Adding Another Ferret?

[karasufyre]

So as we all know the best toy for a ferret is another ferret!
I'd really like my baby to have a buddy to play with when I'm not home, or am too busy to play with him. But before I get too serious about it, I have some questions.

Soul is a 4 month old male FYI.

Is it better to introduce a new ferret when they are both younger? older? Does it even matter?

Does it matter the age difference? [As in, since Soul is only 4 months, say I got a one year or two year old, would they have problems?]

What difference does gender make in how well they will get along?

If I went the shelter route would a shelter let me bring in Soul so maybe he can pick out his own playmate? what about a pet store? or an individual person who needs to give up their ferret? Would you reccomend I do this? My only worry would be about him getting sick...

Of course, I also have to get my parents permission, so is there any real difference in having two fuzzies as opposed to just one? I don't think they will have a problem with it, but just in case I like to be prepeared!

Thank you in advance!
Also, any other advice you can give me would be greatly appreciated, even if you can't answer my questions

[Deleted]

Is Soul up to date on his vaccinations? If not, I'm not sure a shelter would let you bring him in.

I believe that, in the long-run, 2 ferrets are easier. However, food and vet bills will be twice as expensive. You will have two play with two ferrets instead of one.

[bluemoose]

Personally I also recommend two ferrets over one. It's actually easier on you and your ferret for him to have a buddy. Ferrets are intelligent creatures and should be given as much stimulation and enrichment as possible to keep them in shape both physically and mentally. Very few people can be entertaining their ferret every moment it's awake so that's where another ferret comes in! Bonded ferrets will sleep together, eat together, play together, and just keep each other company.

So if anything, caring for two ferrets is less work. It does mean cleaning the litter boxes more often, more food, and more vet costs but everything else financial pretty much stays the same. I assume you already have a large enough cage/room for two ferrets so that expense is out of the way.

Younger is probably better to introduce a new fuzz. Because ferrets are solitary creatures by nature, some don't take kindly to other ferrets if they've been alone for years and someone new suddenly shows up. Yours is still a kit so an intro should go smoothly.

Gender doesn't really make a difference assuming they're both neutered.

Most pet stores allow leashed and vaccinated pets in. For shelters it depends on the individual shelter. Some do and some don't. And again with people, you would have to ask them. At his age I wouldn't really worry about him not getting along. He's been with his litter mates very recently so another ferret would just be a litter mate. If you get a ferret from a shelter they'll be able to tell you how he/she generally does with other ferrets and a ferret from the pet store will likely be with other ferrets. Someone rehoming their ferret may be able to tell you something of the ferret's personality.

[taratee]

I will say letting your little boy help pick out his partner would be a good idea, I brought my ichabod home to be a partner with another ferret i had and she didnt like him at all and had nothing to do with him. i ended up having to take him with me to pick out his own partner, it sounds kinda strange but its effective to see how they react with one another.

gender doesnt much matter but size might my girls are REALLY small theyre lucky to be one pound each and ichabod hovers between 3.5 and 4. sometimes hes just too much for the girls to deal with, also girls dont like to use boys litter boxes because boys pee under them. thats another consideration...

shelters should keep up with their ferrets health but since your guy is so young ECE might be a worry because it doesnt hit young guys like it does old ones. and im sure each shelter has its own special rules on if you can bring your fuzzels in or not.

age difference can make a difference, but its mostly because older ferrets can have experienced more loss ya know? maybe this ferret has lost a partner already? its all about your ferrets personality vs the ferret you wants personality. do they play well, is it back and forth, does the other ferret come to your ferret as much as yours goes to theirs, and the ultimate question "is there blood? is there poop?" my boys who are around 6 months old tend to get too rough with the girls and its just because theyre babies, and while an older ferret can put a younger one in its place the younger one can also be a butthead

[Heather]

Allowing your little one to choose his playmate is probably the best route to go if you can do it. As far as I know most shelters and even petstores will allow your fuzz to choose his playmate if he's been tested for ADV in the last 6 months. Age, size and gender are irrelevant. The only problem with getting an older fuzz, it that chances are they won't live as long as their playmate and if the older fuzz is that much older will not be able to keep up with the younger fuzz. I find that 2 fuzzies are much easier to care for than just one....just my personal experience
ciao

[katt]

I Definitely recommend 2 ferrets over 1. For the ferret's sake, and yours. Having one ferret is a very rewarding experience yes, but it is also a HUGE challenge. Also, I can tell you that since I got my second ferret, Koda now dooks and plays way more than he ever used to with us. Though we gave him all fo the attention in the world, there are some things that only a ferret playmate can offer. They keep each other company while I am gone and I see them snuggled together in their cage all of the time. Plus 2 x the ferrets= 2 x the fun!

[dookdook]

Sounds like a good idea! As long as you are financially prepared, I am sure Soul would love you forever if you got him a buddy! Let us know how it goes

[Deleted]

Think Soul would really benefit having a friend to play with, he/she will keep him occupied while your away. Plus two or more is always 10x more fun ;D to see them interact, play and dance together, thats the best!

I wouldn't bring him to the pet store to pick a friend out. Pet store ferrets are not ADV tested, and they let anyone bring their ferret in meet other ferrets they are selling, thats just a accident waiting to happen. Because who knows what those kits are carrying there at the store and you don't want Soul to get ill! He could pick up anything from ADV, to Giardia, coccidia, ECE.... all kinds of things. I would apply this to ferrets being sold/given away in local papers/craigslist, ect

Now if you go to a shelter, if your ferret is current on the ADV test, has vaccines and is healthy, some will allow you to bring Soul to pick out a friend. I personally think the shelter is the best route, as the shelter knows the ferrets temperaments there and who would fit best with Soul and your family. Plus, nothing is better then the satisfaction of knowing you rescued a ferret and gave him/her a loving home they deserve!

I know our shelter doesn't allow it, bc they do not know, regardless of the ferrets test results if the person is taking proper precautions to prevent things like ADV. Only if the shelter mom really knows you and your ethics will allow it.

[karasufyre]

Thank you all to your responses!

Soul just really seems to need a ferret friend. I could give him all my attention, but I still can't crawl into his favorite spots, or cuddle up with him when he sleeps. I always intended to get more than one ferret eventually, and planned accordingly, I was hoping I could hold off for a bit longer but hey, we all fell in love with ferrets and that's why we are here! haha. I am totally prepared for the financial costs of another ferret, I may live with my parents [ugh] but I support myself otherwise

Taratee: I would have never thought about size, so thank you for pointing that out. My boy is a Marshalls ferret, so he's on the smaller side. [He's definietly gotten bigger since I first got him though]. If I got a girl would I have to just put in some more litter boxes for her if she won't use one Soul has used? I mean if the girl is picky with the box, and Soul isn't, that could turn into a big problem if Soul uses all of them and so she won't.

Katt: Yeah I've read your "Only Ferret" thread haha! That is exactly why I want another, because even when I'm playing with him, he tries to get me to do things I'm too big to do, gets bored, and goes and does something on his own [then five minutes later comes back to start it all over again!]

Hmm. Now I'm not sure if I'd take him along to pick out his friend. I'm sure he would get along with another ferret, he's only been with me for a little over a month. But just in case [as heartbreaking as it sounds!] say I got a ferret from a shelter/pet store and they didn't get along, would they let me return 'em? I know very little about the shelters here, but there are several ferret shelters in my city, so I will do my research when it comes time don't worry

Now I KNOW I had another question but I can't think of it at the moment....

[Heather]

Any shelter up here will allow you to return a companion ferret. I know I did. Yuri got along well enough with Timone. Unfortunately, both ferrets are deaf and Timone is blind in one eye...things got a little loud for Timone's ferrant and she was terribly afraid that the boys were hurting each other. Even though I tried to reassure her that they were just playing she couldn't get around it. I took Yuri back. Ask them. After all the whole idea is to get a companion for your little one. What's the use if you have to give them separate playtimes

ciao

[bluemoose]

Most pet stores also have return policies on their animals. Somewhere around 2-4 weeks. And yes, shelters will take back any animal.

[taratee]

It would be something to ask about in the forum i know (as per usual with ferrets) for some people it works one way with others it works another, i thought i had read something about deeper litter but that might just be for winter, i know my girls seem to get sad looks on their face when they have to use the communal litter boxes, larger boxes might work, i have a DIY litter box that was really easy to make (maybe 15 minutes) and it takes up about a third of the bottom layer

[karasufyre]

AHA!
I didn't have a question, I merely had a mental image to share with you guys that I think you'll get a kick out of. Whenever I hear people talking about how two fuzzies are better than one, I get this mental image of two ferrets, with one standing on the other to make a sort of a...fuzzy ladder...to reach places previously unreachable to cause the most damage possible. Very much like when I was a kid and one of us would get on all fours while the other would use the kid on the ground as a step stool to get to high up things that we, in all probability, were not supposed to get to.

Taratee: I remember reading about the deeper litter, and I do believe it was for the winter. Could you tell me how you made this litter box, or post a picture or something? At any rate, I could always use another litter box, and I'm intrigued haha.

[Sherry]

What really frightens me karasufyre is I really don't see that as outside the realm of possibilities

[Deleted]

I could see it happening, but only after a lenthy argument as to who would be on the bottom!