Don't Get a Ferret : 16 Downsides to Ferret Ownership

Wonder why some ferret owners tell you 'Don't Get a Ferret'?

In this video, I list all the top reasons ferrets DON'T make great pets (aka the Cons of Ferrets). I touch on the cost of ferrets, ferret lifespan, ferret health problems and more!

How to Select a Good Ferret Vet: COMING SOON

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DISCLAIMER: While this video was not sponsored, it does contain affiliate links that may give me a small commission, which helps me continue making these videos! Thank you for your support ❤

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Ferret Communities:
Ferrets for Life (on Facebook)
Ferret Owners (on Facebook)

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🎬 SKIP AHEAD
0:00 – Introduction
0:42 – Ferrets are Escape Artists
1:46 – Ferrets Get Bored Easily
2:17 – Not All Ferrets Love to Cuddle
2:59 – Some Ferrets Bite
3:35 – Ferrets Steal and Stash
4:01 – Ferrets Scratch Carpet
4:34 – Ferrets and Other Small Pets
5:31 – Ferrets Poop a Lot
6:50 – Ferrets Get Sick a Lot
7:48 – Ferrets Get Hurt in Accidents
8:20 – Ferret Vets are Hard to Find
9:00 – Good Ferret Products are Hard to Find
9:36 – Ferrets are Expensive
10:17 – Hard to Travel with Ferrets
11:13 – Ferrets Have a Short Lifespan
11:51 – Ferrets are Not Legal Everywhere
12:11 – Outtro

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@The Modern Ferret is a YouTube channel dedicated to creating entertaining and educational ferret videos.

[icipher]

Pros of owning a ferret: It's a ferret
Cons of owning a ferret: It's a ferret

[judemiles]

I've been wanting to own ferrets since I was twelve (currently seventeen) and unfortunately my parents won't allow me, but I'm so glad to have channels like yours out there to ensure that I'll be fully equipped with the knowledge to properly care for them once I'm living on my own!! So thank you for making content!

[milo]

This should be mandatory viewing for anyone before getting ferrets. We love our little stinky thireving carpet sharks, but you gotta know what you are in for. Great work as always Haley!

[aerikonemira]

another downside is they can get severely depressed if they've found a mate. that happened to me with my boy Roxas. me and my former friend each had ferrets he found his mate in her female ferret, sadly because they didn't live together he became super depressed being away from her for too long, whereas before he was always super bubbly and loved being around me, he loved cuddling with me and after he just was like a shell of himself, so I gave him to her so he could be happy. he was my first ferret and sadly my last. I grew very attached to him in only a few months so i don't want to go through that again.

[DeeKate]

OH MY GOSH THE ESCAPING!! I had one ferret claw through a window screen from a window I thought he couldn't reach while I went to get groceries. He has anxiety and isn't adventurous without me with him so THANKFULLY once he got outside, he hid in a bush. When I got back from the store, he saw me walking up to the house and ran out of the bush, right up to me. I had to close that window from then on. But EVERY DAY for 2 years, until we moved, he jumped at that window, because he got out once and was hoping to again.

[callmeclaireee]

I always tell people who say they want them to maybe not. Especially if they don’t have the money and emotional strength to deal with their health issues. It’s heart breaking to see them get sick but I can’t imagine my life without them.

[susanapplegate]

Yours was the first ferret youtubes I found when my brother surprised me with my first ferret (who just turned two). Then a few months later I got another so we have a tribe now. LOVE LOVE LOVE! I come up with all kinds of games, all SEVEN litter pans cleaned no less than 3x a day, one loves me to hold her in my lap while she eats (I think it's because I held her and dripped water down her for hours the one time she got sick), they are both incredible thieves and escape artists (all doors with any room for a ferret are covered with plastic mesh by the floor). Grew up with many dogs, cats, cows, horses, chickens, pigs...but these little smarties are soooo loving and fun. They listen when I say please don't bite, sometimes (sometimes) they listen when I call "not on the floor, you're right by the pan...".). It's never dull and they are just priceless. Both wardance several times a day cuz I do invent a lot of games, one is especially good at speed bumping. Thank you for so much info and sharing your own gorgeous creatures!!

[sssky]

i have two ferrets and i bought them for $800 together. i absolutely love them and wouldnt trade them for anything in the world. yes, they are troublemakers, but they love me and i love them and thats enough to keep me going with them

[richardbromley]

These videos always make me happy and I love how educational they are. I am so glad I found this content, I have learnt so much about ferrets the last couple of months I am obsessed !Thank you!☺

[kennedywestphal]

Confession. I had a wonderful ferret but I had to rehome her after less than a year. I did a ton of research but still had no idea how much work they truly are. I was caring for a puppy and my ferret, and the puppy was easier to care for than the ferret. She got into everything. And they poop every 3 hours or so. In my apartment, the smell was just terrible even with cleaning multiple times a day and having my windows open. She would get into my furniture, and every single cabinet. She somehow got under my dishwasher! I spoiled her and did everything I could. My life was constant chaos, constant ferret proofing. She was free roam during the day and I always have her proper care and love. She went to a lovely ferret owner though! I honestly believe that ferrets are exotic pets, they are not like any other pet I’ve ever had. They are amazing but not for most people. They are extremely naughty and curious. It’s just their nature though! It was truly just chaos

[PawsToJourney]

I wish our ferrets’ health problems only costed hundreds of dollars like mentioned. We were well into the thousands upon thousands of dollars per ferret 😢😢. Between multiple Adrenal Disease, Insulinoma’s, Seizures, Multiple Tumor removals, a leg amputation, and a few other emergencies.

Another thing to consider when it comes to vets is having an emergency 24 hour vet that also see ferrets. We have one that’s 45 minutes away.. but our last two emergencies we had overnight, they weren’t seeing emergencies, causing us to have to drive 3 hours away. (We ended up losing our little Hagrid due to damage done by a seizure… whether or not the longer drive made it worse or not, we’ll never know 😢).

Between the emergency vet issues we had, and your last point of lifespans, we are taking a break from ferrets. We lose 3 in the matter of a year, Hagrid was only 5 when we lost him; and even though our Kreacher and Winky made it past 7, it didn’t make it any easier.

Honestly, our biggest mistake was not thinking about lifespans of all our pets, and when they’d all reach senior ages, which ended up being all at the same time 😢. So our hearts definitely need a break ❤

[sushi]

Thanks for the video! I think, even through all these cons, ferrets are fantastic. They have been the best thing in my life for quite a while now.

[rocknrobin]

Thank you for being honest and people need to understand and resurch alot because it is a commitment and is expensive ...but the way they touch your heart and change your life is amazing...and their worth it, every bit of it. I have 7 now

[joshuajones]

i have a 1 year old and with health issues and i dont know if i will ever own another, so hard to see your baby go through so much sickness regardless of what you do to prevent it. great video

[heatherakagamermom]

I spend $325-400 every 6 months for implants for just one ferret. Now it’s starting for two ferrets. It’s worth it to me but they don’t tell you these things when you start out. This video was perfect and thank you for diving into it.

[hanss.]

Please keep making content! I'm currently going back through the archives. I love ferrets and want to own another but I'm just not emotionally ready. Your channel helps me focus that desire into healthy preparation and it takes the "edge" off committing an "impulse buy." Thank you so much!

[rochellewilliams]

Thank you for more information on ferrets. We can never have too much of it

[julakenley]

We got our girl, Sneki, about 16 months ago & your videos have been instrumental in this beautiful adventure! Thank you so much for all the crucial information! "Snekernoodle" thanks you, too!

[CutePiggy-od]

I think the biggest mistake people make when they get ferrets is thinking they are caged animals, like a hamster or guinea pig. A ferret is like owning a dog and they need a huge space to come out of the cage and play. When I got mine I didn't realize how much space they need to play. I think alot of people get ferrets and keep them in cages for most of their life which makes me heartbroken. When you buy them at the pet store they don't tell you this stuff, and they usually have the ferrets in a way too small enclosure next to the hamsters and guinea pigs.

[Bird_Brain_B]

Early for the first time also thanks for posting this really helps people decide if they really want a ferret and have the time to get one and needs