1 or 2

Question
I am getting ready to go buy my first ferret in a couple of days but I have heard it is better for the ferret if you buy two so they have a playmate for when your not there. So I was wondering if I should buy two right away or just get one and then later on get my second one? I hope to hear from you soon! Thank you for your help

            Lauren

Answer
Hi Lauren,

Buying or adopting 2 ferrets at the same time has it's advantages and disadvantages. Advantages are: Double the fun! They will be good playmates and quite possibly litter mates and be good company for when you are not around. Getting 2 together saves you the trouble of acquainting the original ferret with a new one with the possibility of the ferrets never getting along and requiring you to house them separately for life!

Disadvantages of two ferrets: Double the vet bills. The possibility of inherited defects if they are litter mates. When one passes away the other will mourn the other, sometimes very badly and introducing a new ferret to an old ferret (after one dies) can be darned near impossible and not fair to the older one to get a young ferret that will harrass him/her.

I, personally, got one ferret, liked him so much I adopted 2 more a month later and it grew from there! Some people like to get 3 ferrets so if one dies then there is another but that becomes a never ending cycle so I don't really see the "logic" in that one unless you *know* that you will always have ferrets.

Hope this helped!

Adrienne