If you already have a ferret or are thinking about getting one soon. You’ve probably already thought about important questions like “Are ferrets good pets?” “Do I want a ferret?” You might now be thinking if it’s safe to keep your ferret with other pets. Basically, it varies.
Many pets that people who just got a ferret are shocked to learn are not safe to keep with or near their new pet. Because there are so many kinds of pets you can have as a house pet, it’s best to look at each one separately to see if letting it connect directly with your ferret is safe.
Why Do Ferrets Get Along with Some Animals and Not Others?
Getting an answer to this question will help you figure out which animals you can keep around your ferret and which ones you shouldn’t.
Many people think ferrets are mice, but they’re not. They are not related to rats, mice, hamsters, guinea pigs, or other small animals you might find in pet shops.
On the other hand, ferrets are more closely linked to animals that hunt, like dogs and cats. So, it’s important to give them a high-quality, species-appropriate food that is low in fiber and high in animal substance, like Oxbow’s Essentials Ferret Food.
In particular, ferrets are linked to otters, badgers, and wolverines. They are in the same family as these animals. It is important to remember that all of these animals eat other animals. However, your ferret may look harmless, they were actually designed to kill. This makes it much harder to find a safe pet friend for your new roommate.
How do I keep my rabbit and ferret together?
Rabbits live in burrows in the wild and spend their days looking for food in plants like grass, flowers, veggies, and other things. Many rabbits hide from foxes, dogs, cats, birds of prey, and wild weasels (which are related to household ferrets). This is because rabbits are prey animals.
In the past, even house ferrets were taught to hunt rabbits, which is another sign that the two probably won’t get along.
For these reasons, it is not a good idea to keep ferrets and bunnies together.
Can I keep my rat and ferret in the same cage?
Rodents live their whole lives afraid of animals that eat them, like your Pets Should Not Be Kept With Ferrets. Guinea pigs, hamsters, mice, and chinchillas are all in this group. One smell of their urine is enough to make your ferret want to chase them.
In my own experience with ferrets, a mouse got into my house. Finding a big wooden box, it got stuck inside. When my ferret followed the tempting “rodent smell” and jumped into the box, it quickly showed its natural urge to hunt. Soon, my “kind and docile ferret” started acting like an experienced hunter.
Obviously, ferrets and mice are not allowed!
Are snakes and my ferret likely to get along?
The short answer is “no,” but there are different reasons for this Pets Should Not Be Kept With Ferrets. There are lots of different kinds of reptiles. Nano-chameleons are only.5 inches long, but Argentine Black and White Tegus can grow to be almost five feet long! And that means some snakes and lizards will be small enough for your ferret to catch, while others may get so big that they choose to hunt your ferret!
One thing I know for sure is that the smell of a ferret can make a snake sick. A friend of mine came over to my house years ago and took very good care of my first rat, Moose. He petted him, scratched him, and held him close. He also let Moose sniff and look at his shoes and socks. Basically, Moose covered my friend in his smell.
Later that same day, this friend went to see someone else with a pet snake. He said that the way it was acting was very strange and interesting. A snake that my friend was told “never bites” became interested in his shoes, socks, and knee area.
The snake looked around for thirty seconds, then lunged at my friend’s lower leg, bit him, and quickly let go. The snake and I were both fine. But it was a good chance to teach something.
Just like my ferret had responded to the smell of a mouse before, the snake in question got scared when it smelled a ferret.
It doesn’t make sense to keep ferrets and snakes together because they need different things, like food and a place to live. Don’t choose this match at all!
Can my ferret and a bird get along?
Like snakes and lizards, birds come in many sizes and types. There are also different kinds of birds, like different kinds of snakes. There are small birds like finches that might make your ferret want to hunt, and there are bigger birds like cockatoos and parrots. Their beaks are so strong that these bigger birds could hurt your ferret with just one bite.
This kind of friendship might not seem likely for fun, but maybe that’s why it’s not likely in the first place! Keep these kinds of Pets Should Not Be Kept With Ferrets as far away from each other as you can.
What do I do if I already have one of these pets?
If you already have one of these pets, you need to keep them in separate cages. It would be even better if you could keep them in different parts of the house. I also think they should be kept in different parts of the house if possible to keep them as far apart as possible.
Also, don’t let your ferret look through the private area of a prey animal, even if the prey animal isn’t there. The ferret’s scent can get on the cage and things around it.
For an attacker, the smell of a prey animal’s urine and body oils can make them want to hunt. But if a prey animal smells a nearby predator (and in their “safe space” no less!), it could make them scared and stressed out for no reason.
In conclusion
There is a good chance that all of our Pets Should Not Be Kept With Ferrets would get along. In real life, though, there is a reason why predators and prey are different. Some animals aren’t meant to be friends.
Keep your ferret away from things that would want to eat it, and don’t let it eat anything. In the end, we want our pets to have the best lives possible, which sometimes means keeping them safe and away from each other!
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