Ferrets, only one? Is it cruel?

[fuzzyizzy]

I'm buying a ferret from a local breeder (she's currently 3.5wks)
But have been reading some things about how it's not good to only have one ferret as it can cause depression in the ferret to go from big litter to single home.
Is this true? Should I get another ferret from the same litter? Or will my fuzzy be ok on her own?
She will be well cared for and played with, there's always someone home. But also one that note she will not be free roaming... Just but will have frequent out of cage play times(when she wants it)
Can anyone offer any advice as to owning a single ferret

[Sherry]

Single ferrets can do very well. Myself, I think I would always have two, simply because I can't race in the tunnel with them, nor snuggle in the hammock.

[Deleted]

I think if you are prepared to spoil them and give them lots of attention and hours of stimulation per day, a single ferret can be very happy!

Otherwise, it's easier with 2 or more, they keep each other company!

[Heather]

What does her breeder think? Your breeder will be more aware as to the mentality and the needs of her kits than anyone. You mention that she won't be allowed free roam and will only be out of cage when she wants to? Ferrets always want to be out ;D . They need a minimum of 4 hrs per day and breeder ferrets are much more active and have a greater need for stimulation than store ferrets, they have a tendency to get a bit nippy if you don't . They are for the most part smarter, faster, stronger and have greater need for stimulation and lovins. My wee Tico and Lady Morgain are both solos. They take up a lot of my time during their times out, they are high needs because they're solo....I might add though they may not get to roam the house 24/7, they do only spend about 5 hrs cage time. They have their own rooms, the hobs have their own room downstairs and Lady Morgain and her brethren have the upstairs ferret room (they have to share these spaces too) and an outside play area.
ciao

[Deleted]

My first ferret, Josie, was an only ferret for most of her short life. But she was with me 24/7 as I was doing.horseshoeing full time then. She travelled with me learned to stay away from my feet while driving. She was accustomed to the harness and we would walk for miles through the day and nights would visit the beaches. She was hardly ever locked in her cage.

A ferret plain and simple really is Not a cage pet like a Guinea pig or hamster. They are more like a small dog.

Ferret proof your home BEFORE bringing the ferret home. And seriously review your ability to offer proper interaction. These guys NEVER like being caged.

Some pocket fuzz from my SG II

[Deleted]

I generally believe that if a single fuzz can't be free roam or have tonnes of interactive fun for most of the day, a second fuzz would be beneficial.

[Deleted]

I have a single fuzzlet, if you have lots of extra time and love for them they seem to do well.

[miamiferret2]

I have a single ferret and i have owned a few singles. IMO they tend to live longer and especially if they free roam. Probably less stress? I play with them alot too. they do just fine on their own.

[miamiferret2]

Oh and it makes me FURIOUS when people imply that keeping a single ferret is cruel. my single ferrets get the best of everything. I spare no expense on their food, vet care, etc. I would rather have one and spoil him rotten than have 5 and give them the bare minimum or only what i can "afford."

[Heather]

Keeping solos is never cruel. Some are more prone to needing friends than others....Minion needs friends to be stable (but then he's blind and startles easy). His friends help stabalize his life. Tico, on the other hand, doesn't need friends, he's very happy in his skin and enjoys life with his people. He loves having the whole house to himself, herding the cats and creating general mayhem. I have to admit having him climb my leg to be held while I'm trying to was dishes can be .... a dampening experience Pooka hated all other ferrets, she loved life on her own (who wouldn't a whole ferret nation cage to herself). Lady Morgain on the other hand grew up with friends, I think she would life to have friends to play with again. She's not unhappy being a solo, but I can't help thinking that she would be much happier to share her space with a friend. I've had a number of ferrets who've lived solo and were happy to do so. It certainly makes the end of life thing easier....you don't have to worry about loosing two ferrets....just the one
I think what is cruel is a caged ferret who has no one who doesn't get time out to be a ferret....but then putting two ferrets together to share the misery isn't much better either
ciao

[Deleted]

Most of my group wouldn't do well on their own, they all seem to be really hung up on each other. I think only Chell would be ok alone as she tends to sleep alone, spend her time playing alone and follows humans around like a puppy. She will play and sleep with other ferrets, but not very often.

Murder on the other hand can't handle being alone at all, even when going to the vet we take at least one other ferret along.

Then we have a ferret like Artemis who lived as a solo ferret before coming to us, occasionally having play dates with other ferrets. He very much seems to be happier in a group. He'll do ok on his own, but he enjoys the social life if it's available.

[Deleted]

From a biological perspective it makes sense that they should be able to do do well alone as long as they have plenty of stimulation in life, after all wild polecats aren't really social animals, they don't crawl into a big group den at the end of the day to snuggle with a bunch of other polecats ;D They are for the most part solitary and even territorial.

But then, a wild polecat has PLENTY of stimulation and interesting things to do with their time

They have been domesticated for something like 2500 years though, so maybe we bred in more social tendencies that weren't there originally? I'm not sure.

I've also heard the theory that we keep them in a baby-like state of mind where they co-exist with other ferrets as if they were all littermates, and that this is in part due to early altering. I've seen it proposed that intact ferrets with their hormones will mature to an adult state of mind and not like living with other ferrets. Well, that theory doesn't seem to hold with my bunch, my intact hob Finn still very much enjoys the company of the other ferrets, playing with them, sleeping in a ferret pile, etc. He is a full-grown adult (about 19 months old), intact with all his hormones, and yet he acts lonely when he has to sleep in a cage all by himself, and would rather be with the others.

So as for the above theories, maybe it's a little more complicated than that

Or maybe it's more simple: Perhaps they are just not so strictly bound by their genetic tendencies, and they can be influenced to have different behavior by raising them differently than they would have been raised in the wild? Or in other words, their natural tendency is to be solitary and territorial, but we raise them to act differently and go against their tendencies? Perhaps it's the whole nature vs. nurture debate, and nurture sometimes wins out? That kind of makes more sense to me, since even high-percentage polecat hybrids or even purebred polecats have been known to live together and get along socially.

[crazylady]

Hi solo ferrets can manage quite well basically once they get over the shock of being separated from there siblings and life is made interesting they settle down some of my whole holds live in pairs while my breeder hobs live separate lives ( just as my vas hobs do ) do they appear upset no they get down for play time and visit all the different cages visiting jills and hobs alike but they cant get too them unless I allow it ( or on the odd occasion they break out lol ) they tend to adapt quite readily heathers tico is breeder hob so he will get to visit with a lady or two lol while mo will eventually become a mother and end up with her own daughters as company ( which she might regret lol ) as long as they are stimulated and feel safe then ferrets can get along alone in pairs or in businesses the choice is yours and remember stimulation comes in many forms even a different cut of meat can be stimulating to a ferret ( with my lot its ox tail lol like how the heck do I get the meat out of this star shaped bone without eating all the bone lol ) take care bye for now
Bev

[Heather]

I like your theories Mikey....they do make sense. I agree, nurture seems to be the whole key to the idea of multiple ferrets in a household. I know that my boy, Tico, wouldn't give you a thank you for another ferret. The other night I was feeding my sickies, Tico was out playing and a little disappointed that he had to share my time. He eventually got tired of stashing his jingle balls and herding cats (favourite pastime) and jumped up on my lap (neither he nor Lady Morgain have any problem doing this). Lady Sprite, was on my lap...he sniffed her, chuckled a bit and tried to steal her dinner (there is no honour amongst ferrets ;D). I put him down because he was getting pushy and I didn't want him to hurt her. Fun-Go was next. Tico jumped up, but this time it was different. The conversational dooking was no longer curious dooking, but the stronger, louder, more rapid dooking of an angry ferret. Tico was going to attack Fun-Go. He was once again relegated to the floor. He has no desire for a friend. He likes his life being the main attraction. He despises his living companions and the two groups have to be kept apart for their own safety. If he had been raised with friends, like the 'binos he would have been much more accepting....but he was not and will spend his days being a solo happily chasing cats and getting a tumble or two with a jill in his lifetime.
ciao

[joan]

Domestication, as a rule, tends to prolong the juvenile physiology and mentaltiy, often for the lifetime of the animal. The early neutering would reinforce that tendency, so that such animals would be happier with the company of their littermates and/or "dam" throughout their lifetime.

It really depends on the personality of the animal involved as to how it will adapt to a solitary life, but I do think it's in large measure how they're kept and raised from 6-7 weeks on. If they're taken away from their dam and littermates at that age and are only ferrets for several months, they'd be more unlikely to accept another ferret...although many such ferrets happily accept a cat or dog as a substitute companion and playmate.

As Mikey said, high content hybrids and polecats accept and enjoy the company of others like them if raised with them. Polecats are not as solitary, even in the wild, as originally thought.

As a breeder, I would be very reluctant to place a kit in a home where it would be a solitary ferret. While I don't doubt that they can be happy if the owner gives them the time and attention such a ferret would need, I still think they'd be happier and have a more fulfilling life with a companion of their own kind.