

Although ferrets seem to sleep, sleep, and then sleep some more, it is important that they have plenty of room in their cage. I will go over what should be in it, how big it should be, its safety, and its hygiene!

A ferret’s cage is like a little house. They need a kitchen, a bathroom, and a living/bedroom. They should always have fresh food available in the kitchen and fresh water. Some good advice would be to not put the kitchen right by the bathroom, as they will slowly merge into one... the results are not fun for the ferret parents to clean. It’s also not sanitary to have them mixing poopies with food, so unless you love cleaning feces and paying vet bills, keep them apart. The bathroom should have a litter box (unless you’ve given up all hope and just use newspapers). This box should ideally be a big box, not just a corner one. The ferret needs to get the idea that poopy goes there and often have accidents with corner ones. If they still have a problem with the big box put newspaper around it. It’s so much easier to clean until the ferret learns to go in the box. The living/bedroom area should be comfy and cozy! How would u like to sleep in the wide open on cold plastic? Your fuzzy doesn’t either. Add lots of cuddly houses, pouches, and hammocks. Your ferrets will thank you. I’d also make sure to have at least one place where they can curl up in and not have to see light.

Cage safety is an important issue. Some cages are rather tall and you don’t want your fuzzy falling from the top to the bottom. Many cages will come with built in walkways to the upstairs which I wouldn’t worry about. The Super Pet cages, to list an example, come with adjustable shelves. Make sure that if you fuzzy falls from a top shelf that there will be another shelf or a hammock of some kind to break his fall. I’ve had ferrets jump off my shoulders to the ground and be perfectly fine, but it’s just not something you want to risk since it’s very easily preventable. Another long term safety issue is cages with wire mesh at the bottom. This hurts your fuzzy’s feet. The cage itself is fine and acceptable but you must cover the mesh wiring up. Soft material should always be there, if you want a flat surface for that material putting newspaper under it should be an economical solution. If you can’t find anything suitable feel free to e-mail me, if you give me measurements I can custom make some fleece or other kind of carpeting for your ferret’s cage. Ferrets will try to escape their cage as well, so make sure the door is proofed, if they figure it out you need to change the door. A lot of the time they will gnaw on the bars or scratch at them, make sure the bars of the cage won’t seriously cut their gums or feet. Also make sure the whole ferret can’t fit through the bars! They still amaze me with what all they manage to squeeze through.

Cage hygiene is a big deal. If the cage stinks that will cause more stink than your ferrets. Clean the litter box daily. Bedding should be washed, I’d say once a month. They tend to get the bedding quite hairy and you’ll probably find food particles in it. If they poop next to the litter box, on newspaper, or wherever, clean it every single day. It gets disgusting fast. Also after cleaning it I’d recommend using a good smelling ferret friendly spray to get rid of any lasting odors. The cage itself should be cleaned just when it needs it. It’s probably a good idea to clean the whole thing once a year at least though. When I say clean disinfect. It’s healthier for the ferret and for you. The food bowl in the cage and the water bottle or bowl also need to be cleaned at least once a week, they build up gross stuff if not.

When you adopt your ferret, be sure it gets 3 shots for canine distemper and 1 shot for rabies. If you acquire your ferret as a kit at a pet shop where the employees tell you all vaccinations have been given, it is still a good idea to be safe and have all the shots administered, anyways. These vaccinations can be given in 3 vet visits (with distemper shots each being spaced 3 weeks). It is also important that your ferret gets a distemper booster shot each year, because if your ferret gets distemper, it will die since no cure exists. It is rare for ferrets to get rabies, but if your ferret bites someone and has not been vaccinated, it will (at best) be placed on quarantine or (at worst) be euthanized by your local government. The vaccinations are relatively inexpensive, running around $11.00 per distemper shot and $13.00 for the rabies shot.

To be a responsible owner it is also important to get your ferret to a vet fast if something is wrong. The occasional yellow feces or diarrhea are not an emergency, but if either persists, something may be wrong. A little blood from a badly cut toe nail isn't an emergency either, but a toe nail ripped off is! Any wound besides a miscut toenail is an emergency to a ferret. They have so little blood you need to act fast! It is a good idea to keep a ferret-specific first-aid kit handy. Your local petshop or vet can help you construct one.

If you are in doubt about your ferret's health, please seek vet advice becaue your little friend's life may depend on it.