Ferret Annual Cost

Question
Thank you for your time in reading my question.

I am thinking of getting a ferret but I am curious how much money I should put aside for one. About how much would it cost for the first year of owning a ferret?

Thank you again for reading,
Olivia R.

Answer
Hello and thanks for your question! I'm happy to hear you are looking into buying a ferret, that is a good sign. I hope you have also researched their behavior and what to expect as an owner. (Please feel free to ask any questions about that kind of stuff here as well!)

As far as how much a ferret will cost you, you are looking at putting aside a decent sized amount to begin with (in the few hundreds), but regular maintenance after that is easy.

To get started, you need a ferret, which runs from $60 to adopt up to $120 or so for a baby from a petstore, maybe a little more. A good sized quality cage should be between $100 and $150. Hammocks, food dishes, water bottles, toys, etc can be about $40. Food you shouldn't skimp on the quality of, so expect to pay about $15 for one bag, which should last at least one month for one ferret. Litter and bedding can run up to $15. And most people would recommend setting aside $500 dollars in the event of emergency/needing to take your ferret to the vet, but this is a conservative figure. The most common problem new owners face is adequately ferret-proofing their house, and making sure there is nothing a ferret can accidentally ingest, causing internal blockage. If you are extremely careful with protecting your pet from harming himself, unnecessary trips to the vet will be unlikely, but it's still a good idea to be prepared financially. Annually your ferret will also need Rabies and Distemper booster shots, which can be about $40-$60 each.

That's all there really is to it! Like I said, once you actually get the ferret and his cage and everything else, regular costs are next to nothing. Just litter and food really. So they are more expensive than a cat, but a lot less than a dog I think!

Hope I've helped answer your question, good luck and don't hesitate to ask if you have any more! :)

~sheila