Rats/Guinea Pigs/Ferrets/etc...tell me about them.

It depends on the rat, but, as a rule, it's very easy.

Rats are EXTREMELY social creatures. Males can be a bit territorial, but after a few squabbles, they'll fit right in. On occasion, there will be a male that will not tolerate any other rats, but that is very rare to come by.

Generally, what I would do when introducing a new rat to a cage, is put the newbie in the bathtub (or anywhere where the resident rats don't generally hang), dab some vanilla extract on him, and put the resident rats in there one by one to greet him.

You MUST quarantine all newbie rats for at least two weeks, though, especially if you got them from a pet store. Disease kills FAST in these guys.

Oh, and never, ever introduce a young baby (under six weeks) to an adult male. He will, more than likely, kill him.

Thanks PicklePaige!

Does anyone have more suggestions for ferret or rat forums? I am going to join hte one Becca suggested

Not a forum, but if you go to Ferret Rescue Society of Ottawa and Area - FAQ's there are a bunch of articles they wrote about ferret care and ferrets. Ferret.com Forum is a good forum that I am on, though

Ferret.com has a forum... these two are my favs
The Holistic Ferret Forum - Home
Ferret Harmony ~ Index


To me, a ferret is like the combination of a puppy and a cat. They can be destructive like a puppy. But they are also sooo cute, and funny like a puppy, clumbsy like a puppy, and they also need attention, consistancy, and socialization like a puppy, JMHO. They play with toys, and love to (of course, rats do too). Ferrets and a cat teaser = :rofl1: oooh and the squirt bottle : lol
Of course, if you don't need your ferret to be super social (like to go to fun events or shows) you really don't need to socialize too much. They're pretty adjustable, social creatures What I do like, is they can be pretty easily littertrained, and that's a lot easier to clean than the rat cage.
From someone who has owned BOTH rats, and ferrets, I can say *I* prefer ferrets, but not every person will. The rats are messy, even when they are litterbox trained (which oddly enough my male was MUCH more litter box trained than the females) they still dribble pee a lot, and that can be messy :/ I can't cuddle rats or have them shoulder ride before I go to work for risk of having to change pee clothes. yuck.

Similarities - they can both be affectionate, crave human attention (and NEED it), can be trained (clicker - I've done with both rats and ferrets. Izzy is deaf even, and she comes to flicking the lights).
Ferrets NEED more attention, and need to be out of the cage more. They are also true carnivores and needs a good, quality diet. I make Suebees mix for the rats, it is super easy and super cheap. I feed the ferrets raw, almost exactly to the dogs - which can be "difficult" depending on who you are.

I think cage size is something you should consider in what you are looking for. Of course, rats would LOVE a FN or CN sized cage, but they can to well in a smaller cage. After getting a FN for the ferrets, I think most ferret cages are too small... especially the guinea pig sized ones in the pet stores but, heck, I think those are too small for g.pigs too


Edit: I just thought of something!! Ferrets needs shots, and rats do not. Also, if you take your ferret to events you'll have to get them ADV tested (and you should NOT take your fuzz to an event that does not require them to be tested ) Food for thought

I deffinatly suggest rescue, or a privately bred ferret. I can help you find one, if you'd like LOL

Thanks Dana!

I am planning on a huge cage. Balou has a huge cage (QC's Chinchilla Mansion) and I know ferrets need larger than chins, especially if there is going to be more than one to a cage. That is one reason why I would wait until my mom/sister moved out, because then I would have a whole room just for the cage and the ferrets.

That would be awesome! I am leaning definitely more toward rescue at this point, though all the sites I have been to say either must be over 21 (I'll be 22 in 11 months, so that may work by the time I am ready) or I am out of their service area.

If you could dedicate a whole room to the ferrets, that would be *awesome*. And really, rescues want you to be 21? Weird... here it is as long as you are 18, or your parent/guardian gives the ok for them (although, here 18 is the legal age you are an adult and can do most things). I was 19 when I adopted Harley, and did not need a parent with me.
I do suggest, if you have the time, that if you do go the rescue route, get involved with the rescue beforehand. Unfortunately, unless they know you, atleast here, most rescues will not be very open to adopting to a first time ferret owner, however, it is not always set in stone!

If I can't dedicate a room, then I probably won't get one, only because the last thing I need is Frodo to stand outside their cage all night and pester them (which is what he does to Balou, who is in my sister's room now), and I don't think my sister or mom are up for more roomates at the moment, lol.

Though I was scrolling through this thread and she walked behind me and said "I want a ferret!" cause she saw the sig pictures :rofl1: She doesn't *really* want a ferret though, lol.

And I would try and get involved with rescue, though I don't believe there are any real local ones here, maybe with more digging.

When we get our own house I plan on having a ferret or four

I think the four is more likely :rofl1: Good luck having just one

I'm late in this thread, and I see that the OP is leaning toward ferrets, but I'd like to say a few things about guinea pigs, for the lurkers .

They smell IF you bed them on wood shavings and/or don't clean the cage often enough. Mine are in C & C cages, bedded on fleece blankets, and as long as I pick up the poos every day, they really have little to no odor.

Their sociability varies among idividuals, and I have noticed those obtained straight from a pet store tend to be less amenable to handling than those who have been properly socialized and handled from birth. I bred and raised one litter of three piggies, and all three were very friendly. I handled them from the day they were born. I kept one, his name was Piglet. He would show obvious joy when I would get home, and would try to climb out of his cage to me. He would never run from my hand. He adored attention, and loved to hang out with me.

There was a piggie I got from the animal shelter who I named Rose, who was absolutely TERRIFIED of me at first, she would back into a corner, freeze, and SCREAM in fear when I reached my hand in the cage. I would just hold her quietly for a while every day, and she turned out to be very sweet little thing, and loved to be stroked, and got to the point she no longer feared me or my hand.

And I can't forget Kanga. She loved nothing more than to be held and doted upon. Attention was her LIFE. She was so sweet, she would give me little piggie kisses. Before Kanga was moved into a C&C cage, she escaped from her other one a few times, she was smart (and its true, most of them aren't that bright, lol)!

Guinea pigs really are individuals. I've had some that loved veggies and hated fruit, I've had some that only liked a select few veggies, like Romaine lettuce, and had huge sweet tooths. I've even had a few that cared little for hay, but loved their pellets. The two I have now, my male likes his pellets better than hay, and my female likes her hay better than pellets. My female really doesn't like attention at all, so I leave her be. My male runs from my hand, but once you catch him he enjoys being pet and he'll stretch out. (Here's a secret, males tend to be a little more sociable than females).

And here's one more tidbit, you think shorthairs are a pain to take care of? Try having a long-haired one! I adopted one from a shelter once, and it was a real headache keeping his hair untangled. I started just keeping it trimmed up, especially around his rear, to keep the tangling/poopy ickyness to a minimum.

I have had ferrets and Guinea Pigs, so I'll tell you what I think of them.

Guinea Pigs:

I LOVE piggies! I unfortunately had to rehome mine due to my ferrets trying to kill them and my monetary situation becoming tight enough I couldn't care for them properly, but I would love to have them again.

They are extremley personable. The one thing I miss the most about them is when I walk in the room I don't hear them wheeking in greeting. They would see me and give them most adorable "wheeek-wheeeeek!" noise and come up to the cage bars for nose rubs.

They do need a proper diet, and that can get a tad bit pricey depending on what your options are. Good quality timothy pellets as a staple, with grass hay (timothy, orchard, blue grass, etc.) being offered at all times. They also need fresh veggies at least once a day. Mine loved romaine lettuce, carrots, peppers, cucumbers, and spinach.
Baths don't hurt (although I never bathed mine), they do need their nails kept trimmed (mine were always good for it), and they come in a wide variety of coat textures, lengths, and colors.

They do better in pairs, as they are very sociable, but boars may fight. If you don't want to be stuck with a female/female pair, you can neuter the boys.
Unless their cage is just HUGE (10.5 square feet for a pair of pigs), they really do need out of cage time every day. When mine would run around they would follow me like puppies. LOL I only had 6sq feet of cage space for them, and if I skipped a day of out of cage time Louie would get very depressed/anxious and would practically try to leap out of the cage every time I opened the door.

Young pigs are really wiggly and hard to handle, but I highly, highly reccomend adopting an older pig from a rescue. You wouldn't believe how many Guinea Pigs are surrendered. I've had four pigs, three of which were rescues - and my rescues were my favorites! I mean, how can you not love this face! (I miss my piggers. )


www.gunieapigcages.com has a really good forum on it with a lot of informative members who would love to answer any of your questions!

Ferrets:

Oh, boy, where to start. These little guys are not for the faint of heart. They poop everywhere, they tear everything up, and they are constantly getting in to things. But, I love them.

Kits are CRAZY. (And incredibley cute!) They require a LOT of time and energy. Just like puppies they each have their own quirks and exercise needs, but on average I would say if it can't be trusted loose all day, at least plan on two hours in the morning of playtime and two hours in the evening of playtime at a bare minimum. My two are satisfied with less now, but they are seniors. And Dameon will still keep me up all night if he doesn't feel he had enough "awake" time (even though I have them loose in my large bedroom from the time I get up to the time I go to bed) by digging at the cage door and chewing on the bars - and they are in a Ferret Nation 142 for a whole eight hours while I sleep.

Ferrets are about as expensive as a cat or two, so don't go in to one thinking their upkeep will be cheap. It isn't. The litter and the food costs get up there, especially if you have more than two. (And don't forget all of the hammocks, hidey houses, beds, blankets, treats, and toys you are going to buy every single time you walk into a store because your ferret *needs* that.)

Litterbox training can be a pain. Mine are "litterbox trained" and they still poop elsewhere about 15% of the time. Any corner is fair game, and if they pick a corner you better put a box there. It gets annoying very quickly and that is really the one thing I dislike about them. (Having them on carpet in my bedroom doesn't help, either!) They climb, they dig, they raid fish tanks, and they push everything they can off of shelves just to see if it will break.

They are very friendly, super playful, some are cuddly, they can walk on a leash, they have wicked teeth and need to be taught serious bite inhibition when they are kits, their nails must be kept trim, they can be taught tricks, they have a faint odor, their poop stinks, and they are AMAZING. You'll either love 'em or hate 'em, I don't think there is room for in between. They are like perpetual kittens, only these guys dook and hop around! LOL

If you are seriously considering some ferrets (not just one, remember...at LEAST two!) I highly reccomend picking up the book Ferret's for Dummies. It has everything you need to know and more.

And besides their pooping habits, I don't think I'd change anything about them. They are great. I mean, just look at him.

I (politely and) respectfully disagree, I think ferrets can do just fine singly... with the right amount of attention
Mine have really really good litterbox habbits. I think it depends on the individual - and where they're from (what pet store (yes, some are actually worse than others)l vs breeder, maybe?) Maybe I'm just lucky! *knocks on wood*


But shame on me for forgetting "THE " book! Yes, Do get "Ferrets For Dummies" if your seriously considering ferrets!

Thanks again for all of the responses! Even if I don't respond to each one I am definitely reading them all and appreciate the input.

Another question about the ferrets, when you say out of cage time, does that mean time out of the cage, directly interacting with the ferrets. For example if I do get a ferret(s) I will have a whole room for them, as I mentioned before, so it will be ferretproof. Would I be able to let them out and also multitask like doing homework, etc. while they were out?

Oh definitely. Mine are let out 2-3 hours almost every day (sometimes longer) and usually only get about a half hour of my dedicated time. Since I have a pair they happily play with each other. Their playroom is loaded with fun, safe things to play with like a dig box, lots of snuggly spots, and some cat and ferret toys. Their playroom is right next to my office and I'm always hearing jinglies, crinkles and "dook dook dook DOOK dook dook!"

Thanks Allie! I know I could definitely give them a few hours of out of cage time today, but I don't think I have the time for their undivided attention that long. With Balou, when I am in school I would let him out of the cage while I did school work (or read, internet, whatever is what I have been doing lately).

Just expect distractions :rofl1: and a few laughs!

Oh I'm used to distractions. Balou likes to grab my papers/books and try to flee with them, and if I lay on my stomach he will run up and down my back, lol!

I agree that you can have a single ferret. Casey was a single girl for the first year of her life. It is just so much more fun to have two! And I do know that Casey really enjoys having Dameon around, especially when I don't have time to play with her.
And my two are *too* bad about the litterbox. They do run to a litterbox (that is in their chosen corners), but these past few months one of them has taken to pooping beside the litterbox, not in it. My coworkers ferrets are the same way, and they are breeder ferrets, so I think it is just ferrets. LOL

And yes, when I just had Casey she required a lot more one on one attention. I actually bought Dameon to keep her company, as I knew with school I wouldn't have time to actively play with her. Now really the only time I spend with them is if they are hyper when I am in the room in the evening. Other than that, they just amuse themselves throughout the day.

Hehehe, and my sister hates doing homework in the room when the ferrets are out because they will run up into her backpack and steal her pencils and erasers...and when all of the pencils have been taken, they try to take the one she is writing with! :rofl1: I love my ferti, I really do.

When I'm on rat forums, I want a rat. When I'm on ferret forums, I want a ferret. :lol-sign: And when Balou is out running around and being uber cute then I think maybe I should just get another chin

I have the perfect solution....get one (or two ^_^) of each!