Expenses of Owning Ferrets

Question
QUESTION: how much do shots cost for your ferret right when you get him or her

Thanks
JB

ANSWER: Hi JB:

I could tell you what it costs for me, but that wouldn't help you, as prices vary greatly from city to city and even from vet to vet within the same city.

I can suggest that you check your phone book for a vet who advertises that they treat "exotics" or even call a vet in your area and ask who treats exotics.  

The price of vaccinations is such a small part of the cost of having ferrets! They get intestinal blockages, and a variety of diseases are quite common as they age (but long before you're ready to give him/her up, so the tally just keeps adding up.  Each ferret I've had has had different needs and cost me different amounts to save them/care for them. I find that their food and various other illnesses, especially as they age, is much more expensive.

I recommend that every ferret owner have a $1,000 bank account earmarked only for unexpected ferret expenses as a minimum.  One of my ferrets had an intestinal blockage that cost about $2,200 by the time we were finished with it.  I thought my $1,000 figure that I recommend had always been adequate...I may have to increase that because intestinal blockages are not unusual; adrenal gland tumors or pancreatic tumors are also common in mid-to-older ferrets.  Younger ferrets, it's their distemper boosters, usually a few treatments to get rid of mites in their ears or fleas they arrive at your home with....and any age can get intestinal blockages and a variety of tumors.  One way to keep your costs down is to make sure your house is very well ferretproofed so your ferret doesn't get ahold of anything he's not supposed to - and keep up on their grooming, give laxative regularly to prevent hairball buildup in their intestines.  So many things.....too much to cover in one post, but you get the idea I'm sure.

Just FYI, your ferret will need distemper vaccinations at 8, 12, and 16 weeks, then yearly boosters.  Rabies shots are given once yearly starting at about 20 weeks of age. Each shot must be given alone (do not get a distemper and rabies shot at the same time) and they should *always* have a benadryl shot about 15 minutes before each shot. In case your ferret has a reaction to one of the shots, you will know whether it was rabies or distemper AND the benadryl will give them a chance to live if they do have a reaction (reactions are often fatal, especially if the vet is not used to working with ferrets - which is why even a little thing can turn into very expensive right in front of your eyes.)  

I had a ferret who had a reaction to a distemper shot when she was 3 years old and it was over $1,000 for that day's office visit and I've been feeding her a special food for irritable bowel syndrome every since - that food costs almost $2.00/can and she eats one can per day.

So, you can see why it is hard to tell someone how much a ferret's shots will cost and make them think that is how much it costs to have a ferret. There is just so much more to it than that. I would do you a disservice to just give you figures.   Even someone right here in my city may not have the reaction my ferret had; or may have had a worse one!  I know of some folks whose vets charge a $20 office visit fee each time; my vet charges $45 for an office visit - and that doesn't include any tests they do or shots.  I've never gotten out the vet's door for less than $100, even for the most minor thing.

Call around in your area to get an idea of what it would cost for an office visit, for distemper shots and rabies shots, but basically it's kinda like driving a Hummer - if you have to ask how much it costs, you definitely don't want to get one (well, you can want :-)  Just know that there is a LOT more than just the shots involved in carin for a ferret.

Maybe you could help out at a ferret shelter in your area?  That would get you around some ferrets - maybe even foster a ferret or two once you learn a bit. That would keep your expenses down because the shelter usually pays when a fostered ferret needs medical care.If you need contacts in your area, write back with your city, state and zip code and I'll try to find someone in your area.

Best of luck - hope all that helped.

Sincerely,

Jacquie Rodgers


---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: HI Jacquie,
 Thank you so much for answering my question. It really helped and you have strengthened my want of a ferret. It seems to be lots of work to have a ferret and lots of time and time is what i don't have a lot of! What should i do?
         Sincerely,
         JB

Answer
Hi again JB!

Time and attention, unfortunately, aren't negotiable with ferrets.  They are somewhat like human children in that you get back from them exactly what you put in - put in lots of time, love and attention and they are precious and loving critters; but don't give them enough time and attention and they become very destructive, sometimes angry or mean (and can bite) little boogers!  I have seen ferrets raised both ways and I can tell you - you certainly don't want a ferret if you cannot devote at least a minimum of 3-4 hours of supervised playtime every day.....that is for kits (baby ferrets).

HOWEVER, there is one other option you may want to think about.  If we can find a ferret shelter in your area, perhaps you can help there (so you still get to be around ferrets :-) when it fits into your schedule.  That's the best suggestion I would have.

Adopting an older ferret may mean - at least for a while - that supervised playtimes can be shorter, as they tire out must quicker than babies do.....but it also brings with it the chance of illness and when your ferret is ill, trust me, it can become a 24/7 job really fast.  I have sat up all night many many nights with sick ferrets, rocking them and trying to get fluids in them, or some meat ("soup") to get their strength up.  

For someone who really loves ferrets and doesn't really have the time, I would strongly suggest spending some time at a ferret shelter - they are always happy to have someone to help and it would give you a great chance not only to see what kind of time and energy taking care of one takes, but you would also have time to play with them and who knows, maybe you will fall in love with a shelter ferret and give him/her a good home; maybe you won't always have other things taking your time forever?  Truly, tho - and I'm very serious when i say this - you do get out of a ferret exactly what you put in and lack of time would be disasterous for both you and the ferret's well-being.

If you want to write back with your city, state and zip code, I can try to find a shelter in your area?

Sincerely,

Jacquie Rodgers