Advantages And Disadvantages Of Having Wild Ferrets

Is a wild ferret for you? You might have to quiz yourself well on that before you head off to the nearest forest and score yourself a brand new wild ferret to have and hold. There are many advantages and disadvantages of keeping wild ferrets, and here are some of the more major things you can expect once you decide to acquire wild ferrets.

Advantages:

More adventure, more fun. People who are just as interested in getting adventures out of their ferrets as much as the wild ferrets are must be open to the idea of keeping them untamed. Wild ferrets are quite exciting to behold, especially for extremists who may find themselves bored with the typical domesticated pet. The good thing about wild pets is that they are extremely resilient and able to bounce back from attacks easily with they speedy and adventurous nature. Their curiosity may also lead to bring you in some surprises you wouldn’t otherwise have had if you had them tamed.

Non-deviation from their natural genetic makeup. The genetic makeup for ferrets is that they roam free and explore unchartered territories fearlessly. Leaving them to their wild side will enable them to do just that. If you are planning to research on ferrets, keeping them wild is the best way to keep them as close to their natural habitat and actuations as possible. This way, learning about your pet is maximized.

Owners will get the chance to see wild ferrets as they are, sans modifications that can be painful for them. Seeing ferrets au naturel has its perk. Modifying ferrets for domestication such as removing their gland (a big ouch for your mammal!) that secretes the offensive musky smell can really alter your ferret permanently.

One can have to option to train them at a later time. Once you have had enough of the adventures or misadventures of your wild ferret, you always have the option to tame them at a later time.

Disadvantages:

Wild ferrets may choose to be free from your ownership anytime. Since wild ferrets are designed to be free from any form of captivity or ownership, they will have no sense of loyalty whatsoever and will be free to roam around to places in any way they choose. If you truly want this whole thing to work, you have to be prepared to lose your ferret over anytime once they decide to break free and change their surroundings.

They have higher risk to diseases and early deaths. Wild ferrets are not regulated in any way. They will eat anything and everything that they see lying around. In fact, even domesticated ferrets still have this as a common cause of death. This risk to early deaths, lack of digestion and poisoning may be heightened. And treating them with a laxative may be all the more difficult if you have not trained your ferret even to get familiar with you to trust you.

They may pose a danger to you, especially to children. If you let ferrets be, they will remain as wild as ever and they may not be the kind of pet you would want to have around when there are many children who can get hurt. Children and ferrets are both playful and grow wild when untamed, and there is no predicting what kind of explosion may occur if you put them together in the same room and in the same condition.

Younger children are at a higher risk of getting bitten because they may not be able to regulate the way they touch your ferrets and the ferrets might interpret the child’s playful cuddling as an attack.

Once you decide to train them later, they may be most resistant to your attempts. Training wild ferrets when old may not be as easy as when you start them out young. You might have to incur additional expenses and few ferret trainers will be willing to get bitten by an old wild ferret for a fee.

Having A Pet Ferret

Do ferrets make good pets? Some will agree to this while others will say no. But one thing for certain is that they are in demand right now and they are ranked number three as the pet to have in the home. If you are still not convinced, perhaps reading 10 good reasons will make you reconsider.

First, ferrets are cute. They come in black, brown, white or with mixed fur. They are longer than hamsters as they can grow up to 20 inches in length, 5 inches in height and weigh about 2 to 4 pounds. These creatures can live for 7 to 10 years with tender and loving care from their owner.

Second, they are very playful creatures. This will allow you to hold them instead of just looking through the glass to see what they are doing.

Third, they are very affectionate, friendly and sociable even if there is another ferret in the house.

Fourth, ferrets are intelligent animals. They can be trained to perform some tricks and toilet trained so you don’t see any litter or stain on your carpet.

Fifth, these creatures do not make a lot of noise in the noise. The only thing you have to be concerned about is cleaning up the mess that they caused.

Sixth, because ferrets are small, you don’t need to buy a huge cage. Surely, the ideal kind which measures 18” x 18” x 30” will not take that much space inside your home.

Seventh, ferrets are also easy to feed. Just make sure that what you buy contains high levels of protein and low levels of fat. This must never be rich in carbs or sugar or ever replaced with food that is intended for other animals.

Eighth, they are very curious creatures. They love to crawl to dark places like inside your pants or under the couch. They love to hide as well as jump from high places.

Ninth, every animal needs to exercise and giving your ferret a workout is not that difficult. You can take them out for a walk using a small harness.

Lastly, each ferret is different so your experience is much different with another just like the people you meet in the neighborhood.

If you are thinking of getting a ferret, you have to decide whether you want to buy one for adopt it from a shelter. You will also have to check if it is legal to own one where you live and if there is a vet that will treat it if there are any problems. You have to be one hundred percent sure you are ready to take on the responsibility because most shelters are not willing to take it back and this creature will have a hard time adjusting to the wild if you choose to set it free.

Ferrets can only survive if they are entertained and are in a safe environment. This means making your home ferret proof because they could cause serious damage to your home and harm to themselves. So although you have a cage, remember that they need to come out so both you and the creature can have some fun.

Just like other pets, they also need to be cleaned, vaccinated and undergo regular checkups.