Ferrets are wonderful little fur babies. I had 4 of them and don't regret it for a minute. BUT....

You have to be prepared for the many diseases that they get. Their health care is VERY costly.

My experience:

Rascal - needed ear surgery after playing too rough, $200. He was a bad biter and left us with many wounds. He died at 2 years of age from a stomach hemmorhage - no cause found.

Trouble - had 2 ultrasounds at $400 each, determined at the age of 4 that he had adrenal gland disease that was inoperable. Medicated him for 10 months at $70 per month. He had to be put to sleep after the 10 months because his prostate grew so large that he could not potty.

Miko - had $1000 hairball surgery to remove a hairball that was 3 inches long. 6 months after this surgery he had another $1000 surgery because his wee body had blown up like a ballon. They removed 3 cups of blood from his body cavity and took numerous biopsies. He had cancer that made his blood vessels leak blood. He died 10 days after the second surgery. He was 5 years old.

Sebastian - 2 weeks after Trouble died Sebastian was diagnosed with Adrenal gland disease. Imagine my horror. He had $1000 surgery to remove both of his adrenal glands. His recovery did not go well and he had to be put on steriods, he also gave up on his ferret kibble and would only eat chicken soup. He got a bit better, but a year after his surgery he started going bald again. Apparently adrenal tissue can grow back. So we started the lupron shots at $135 a month because he was a large ferret. This went on for 1 year, in that time we also tried him on Melatonin at $70. This did not work either. And this past December I had to make the decision to let him go. I still cry for him and miss him terribly.

I am not trying to convince you to not get a ferret, I'd get one again in a minute but my heart is too broken right now, but this is what I went thru and if I didn't tell you I'd be negligent.