You’ve done the research, got everything on the checklist, and now you’re ready to get your ferrets! But where do you get them from?

When looking at getting ferrets there are basically 3 options.

  • Breeders
  • Pet Shops
  • Rescues/Shelters.

In this post, I’ll dive into each option to help you decide where to get your ferrets.

Breeders

Ferrets from private and ethical Breeders will normally be younger ferrets (kits). They can be from accidental litters, bred for specific purposes (working or showing), bred as pets (for temperament and home life), or bred for specific markings, colours, or coats (the most common ones bred specifically for this purpose are Angora ferrets). The cost for bred ferrets varies drastically. The cost will depend on the specific breeders’ fees and often the type and sex of the ferret. Costs can be from £50-£200 per ferret.

Breeders should have access to the health history of the ferrets and the mum & dad. Ferrets should be properly raised, weaned away from the parents and vaccinated. To sell pets commercially the breeder should be licensed with their local council.

Anywhere you decide to acquire your ferrets will come with pros and cons. Here are some pros and cons of buying a ferret from Breeders:

Pros

  • Being able to meet the mum & dad and know exactly where the ferrets are from.
  • Access to previous health information about the ferrets.
  • If you’d like a kit specifically, buying from a breeder may be a pro.
  • Ability to get 2 ferrets from the same litter.
  • Being able to ask the owners/breeders ferret-related information and questions.

Cons

  • Kits are not often ideal for first-time ferret owners.
  • The price may be higher.
  • Dangers of backyard breeding.
  • You will have to purchase 2 ferrets, and although they are from the same litter, they may not necessarily be bonded.
  • As you are getting kits, there will be more expenses, such as Spaying/Neutering in the future.

If you’re considering getting a pair of ferrets from a breeder it’s important to ask questions. I have put together a simple list of questions that you can ask.

What to ask the Breeders.

  • Are we able to see the parents?
  • Have there ever been any health concerns with Mum or Dad, or any of your kits?
  • Why do you breed kits?
  • How regularly are the kits handled? Are they well-established?
  • What are they currently being fed?
  • Have they had initial injections & health checkups?
  • Are they microchipped, and treated for fleas & worms?

When purchasing from breeders, you’ll want to ask as many questions as possible. You’ll want to see the ferrets’ living conditions and meet the ferrets before you decide to get them. There are many good, ethical breeders around. Unfortunately, like every animal breeding community, there are also potentially dangerous backyard breeders who care more about the money than the ferrets’ welfare and potential home.

Good and well-established breeders will genuinely care about their ferrets, the care they provide and the potential homes they will be going to. It is important to keep this in mind when talking to them. Good breeders will ask you as the adopter lots of questions, they may want to know why you would like pet ferrets, what your plans are surrounding their care and ask for photos of your enclosure set up. Don’t be defensive — It’s not that they are trying to hassle you. It’s a good sign that they care. If they don’t seem bothered about the ferrets, cannot answer your questions, or the ferrets don’t appear in good health. Do not buy from them.

The dangers of buying from Breeders/Backyard Breeding.

  • Backyard breeding can produce unhealthy ferrets that are prone to multiple illnesses. These ferrets will not have a good quality of life and can cost £100s-£1000s in vet bills.
  • Supporting Backyard breeding enables the Breeders to continue breeding and selling unhealthy and not well-looked-after ferrets.
  • Backyard breeding can produce ferrets with emotional and behavioural problems, they may be more temperamental and prone to bite.
  • Backyard-bred ferrets often have a shorter lifespan.

Pet Shops

In the UK, chain pet shops which sell other species of animals (Pets at Home, Jollyes etc) do not sell ferrets. Ferrets are less popular in the UK to keep as animals and are less spoken about. Therefore, there is no current demand for retailers to sell them. There are also a few concerns surrounding selling ferrets in the UK. Such as ferrets’ common illness’, specialised care, dietary needs etc. (Opinion: I think this is utterly ridiculous. We have other exotic animals sold in chain pet shops that require equal special care requirements such as Rats, Reptiles, and even Rabbits & Cavies who come under exotic. Yet for some reason, there’s a line drawn at Ferrets? Saying that, I’m also happy that pet shops do not supply ferrets as I do not support chains’ use of unethical rodent mills and other animal mills — which is where all of their animals are sourced).

In the US and other countries, it is fairly common to see ferrets at chain pet stores such as Pet Smart. Ferrets sold in these chain shops retail at around $499 (that’s around £400) per ferret, and come already vaccinated, neutered/spayed, and descented (descenting is not a requirement).

So for all my friends in the US and other countries, I’ve put together a Pros and Cons list for buying ferrets in shops. This will be written to the best of my ability, also considering some points that cross over with the UK. I have researched Marshall Ferrets for this piece as it is where ferrets are commonly sourced in the US, and they are considerably similar to rodent mills.

Pros

  • Easily accessible.
  • Are known to be more docile.
  • Typically socialised.
  • Already vaccinated, Spayed/Neutered.
  • (Supposed to be) Health checked before purchase.

I struggled to find pros, to be honest, there are not many at all. This was me stretching the list, but the only real pro is that they are easily accessible. That being said, it’s not always a good thing that animals are ’easy to buy'.

Cons

  • Marshall Ferrets. (A post going into more depth will be published in the future when I have deep-dived).
  • Desexed and descended at a young age, causing many health concerns for the future and sometimes stunted growth.
  • Shorter life expectancies due to poor breeding ethics.
  • More prone to diseases and illness’ meaning you will also have to pay more vet fees in the future.
  • Supplying shops so they can continue funding unethical breeding practices. I would continue, but will make a specific post on shops selling animals in the future. This will be based on Marshall Ferrets as well as rodent and other animal mills in the UK.

If you are going to buy a ferret from a shop, make sure you have appropriately researched and considered other alternatives.

Rescues

Rescues are situated everywhere. All areas and all countries have animal rescues and shelters. A quick google search will let you find a rescue near you. If you’re looking to adopt a ferret from a rescue, you can give them a call or fill out a form. They will normally invite you in for a visit to meet the animals, provide you with needed information and help you with your adoption application.

You may need to undergo a house inspection or provide pictures of your set-up before adopting ferrets from rescues. This is because they care about the animals’ welfare and what homes they are going to!

Rescues will take in unwanted, abandoned, or injured animals and make sure they are okay. Any good ferret rescue will work with their ferrets to make sure they are well-adjusted and ready for a new home.

This may include:

  • Taking the ferrets to a vet.
  • Treating the ferret.
  • Vaccinating, Spaying/Neutering.
  • Temperament checking.
  • Training and socialisation.
  • Bonding the ferrets into pairs or groups if they come in as lone ferrets.

All of this should be done before the ferrets are put up for adoption, but it varies from rescue to rescue. You can contact your preferred rescue for any information on their policies and rehoming procedures.

Rescuing ferrets is suited to all types of owners. But it’s especially beneficial for new ferrents (ferret parents). As the ferrets are already a bit older than kits. They will be socialised, bite-trained, well-adjusted, vaccinated, and spayed/neutered. The adoption fee or donation varies from rescue to rescue, but it’s usually much cheaper than buying ferrets from breeders or pet shops. Here are some potential Pros and Cons for rescuing ferrets.

Pros

  • Ferrets are already bonded, vaccinated, and spayed/neutered, so you’ll save yourself time and vet costs.
  • The rescue will be able to answer any questions you may have regarding the ferrets.
  • You will always be able to contact the rescue even after bringing your ferrets home.
  • You will be able to meet the ferrets before adopting. Some rescues also offer ferret ‘matchmaking’ where they can find the perfect pair of ferrets to suit you, or any additional ferrets should you already have a lone one.
  • You have the ability to help a great cause and help the rescue open space so they can take on more ferrets in need.

Cons

  • You often will not be able to find kits or choose specifically the ferrets you want (if you are looking for specific ones).
  • You will not have access to the full history of the ferrets (the rescue would have rescued them, and may be able to tell you some information. But you’re unlikely to ever know further details).
  • You may need to continue working with the ferrets. Some ferrets in rescues have behaviour issues, bite issues or are shy due to past neglect. Although the rescue would have helped the ferrets as much as possible, sometimes it is an ongoing commitment.

The pros of rescuing far outweigh the cons in my opinion. Personally, rescuing is always my number one recommendation. We adopted our two ferrets, Boots & Toots, and could not be happier.

If you’d like to read about my personal experience rescuing ferrets. You can go to my post ~ coming soon.

If you’d like to read details about animal sales legislation, licensing, and procedures within the UK. You can go to Jack’s post ~ coming soon.