We often get asked about whether it is possible to have a pet ferret if you also have a pet bunny, parrot, or other small mammal in the home.  There are many stories about pet ferrets causing injury or even death to other pets, but these accidents are preventable.  In this series, we are going to discuss different elements that you should be aware of before you mix a pet ferret with other prey type pets.  

This is the fourth part of this series.  You can find links to the parts down below. In the first part we already discussed the biology and domestication process of ferrets.  In the second part we discussed how to make your other animal friend safe and comfortable.  In the third part, we started our focus on ferrets.  In this section, we will cover more advanced training techniques that can be used to desensitize the ferret and delay the predatory response.

This is not a training process that we recommend for the average pet owner.  For most pet owners, it should be sufficient to desentize the animals as we discussed in previous posts and to prevent direct interaction between them.  We are sharing our training techniques for other professionals who work in animal ambassador programs or provide educational services using live animals.  In this type of work, these animals are often transported in travel carriers to unfamiliar places and there are more variables that can be difficult to control.  This training is an unnecessary risk for casual pet owners who have more control over their home environment and reducing risks of accidental interaction.  The goal of this training is to create more time for intervention in case of an accidental interaction or exposure.  In the case of educational programs, this could be as simple as a well-intentioned program participant moving an animal carrier closer to another carrier without realizing that the space between the ferret carrier and rabbit carrier were intentional.  Or it could be an unsupervised child opening the parrot travel carrier while the animal handler is presenting the ferret.  Mistakes happen and accidents happen.  Hopefully this training can help prevent them from becoming an emergency.

This training process assumes that both animals are already highly socialized and desensitized to new environments.  Target training is recommended and flight recall should already be trained for birds.  The prey type animal should already have enough exposure to ferrets that there is no fear response or agitation caused by the ferret’s presence.  

The first step in this process is to gauge the ferret’s predatory drive.  How does the ferret respond when you wave a feather in their face?  Will the ferret chase a toy mouse on a string?  How is the ferret’s impulse control while playing?  Does the ferret easily get carried away or does the ferret show inhibition with biting by being gentle or avoiding nipping?  Some ferrets are going to require a longer training process than others.  This helps determine where to start.  

If you’ve already target trained the ferret, that is good, but I also recommend training this auditory cue.  If you remember from the first part, ferrets are very near-sighted, but they have an excellent ability to locate a sound.  For our ferrets, we provide a consistent tapping sound on the floor.  We want to train the ferret to locate the source of the sound instead of using a target because the ferret will be capable of doing this over a greater distance and they will notice a sound more quickly than a nonmoving visual object.  We want the sound to capture their attention in a way that would be more difficult to do with a target stick.  The reason we train this behavior is for a common behavioral training trick.  If you want to stop an animal from doing an unwanted behavior, you can give the animal a task to perform that competes with the unwanted behavior.  In this case, the unwanted behavior is the ferret investigating a new animal.  The ferret cannot investigate a new animal if it is locating the source of a sound that is in a different direction than the new animal.  Those two behaviors are in competition.  We want the ferret to decide between locating the source of this sound which has a reward or investigating this new animal which is rewarding by satisfying their curiosity.  But we are going to manipulate the situation so that coming to where we are tapping will be more rewarding than following their instinct to investigate the new animal.  From there, we can work on training them to ignore the new animal.

In the video clip below, you can see part of this training process with Jack that was done in 2017.

Depending on the level of predatory instinct, you may have to start training using substitutes.  This can be a stuffed animal that has the other animal’s scent.  For parrots, it is easiest to use their molted feathers.  What you will do is to make these objects move in ways that are stimulating for the ferret and then you want to reward for “calm”.  This may involve some shaping.  You may place the feather on the floor and then call the ferret away before you progress to instigating the unwanted behavior.  If a ferret reaches for the object with an open mouth, you may want to work on training for calmly sniffing the object before asking the ferret to move away.  This training is tricky because you are instigating the unwanted behavior.  It is important not to scold or scruff your ferret for failing as this will cause the ferret to become frustrated.  Simply ignore any failures, and reward behaviors that bring the ferret closer to being calm and disinterested.

After this, you can start introducing the other animal in training sessions.  You should have more than one trainer working together especially if the prey type animal has not been exposed to this situation and it is uncertain exactly how they will respond.  You can use a harness on the ferret for additional control, but this may also cause distraction or confusion for the ferret.  

First you present the animal out of the ferret’s immediate range, but close enough that the ferret recognizes the new stimulus.  If the ferret comes towards the other animal, you can lift the animal further out of reach.  Also be aware that if the ferret is coming towards the animal, this can cause the other animal to react in fear or cause them to flee which is the opposite of what you want to happen.  By lifting the other animal further out of reach, you want to maintain that animal’s comfort and trust in this process.  At the same time that the new animal is presented, the tapping sound should also start.  This can be done by you or the other trainer.  This behavior should also have been generalized to the other trainer before starting any sessions with the new animal.

At first, the ferret may choose to investigate the new animal instead of performing the desired behavior.  As before, failure is ignored.  If the ferret is not staying calm and is persistent in its efforts to access the new animal, then you should return to earlier steps in the training process.  If the ferret loses interest once the new animal is out of reach and is staying calm, then continue with the process.  The ferret should start choosing to locate the sound and receive its reward.

From here, you continue to present the new animal so that it is more within the ferret’s reach.  If the ferret reverts to trying to investigate the new animal, then increase the distance again.  Once the ferret can constantly perform this behavior as desired, then you can start desensitizing triggering behaviors.  ​

In July of 2020, we filmed Jack modeling his trained behaviors for the purposes of this series. Jack was so uninterested in the presence of the parrots that he decided to go take a nap instead.  We had to encourage him to even acknowledge the birds so that we could show what the training would look like. 

For this training, we have mostly worked with parrots.  Parrots are at higher risk of flying and landing on a person who might be holding a ferret, becoming startled and flying off, or potentially having a crash landing.  The flight behavior is also very stimulating to predatory animals.  For this training, we have the parrots do flight recall out of reach of the ferret.  The ferret should be exposed to the movements, sounds, and breeze that is caused by the bird flying overhead.  Then we want to reward for calm or give the ferret another task to complete while this is occurring.  We do not want the bird to be in reach of the ferret or to land near the ferret during this training.  This is additional desensitization.  

Again, the goal of this training is to increase the length of time that you have to make an intervention in case of an accident in which the ferret and the other animal have access to each other.  If the ferret suddenly realizes that a bunny, chinchilla, or parrot happens to be within reach, you want the ferret’s first response to look for a behavioral cue that means an opportunity for a reward rather than the excitement of seeing a new animal.  You are trying to encourage the inhibition of a predatory response and creating a new meaning for this stimulus other than what is being provided by the ferret’s instincts.  This training does not eliminate the predatory response or mean that the ferret is now safe to have around prey type animals.  Again, we do not recommend this training for regular pet owners.  

Hopefully you now have a better understanding of the dynamics between ferrets and other household pets.  

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We often get asked about whether it is possible to have a pet ferret if you also have a pet bunny, rodent, or parrot in the home.  There are many stories about pet ferrets causing injury or even death to other pets, but these accidents are preventable.  In this series, we are going to discuss different elements that you should be aware of before you mix a pet ferret with other prey type pets.  

This is the second part of this series.  You can find links to the other parts in this series down below. In the first part we already discussed the biology and domestication process of ferrets.  Now, we are going to discuss methods of safety for other pets in your home.

Here at Ferrets and Friends, we have ferrets as well as parrots, bunnies, chinchillas, and a hedgehog.  Our rule of thumb for safety is that there should always be at least two to three barriers between the ferrets and the other animals with one of those barriers being a door which is ferret proof.  You would think that doors are usually ferret proof, but ferrets can fit wherever their skull fits.  In the case of smaller ferrets (usually girls), some are actually able to squeeze under the door.  If a door does not latch, it is not uncommon for ferrets to figure out how to push or pull the door open. 

We never assume that a cage meant for another animal is ferret proof.  At one point we kept one of our parrot cages out in the living area which the ferrets were allowed to roam for the exercise.  The parrot cage was purchased because it had a tall stand and no bars for ferrets to climb to reach the main portion of the cage.  One day, a cat scratching post was moved about a foot away from the parrot cage and one of the ferrets was able to climb to the top of the post, jump the distance to the portion of the parrot cage that had bars, and climb to the top.  Fortunately, neither the parrot or ferret was hurt in this scenario.  But this caused us to change our safety procedures to require a door in addition to barriers provided by cages.  Even if your ferret has never shown interest in climbing onto a table or the top of a bookcase, it is usually because they simply have not tried it yet and does not mean that they are incapable.  You do not want them to discover their new climbing or jumping abilities when you are not supervising them and your other pets are left vulnerable in their cage.  Accidents happen and sometimes a door to a ferret cage isn’t latched correctly or your creative parrot has invented a new escape through their food door.  Having separate rooms significantly reduces the risk of each animal encountering the other during their unauthorized adventure.  ​

We have had many conversations with people about what type of pet they would like to add to their family.  There are many things to consider such as how social the animal is, how much mess there might be to clean, life expectancy, and lifestyle compatibility.  Pets are also a financial commitment and it can be difficult to get an idea of exactly what a new pet will cost.  Since we care for a variety of animals, we decided to put together some charts based on our experience of caring for these different animals.  We decided to factor our veterinary costs differently than other resources.  Instead of factoring the average cost of a wellness exam and standard annual care for a healthy animal, we also looked at our experience of how often the specific type of animal may become sick and the typical costs of end of life illnesses.  We added these costs to the annual wellness costs for the animal's lifespan and then divided these costs by the average lifespan.  For example, a single ferret might cost $300 to care for in a year in which they are healthy, but ferrets are prone to many end of life illness that can be expensive to treat.  When you factor this in, it raises the average annual cost to $600 per year.  That's a big difference!  So ferret owners should expect to spend $300 per year caring for their pet during a healthy year and set aside an additional $300 per year for potential illnesses.  We hope that this information is useful for pet parents as they factor in a budget for their new family member.

To give you an idea of how we came to our numbers, we are providing an example with our eleven pound tabby cat, Peach.  Her annual wellness exam with vaccinations is about $80.  However, we have budgeted $200 for veterinary expenses to cover potential illnesses she may have over her lifetime.  Since cats are a more common household pet, you may be able to compare your budget for feline expenses against ours.  These numbers should also give you some frame of reference as you compare other types of animals on our list.

We are only putting together numbers for small mammals in our care.  While there are many other small mammals in the pet trade, we do not have numbers that we can use for guinea pigs, rats, mice, hamsters, or gerbils.  We would expect that the numbers for a Guinea Pig might be similar to the Chinchilla, while number for hamsters, gerbils, and mice should be less than our numbers for our Hedgehog.  Rats would probably fall between the Hedgehog and Chinchilla range. 

For start up costs, we are including items that are typically bought only once or infrequently  in the animal's lifespan.  This includes a cage, food bowls, hay bins, hides or shelter, and water bottle or water dish.  We are not including the cost of the animal in start up costs or the cost of the first bag of food or initial wellness exam.  Your expected first year budget can be found by adding the annual cost and the start up cost.  

With small mammals, the combination of veterinary costs and shorter lifespans play a huge role in their annual budget.  The annual veterinary budget for each animal is as follows: ferret ($400), rabbit ($250), chinchilla ($100), and hedgehog ($200).  Chinchillas typically have a longer lifespan and fewer illnesses so this more evenly spreads their veterinary costs over time, while hedgehogs have short lifespans and a variety of common illnesses so you can expect to spend more money in a shorter amount of time.  Rabbits and ferrets are both prone to emergency veterinary visits and are susceptible to different illnesses.  As mentioned previously, ferrets have very high end of life health care needs and require annual vaccinations like dogs and cats, so they have the highest annual budget.

You may notice that our rabbits surprisingly have the lowest start up cost of our other animals.  This is because we do not have a cage for our rabbits.  We use a small bedroom as their enclosure instead of using a cage or a pen.  While the ferrets are also given a small room as their enclosure, we do have a cage for them that we use to contain them during cleaning time or when we travel to longer events.  Since the ferrets have a room as their enclosure, they have a cheaper cage that would not be adequate as their main housing.  For a sturdier cage, the cost would be about $100 higher.  For a rabbit, if you choose to use a cage or pen, you would need to add in this additional cost.

It was difficult for us to estimate our food budget for the different types of parrots in our care.  One of the advantages of having a multiple parrots is that we can often split the food between the parrots.  They also receive a variety of fresh foods as part of their diet.  These fresh foods are also consumed by other animals (and people!).  Again, the start up costs only include the cage and an initial purchase of toys, perches, and food dishes if they were not adequately supplied with the cage.  The start up costs do not include the cost of the animal.  For parrots, this is often the highest initial expense with many small parrots costing $200-$300 and larger parrots costing $1,500-$2,500.  

Veterinary costs for sick parrots do not have as much of an impact on the annual budget due to their long lifespans.  In addition to typical wellness exams, parrots should also have their blood work checked.  You can expect to spend a bit more on their annual wellness exam than you would for your dog or cat. They also require a larger budget for toys and enrichment.  Parrots are social and emotional animals.  Boredom can cause frustration, behavioral problems, and psychological or physical illness.  Over 60% of our annual budget for our macaw parrot is the cost of toys and enrichment for her.  She's a young parrot so this may change as her energy levels change over time, but for now, this is what our numbers are showing.

We have a variety of lizards that we work with here at Ferrets and Friends so for this selection we tried to pick some of the most popular pets as well as our largest lizard, our Argentine Tegu.  Since we keep a large collection, we use stacking enclosures, radiant heat panels, and a thermostat to maintain heat levels.  For high humidity animals, we also use a humidifier.  For start up costs, we included the enclosure, heating system, hides, water dishes, and humidifier (where applicable).  For annual costs, we included food, substrate, UVB strips, basking bulbs, and veterinary care.  We actually reduced the cost of our veterinary care budget as we realize that most people do not take their reptiles to the veterinarian each year for wellness exams.  Instead, we tried to reflect the costs for illness, fecal exams, and typical end of life care.  Out of the animals listed, chameleons have the highest veterinary cost average due to their shorter lifespan (the same thing happened with hedgehogs as we discussed earlier).  For Bearded Dragons, you should get their fecals checked once a year and they sometimes need to be treated minor illnesses.  Leopard geckos are very easy to care for and the longer lifespan makes their average veterinary costs the lowest of the group.  With reptiles, proper husbandry is really important.  Many expensive veterinary costs are avoidable by making sure that your reptile has the proper diet and environment. 
As we were putting together this information, we were surprised to find that we actually spend more money annually feeding our Tegu than feeding our cat.  She costs an average of $440 per year to feed, just barely surpassing the food budget for our favorite feline.

Snakes are probably one of the most budget friendly pets.  Young snakes might only eat once a week.  Older and larger snakes might only eat once per month.  Most of our snakes use either a radiant heat panel or a heating pad which do not need to be replaced as often as bulbs.  Feeding a frozen/thawed diet of mice or rats makes it easy to buy feeders in bulk.  Corn snakes, milk snakes, and king snakes are all very easy for beginners.  While Ball Pythons are docile, they have several common problems that are better for keepers with more experience.  The largest snake in our collection is a red-tail boa.  

For this last group, we made some liberal estimates.  Our tortoises receive their pellet supplement once per week and they receive fresh food throughout the rest of the week.  We estimate that we spend about $174 per year to feed our two tortoises.  We did not cut this number in half as we did with our bunny food budget estimate because we did not think it would be accurate reflection of the spending for a single tortoise.  The rest of the budget is substrate changes and replacement bulbs which would need to be done in the same way regardless if you had one or two tortoises. 

By far the most affordable animals in our care, our South American Horned Frog (or Pacman Frog) and Desert Blonde Tarantula finish up this list.  They certainly shouldn't be breaking anyone's bank account.  Like the other animals, set up costs did not include the cost for the animal itself.  These only include the cage, water dish, and hides.  We also did not factor in veterinary care for the frog or the tarantula.  In fact, our frog might be one of the only frogs that our veterinarian sees in his practice!  

So, when people ask us which animal is the most expensive animal in our care, we can now point them to this article and answer with confidence that it is our cat!  We can say with some confidence that most animals in the small pet trade will be less expensive than a pet dog or a pet horse, but some are not as cheap as you would expect.  Owning a parrot, ferret, rabbit, or large lizard can cost nearly as much as a cat or a small dog.  There are also going to be many individual variables.  Some may wear through their toys faster or have special dietary needs.  When one of our animals is sick, it is not uncommon for us to see veterinary bills of $500-$1500 in order to diagnose and treat an illness.  We factor these numbers into our animal care budget.  Hopefully with this information, now you can too!

It has been another big year for Ferrets and Friends, LLC.  This year, we debuted a new package system to create more flexibility for our customers.  Our macaw parrot has been a popular new addition to our already diverse and colorful crew.  We updated our reptile enclosures to a great new setup from Animal Plastics.  We also moved to a larger and more spacious location to provide more space for all of our animals friends.

We added three new species to our shows this year including our African Pygmy Hedgehog, Harlequinn Macaw, and Mexican Red Knee Tarantula.  For 2019, we are not planning on adding any new species to our collection.  Instead, we will be partnering with Astoria Dressage to add pony party packages next summer. 

Unfortunately this year, we said goodbye to quite a few of our cherished animals stars and an excellent animal educator.  Miss Lina is no longer with Ferrets and Friends and has relocated with her animals.  Over the past couple years, she shared her passion for animals at a total of 122 events and worked hard on our social media accounts and marketing.  We thank her for her hard work and wish her the best in her future endeavors!

While we said goodbye to some of our animal friends due to this change, we also experiences some significant deaths.  Two of our ferrets, Samson and Ramona, passed away this spring.  Samson retired earlier this year due to the progression of his insulinoma.  We lost Samson shortly after his sixth birthday.  Ramona had an unexpected and unknown illness for which she was humanely euthanized during an emergency veterinary visit.  She was five years old when she passed.  We regret to say that ferret lifespans are far too short and healthy ferrets can suddenly become extremely ill in a short amount of time.  It is important to find out in advance about what emergency veterinary services near you are equipped to care for ferrets.

In 2018, our animals have had fewer illnesses than they did in the previous year.  This is mostly due to the average age of our ferrets.  In 2017, we had four ferrets over the age of three years old which is a common age for ferrets to become ill.  After our two oldest ferrets passed in the spring, our oldest ferret is now Jack who is three years old.  Unfortunately, Jack was diagnosed with adrenal disease this summer.   The good news is that his hormone implant has been working great so he has been his happy, active, and fluffy self!  

This year, two of our new bunnies had their spay surgeries and both went well!  Jessica even had a bit of a surprise for our vet as she actually had internal male parts instead of female.  Our vet was very confused when he couldn't find what he was looking for originally.  She's a very special bunny!  After the spay, some of Wednesday's territorial behavior significantly decreased.  Getting bunnies spayed is important for their health as it eliminates their risk for uterine or ovarian cancer.

Jasmine (Chinese Water Dragon) and Domino (Green Cheek Conure) have continued laying eggs this year.  Our leopard gecko, Cici, has stopper laying eggs.  In her older age, she seems to be slowing down and has been struggling with a cyst on her eye which we have been monitoring with our veterinarian.  She is currently being retired from animal shows as our younger leopard gecko, Fiona, takes her place.

This fall, the owner of Ferrets and Friends met with the Executive Director of Pets on Wheels.  Pets on Wheels is a nonprofit organization that provides pet therapy visits to a variety of settings.  After a an wellness check from our veterinarian and a thorough examination from Gina (Executive Director at Pets on Wheels), we are excited to announce that two of our ferrets, two of our parrots, and our panther chameleon have all passed the temperament screening to be therapy animals.  We couldn't be more proud of our animal friends!  So far, Jubilee has been popular with Hospice of the Chesapeake making her visits to patients in a variety of settings.  

This year, we added eight animals to our care.  Four of our new additions have been doing a great job as animal ambassadors and we are waiting for the remaining four to finish their quarantine period.  We added two ferrets (Aurora & Logan), a Harlequinn Macaw (Jubilee), a Veiled Chameleon (Bruce), a Chinese Water Dragon (Hiccup), a Blue Tongue Skink (Loki), a Colombian Red-tail Boa (Thor), and a baby king snake (name pending).  Of these animals, only one had a previous home.  Thor is a two year old albino boa constrictor and already measures an impressive five feet in length.  We are excited for him to make his official debut next year!

Currently, Ferrets and Friends has 45 animals in our care.  Of those animals, about 40 animals are being used in shows at the time of writing.  Next year, we hope to start offering packages with some Equine friends.  Rebecca, our animal educator, has been hard at work rehabilitating two ponies and training them to interact with people.  They have made great improvements this past summer in riding lesson and camps.  We hope to feature them in some new packages for 2019.  

Have you been waiting for an opportunity to see our animal friends in person?  Check us out at the World of Pet Expo on January 25th-27th.  It is located at the Maryland State Fairgrounds in Timonium, MD.  There will be lots of vendors and performances. For more information, visit www.worldofpets.org.  Thank you for your continued support and we look forward to seeing you in 2019!

Here at Ferrets and Friends, we have been hard at work training our two newest ferret recruits how to get along with people.  Pabu and Abu have just turned seven months old.  At this age, young ferrets are gaining more impulse control so they become easier to train.  It's important to remember that ferrets tend to play rough so it is part of their nature to be rough with their human friends.  Ferrets can be gentle and affectionate pets, but it is our responsibility to teach them how to best communicate with us.  We have put together some of our top tips to help with the communication process.

Like most young mammals, young ferrets have a tendency to explore the world with their mouth.  New objects are sampled with their teeth.  In their excitement, they will nip at stuffed animals, pillows, furniture, electrical chords, shoes, and even their human caretakers.  Their mouth-first approach at life will lesson as they get older and many ferrets naturally grow out of their nippy phase.  However, if they discover that a nip at an ankle will produce of fun game of tag with their human companion, then that's something they will not outgrow.  To minimize bad behaviors, keep unsocialized ferrets away your face, neck, and elbows.  Wear long pants and use whatever foot coverings are the least interesting to your ferret (some may chewing socks, while other find endless entertainment in shoes).  Gradually expose your ferret to other interactions at times when your ferret has the best chance of success.  For example, towards the end of play time when your ferret is most calm, you may snuggle your ferret near your face or allow your ferret to sniff your feet.  These interactions should be brief and followed up with positive reinforcement when your ferret shows calm non-biting behavior.

Communication is a two way street.  As much as we would like to simply tell our ferrets "don't bite me!", we also have to pay attention to their interests and desires.  Ferrets tend to be very quiet pets so it is easy to miss some of their cues for our attention.  If your ferret is biting your feet in order to get your attention, chances are that you have already missed several other cues that they have tried which caused them to resort to biting.  To avoid problem behavior, look for the behavior that you want to see and respond to that behavior.  If your ferret walks over to you and looks up at you, acknowledge their presence and offer your attention.  If your ferret appears to be in a playful mood, encourage your ferret to play with toys instead of nipping your hands.  Reward good behaviors before they figure out that bad behaviors work better.  If your ferret has already developed a biting habit, you can reduce this habit by gradually working backwards towards more acceptable behavior.  For example, you can teach your ferret to move from biting to lighter nipping, to licking, and eventually to just sniffing.  This is done by rewarding the more tolerable behavior and putting a ferret in a time out for the more severe behavior.  As your ferret learns, you continue to move the bar closer to the type of interaction that you want to have with your ferret.  This technique has worked well for us with more anxious ferrets.  If you have a nippy ferret who gets punished every time they bite you, your ferret may interpret these punishments as you not wanting to interact with them.  By rewarding your ferret for more tolerable (but not ideal) behaviors, this teaches your ferret what direction to move towards rather than confusion about your interactions.

Every ferret is different.  For some ferrets, scruffing their neck and a soft hiss easily communicates that a nip was unwanted.  Others may get more excited and bite harder!  Time outs can be effective deterrents for some ferrets, while others may take the opportunity for a nap.  It is equally important to find what motivates your ferret.  Some may be motivated by treats, while others enjoy a shoulder scratch, or a chance to play with their favorite toy.  Each ferret has an individual personality and has different things that motivate them.  It is also important to look at the context of a biting behavior.  Ferrets that bite while being held may be trying to communicate that they would like to be put down.  Some ferrets may bite when they hear high pitch sounds (such as squeaky toys) or smell certain chemicals.  These distress bites should be recognized and appropriate changes should be made to their environment (getting rid of squeaky toys or not wearing strong smelling cologne when handling your ferret).  Ferrets are quick learners so if you do not see improvement within a week or two of working with your ferret, try a different tactic.  For best results, make sure at least one part of your training involves positive reinforcement.

Ferrets and parrots have many traits in common.  They are both highly intelligent, social animals and are great pets for people who are not able to have cats and dogs (whether by allergies or living situations).  It is understandable that many people who would be interested in owning a ferret might also have an interest in parrots or vice versa.
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A preliminary search on the internet may tell you that letting both of these species in your household could be ill-advised.  Ferrets are well documented to have injured or killed pet parrots to the horror of their owners.  Ferrets are members of the weasel family and, like their wild relatives, they are incredibly skilled predators.  With only 2,500 years of domestication, their predatory drive and instincts have not been dulled to the same degree as dogs and cats.  Although they make sweet and loving pets to their human companions, there are many considerations and precautions necessary for those who would like to own ferrets and other "prey" type animal companions. 

Many people may focus on the issues surrounding the mammalian part of this multi-species household equation, but it is also important to consider the parrot's health and behavior.  Smaller parrots may recognize ferrets as potential predators which could cause them to become stressed at the sight of them.  Other parrots may interpret ferrets as a curiosity or a nuisance.  Parrots will become stressed if they feel trapped and unable to escape the view of potential predators.  Parrots also tend to defend their territory, food, and favorite people which may cause them to try to attack the ferret instead of retreating from it (which would arguably be the safer option for the bird).  Parrots with clipped wings not only lack the ability to fly away from a threat, but will be more likely to act aggressively towards an animal that causes them fear.  Parrots that act in a fearful manner (screaming, fluttering the wings, flying, or trying to bite) will appear more interesting a ferret and are more likely to trigger the ferret's predatory reflexes.  This does not mean that a calm parrot is safe around ferrets.  

Parrots have fragile bodies when compared to ferrets.  Even if it appears that your ferret and parrot want to play together, this should not be allowed under any circumstances.  Even strong parrot beaks can be punctured by ferret teeth.  There is also concern about gram negative bacteria (which ferrets, cats, and people carry) that can be harmful for parrots.  Many owners show caution about sharing drinks with their parrot as some of this bacteria can be found in saliva.  Parrots should not be allowed to sample ferret food as ferret food will be very high in protein and this can cause health problems for your parrot.  While birds do not tend to have strong olfactory systems, parrots are one group that are found to have some sense of smell.  While this plays a role in helping them locate food, it is unknown to what it extent they might use it to avoid predators.  It is possible that ferrets' infamous odor may bother your feathered friend, but using certain types of air fresheners could be hazardous to your parrot's health.  For ferret owners considering adding a parrot to their home, they should consider what methods they use for odor control as these may need to changed with the addition of a feathered friend.

While the risk of injury or death may be lower for your ferret, there are other ways that parrot ownership may impact your ferret's life.  As obligate carnivores, most of what your parrot eats will be incompatible with your ferret's diet.  Parrots have a tendency to share their food by flinging it everywhere.  Especially harmful are fruits that are high in sugar.  Food that falls to the floor and is consumed by ferrets may cause diarrhea.  If it is routinely consumed, it may contribute to the develop of other illnesses. 

Parrots also tend to be quite vocal and most of their vocalizations are within a ferret's hearing range (even some sounds that we can't hear!).  Some of these vocalizations can be distressing to your ferret in the same way that they become distressed upon hearing a squeaky toy.  There is debate whether this is due to a trigger of their predatory drive or if the sound mimics the cries of baby kits or injured ferrets.  Neither of these interpretations are good in a home with parrots.  For our ferrets, we keep a white noise machine running in their room so that they are not distressed by our flocks' communication throughout the day.

Finally, ferrets have an exceptional sense of smell.  Some individuals may have a high predatory drive and could become frustrated if they frequently smell the presence of a prey animal and are unable to access it.  However, most ferrets can become accustomed to the smell and largely ignore the presence of parrots in the home.

If you decide to share your home with both of these animals, we recommend that you plan for at least three barriers between them when they are not supervised.  For example, the ferrets might be kept in a cage in a room with the door closed, while the parrot resides in its cage in another part of your living space.  A parrot's cage is not ferret-proof.  These cages were designed to contain your bird, not to keep ferrets out.  Many bird cages do not have locking mechanisms for the small doors that allow access to food and water bowls. Trays that slide out at the bottom of the cage often have very little to keep a determined ferret from wiggling their way in.  Bar spacing that is larger then three quarters of inch is more than enough space for a some ferrets to squeeze through.  Anywhere a ferret's skull can fit, they can fit.  Even some doors designed for people have enough room for a ferret to slide under!

If your parrot's cage has bar spacing of one inch or greater, we would advise having at least four barriers since the parrot's cage cannot be considered an effective barrier.  Add extra locks to cage doors and trays.  We find that using a pellet type cage lining at the bottom of our parrot cages makes the trays too heavy for the ferrets to push.  Alligator clips work well to secure the smaller doors for our smaller parrots.  Cages for larger parrots tend to have locking mechanisms on all the doors as larger species of parrots are often smart enough and strong enough to figure out how to open their own doors. If these precautions seem extreme, keep in mind that the only thing keeping your ferret from hurting your feathered friend is time and access.

Once you have done everything to make sure there are sufficient barriers in place, it is time to figure out a schedule for your pets.  If your parrot's cage is in any area that your ferret can access during their play time, you may want to temporarily find another play area for your ferrets while your parrot adjusts to its new home.  If your parrot is the established family member, you may want to slowly expose your ferret to its presence as it will likely be excited and overstimulated by the new environment.  You will want to figure out a schedule in which there is adequate supervision whenever the number of barriers are reduced.  If your household has other adults or children, it is extra important to communicate about when each animal will have its social time.

After some time, you might gradually reduce number of barriers during supervised out-of-cage time.  If your ferret has access to your parrot's cage and seems to ignore your parrot, please do not assume that your ferret is not interested in your bird.  Your ferret may have been desensitized to the smell and sounds of the parrot, but it does not mean that your ferret is not interested in your bird.  Ferrets are extremely near sighted and so it's unlikely that they can see and recognize your parrot while it's in its cage.  Being able to see the parrot is guaranteed to renew interest in your bird and can trigger their predatory response.  Ferrets can move very quickly and it only takes a second for your ferret to potentially injure your bird.  

Introductions between these species should only be attempted by professionals or those who are highly experienced with both animals.  Please do not attempt this "just to see what will happen" as it has very high risk for both your ferret and your bird.  Videos in which ferrets and parrots are seen calmly interacting or co-existing are likely created after a long process of behavior modification and training.  Even with this training, the predatory instinct of a ferret can never be completely extinguished.

If you would like to see cute interactions between these species, please enjoy the work of professionals and prioritize the safety of the animals in your own home!

Many people have the false assumption that with a ferret's smaller size, they should be less expensive than owning a dog or cat.  While that might be true in regards to food costs, it certainly is not the case with their veterinary care.  Ferrets require rabies vaccines and annual exams just like dogs and cats.  Canine distemper vaccines are also recommended for ferrets by many veterinarians, although opinions vary.  A typical lifespan for a ferret is five to ten years, although some may live up to ten years.  Unfortunately, they are prone to a variety of diseases such as adrenal disease, insulinoma.  Ferrets are also mischievous and can easily get into trouble which might cause a costly emergency vet visit.  All of these factors add up!  To help give potential ferret owners an idea of their future costs, we have broken down the costs by year for three of our ferrets. 

Sophie passed away in February 2017 at the age of six years old.  Gambit and Samson are still with us.  Gambit is currently six years old and was diagnosed with insulinoma earlier this year.  Samson is currently five years old.  When ferrets are younger, an annual and well visit can cost between $50 and $75.  As they get older, it is recommended that they have their blood work done which can increase the cost by $140 or more.  Surgeries are often extremely costly.  In 2014, Samson got access to a screwdriver and decided to chew on it.  He knocked out one of his fangs at the gum line and had to have surgery to remove the remnants of the tooth.  Samson had a second surgery in 2017 when he had strange bumps on his toe pads and also had his spleen aspirated as it has been enlarged, which is common for older ferrets.

In 2016, Sophie started showing health problems which required treatment.  In 2017 she was euthanized when her quality of life decreased to a point that it was unlikely that she would recover.  It was believed that she had contracted the ferret version of FIP which can happen to some ferrets who are exposed to ECE and then the virus mutates to something similar to FIP. 

Since Gambit's diagnosis of insulinoma, it costs roughly $130 per month for him to have his glucose level checked and to have his medications refilled.  This cost may increase as the disease progresses.  For some ferrets with insulinoma, surgery may be an option.  At six years old, surgery seems to be an unnecessary stress on his system.

With multiple ferrets, the health costs will be higher.  Here at Ferrets and Friends, we think our ferrets are worth every penny!  

Bearded Dragons can make excellent pets for those who want a lizard that can be handled, but also have enough space for larger tank or enclosure.

So your child has expressed interested in a scaley friend or perhaps you are hoping to get into the reptile hobby yourself!  Undoubtedly, you've heard someone mention "bearded dragons" as a good beginner pet.  While they are very common in the pet trade, they have their own pros and cons.

One of the difficult aspects of the reptile-keeping hobby is maintaining the right environment for your pet.  This is typically measured in terms of temperature and humidity.  For example, an animal that is native to the rainforest would need to have that environment mimicked in its enclosure in captivity. For most people, recreating a rainforest inside their own home can present a daunting challenge.  Since Bearded Dragons are native to the woodlands and deserts of Australia, new owners can focus on getting the correct temperatures for their pet without the added complication of higher humidity requirements.

Additionally, Bearded Dragons have a naturally more docile temperament.  Active youngsters can become calm and mellow adults with regular handling.  All young lizards will tend to be flighty, but hatchling bearded dragons are relatively calmer compared to young water dragons or iguanas.  At a typical pet store, baby bearded dragons will be easier for a novice to handle than baby leopard geckos.  However, leopard geckos may make better pets for those who want an animal that has less demanding space requirements or those who tend not to be home during the day.

A Bearded Dragon's size can be a pro or a con depending on what someone is looking for in their pet.  On one hand, their size makes them a more interactive pet.  It's much easier to supervise a free roaming adult bearded dragon when they are easier to catch and cannot fit into impossibly small spaces like an anole or a gecko.  They also are not as large as other lizards such as tegus and iguanas that could easily cause harm to people or other pets.  Of course, these medium-sized lizards will need larger enclosures than other typical beginner species (such as the leopard gecko mentioned earlier).  An enclosure that is four feet by two feet might be a good home for a bearded dragon that is also allowed time out of its enclosure for exercise.  This is not the type of habitat that can be easily fit on top of a bookcase and blend in with the room's decor.  While it is common practice to keep bearded dragons in a 40 gallon glass tank, this might not work for every lizard.  Some will be too large or active and others may be stressed by their own reflection.

Bigger lizards also mean bigger appetites!  Baby bearded dragons can certainly run up a feeding tab.  Most of their diet will consist of crickets, mealworms, and roaches.  As they get older, they may show more of an interest in fruits, carrots, and other leafy green vegetables.  It's not uncommon for a baby bearded dragon to eat $20-$40 worth of food in one week!  They will need to be fed daily and will need their meals to be dusted with calcium (with D3) to support their bone growth.  Adult bearded dragons may only need to eat every few days, but you can still expect to spend about $5-$10 per week on food.  Bearded Dragons are diurnal which means that they are only active during the day.  It is best to feed them after they have had a chance to warm up in the morning, but not too late in the day that their bodies will not have the heat necessary to digest their food.  Food that is not consumed should be removed.  People who have busy schedules during daylight hours may find it difficult to find a good feeding time for their lizard.

A Bearded Dragon may be a great addition to your home, but make sure to do your research first!  These lizards typically live 10-15 years, so they are no minor commitment.  It is not uncommon for owners to become "bored" with their pet.  Never release a pet into your surrounding environment.  Not only is this harmful for your pet, but it can also be harmful for the local ecosystem.  There are many methods for re-homing or surrendering a pet that is no longer wanted.  Please research these options for your area.  If you are considering a new reptile pet, make sure that you have the physical and financial resources to care for your new friend.  As exciting as it may be to see a baby grow into an adult, consider contacting your local reptile rescue to find out if they have any bearded dragons that are up for adoption.

Pet lizards have become more popular in recent years and the Bearded Dragon may have had a significant contribution to this rise in popularity.  Their unique appearance and calm temperament make for great handeable pets as long as they have owners that are willing to meet the  requirements for their care.