Adding Ferrets

Question
I have a single ferret that is 11 months old. He is depressed and I plan to buy a playmate for him. My question is do I really need to keep them in 2 cages if they get along well??? They would meet in the morning and stay out of the cage and roam all day. The ferret we are considering is a baby....not sure how lil but he still chewing and all like maybe 7 or 8 weeks old.  He is Marshall farms.  Your advice is appreciated...I have ferrets for dummies but still not real sure whatv to do.

Answer
Hello, and thank you for your question! Well, I think it's great you are getting your ferret a friend, the more the merrier! It's also very awesome that you are reading up on your ferrets.

As a rule, ferrets are incredibly social creatures, and get along with everyone. They love other ferrets especially, it is very rare for them NOT to get along. You might have heard putting them in separate cages as a precaution, sort of like a quarantine until you know the new ferret is healthy. I personally have never done this, and have had no problems with adding new ferrets. When ferrets get to all sleep and eat in the same space they tend to bond faster and get more used to each other. You should have enough sleeping areas for both of them separately in the same cage, but ferrets just love cuddling so much they usually end up all up in the same spot. It is pretty common for me to wake my three babies up in the morning and they are all piled up in one hammock! So I would say if they are getting along well and the new one is showing no signs of illness, it's probably safe to just let them share one cage. They will happier and healthier in the long run. Plus if he's a baby that you're getting, just being around an older ferret will help him become litter trained quicker and be more tame.

Hope I've helped, good luck with the little guy ;)
~sheila