Ferret and Dogs Galore

Question
Hi!
I have 3 ferrets and 3 dogs.
Do you think my ferrets will interact(behavior wise)well with my Rottweiler, boder collie mix and chihuahua?

Any information or advice would be greatly apreciated!
Thanks a million,
Veronica

Answer
Hi Veronica:

Well, I don't know your dogs, but that sounds like a lot of dog for one little ferret!  Hopefully you will introduce them to your ferret ONE AT A TIME and in a quiet atmosphere, where you are within arm's reach and can restrain the dogs if necessary.

Some dogs/cats LOVE ferrets and others are indifferent - still others react violently and will attack a ferret. Even tho a ferret is pretty feisty, I'm afraid that the Rottweiler is a lot of dog for a ferret.  It just really depends on the temperament of your dogs...and only you know if they will really be gentle with the ferret or not.

Be sure your ferret has someplace to run away when you introduce them...don't MAKE the ferret interact with the dogs if she doesn't want to...and please, only one dog at a time.  Ideally, it would probably be best to put the dogs outside or in another place in the house while the ferret is out playing with you.

Please, please....always remember, dogs or no dogs, your ferret needs to be OUT of the cage and playing with PEOPLE at least 3 to 4 hours a day (SUPERVISED PLAY).  If she can't run through your whole house (few ferrets can), hopefully you can thoroughly ferretproof one or two rooms for the ferret where the dogs won't terrorize her.

In case you need tips on ferretproofing (it's INCREDIBLY IMPORTANT to your ferrets health and longevity that you ferretproof THOROUGHLY!), check out this website:

FERRETPROOFING (VERY VERY IMPORTANT!):  
*http://www.ferretcentral.org/faq/part2.html#ferretproofing
* http://groups.msn.com/Ferret/yourwebpage10.msnw
* http://groups.msn.com/Ferret/ferretproofing2.msnw

Best of luck - enjoy that little one! But don't forget to protect her too, okay?  It's not fair, IF she is scared of the dogs, to make her have to deal with that everyday while she is playing.  Just try to put yourself in her place and you will know the right thing to do, okay?

Sincerely,

Jacquie Rodgers