Do ferrets like to swim?

I have a 3 year old male ferret named Wicket.

They’re animals, and so sometimes they bite. Their teeth are very sharp as they’re carnivorous naturally, eating things from mice to rabbits in the wild. So, naturally, if one bites you seriously you’ll be in for a startle- about the same as being bit by a cat. But, like I said, that’s if one seriously bites you. Sometimes Wicket likes to drape himself over my shoulders and he nibbles on my ear (part of their curious and playful nature).

Ferrets do have a musky smell, but it isn’t as bad or overwhelming as people claim. They smell because of glands in their skin which are similar to skunk scent glands. The smell that creates their undeserved reputation comes from people who have obviously frightened a ferret, and been on the receiving end of a defense mechanism (again, like skunks).

Like any animal, ferrets need to be groomed. They need to be bathed occasionally (not often, because their skin will become dry and smell worse); when I bathe my ferret I fill up the bathtub until he has enough water to swim in (they like water) and I use a pretty basic shampoo you can find at any pet store. Bathing and changing their cage keeps them smelling good, and the odor is no worse than owning a cat. However, MOST ferrets are de-scented and fixed before they’re sold.

They’re very playful animals and can be extremely entertaining. There’s a ferret “war dance” that they do when they get excited (which is similar to watching a dog chase its tail). They’re also very sneaky, and in fact their name actually comes from a Latin word meaning “theif” (if you’ve ever seen the movie Beast Master, you’ll see he has two ferrets for sneaking). Because of that characteristic, they enjoy hide-and-seek games with their owners as well as prey-and-predator games (I.e. owner runs from ferret, ferret runs from owner, like tag). They also like to play with toys. Lots and lots of toys (my living room is a ferret toy storage house apparently).

Ferrets are very trainable. Some owners train them to use a litter box and they respond well to being given treats as rewards for learning to use the litter box, or learning tricks.

Some important advice would be to pay a ton of attention to what you feed them. It’s popular now to give ferrets a fresh food diet as opposed to dry foods due to concern of high carbohydrates. Like I mentioned, ferrets are natural carnivores so they need a lot of protein. If you’re going to feed them dry food, make sure it has a good amount of protein. They need an intake of 32% protein. Minimum. In addition to the dry food (I feed him Zupreem Premium), I like to give wicket a little bit of raw beef (not ground beef, like a piece of a steak) or chicken a couple times a week in place of a meal. It’s a good treat for him, and it’s healthy.

Exercise isn’t something you’ll have to go out of your way to ensure your ferret is healthy. Ferrets are naturally exhausting, and I mean you’ll be endlessly chasing it around trying to make sure it isn’t hiding in your dryer, shower, or under the recliner. However, walking them outside can be fun for them. If you do, make sure you use a ferret harness (yes, they exist) and PLEASE make sure your ferret is vaccinated.

Also, only 48 states allow ferret ownership. If you live in New York or California, it is illegal to own a ferret as a pet. I know this because I moved to California with Wicket and have had to keep him in hiding ever since.