When you are considering bringing a ferret into your home, you may be wondering if it is necessary to have more than one ferret judging by the massive pile of ferrets cuddling together in pet stores. If you are wondering “can ferrets live alone?” the short answer is yes, but there are a couple of different things to take into consideration if you are planning on only having one ferret in your home.
First of all, we definitely suggest, if possible, bringing home two ferrets at once. Chances are, they are part of the same litter and that negates the need for any awkward introductions later on. Additionally, ferrets are incredibly social creatures and crave attention from other animals.
However, if you are unable to bring two ferrets home at once, that should not sway you from bringing one of these amazing animals into your family. First, it is important to note that no matter how many you are bringing into your home, ferrets cannot spend the entire day in their cage. Ferrets absolutely need to have at least two hours out of their cage per day, but ideally between four to six hours. This time should be spent in a ferret proof area of your home and at least 2 hours of your day should be spent interacting with them.
Ferrets are also great lovers of toys, so it is important to get them toys that are ferret safe. They enjoy large tubes, balls, blankets, boxes, bags, and many cat toys. Give your ferret something to wrestle with in place of another ferret. They will also enjoy hiding these toys in different areas to play with later.
Finally, just because you don’t have room in your home for 2 ferrets doesn’t mean that your ferret can’t be friends with other animals in your house. While it is important that your ferret never be allowed face to face contact with rodents or birds, there is no reason that without proper introductions that your ferrets can’t be friends with a resident dog or cat in your home. Of course, it is always important to supervise any playing time between ferrets and other animals!
So, to answer this question, yes, ferrets can live alone. However, it is important to spend lots of time with your ferret each day to ensure that they are getting the stimulation that they need. If you have more questions about ferret ownership, make sure to take a peek at our other articles to find out more about bringing home a ferret!