Ive got ferrets, im down to 3 at the moment. They are a handful & expensive! I reccomend buying the book "ferrets for dummies" it is a MUST have for all ferret owners.

There is so much info to learn about these mishivious creatures it is unbelievable. here is just a summary that doesnt even touch the tip of the iceberg.

They are carnivores only they CAN NOT process any non-meat foods at all. They get into EVERYTHING and there intestines are only about the size of a straw so if they get into any foreign objects (which is very common) they almost always end up w/ blockages also caused by non-meat foods (they also can not vomit hairballs so a hairball med is needed frequently) they can also get blockages very easily from hairballs.

they are also known to have adrenal problems which requires surgery. They have to have rabies & canine distemper shots & they NEVER recover from distemper should they ever get it. They can catch some human diseases & illnesses so if your sick stay away from your ferrets.

should they become ill they can deteriorate RAPIDLY, you could have a dead ferret within a day or 2 after being sick. they become dehydrated very rapidly so keep pedalyte on hand & most owners should know how to & have the equipment from the vets on hand at all times to administer sub-q fluids,

They eat a lot & drink a lot so they poop a lot & no fereet is 100% litter box trained, so be prepared to clean up lots of little messes.

there are many ferret foods out there but only some are good, you can also feed a very very good quality KITTEN food but all ferret owners reccomend mixing at least 3 foods, as they are very picky eaters & this gives you another food to feed should your one type be unavailable. I feed a mixture of:
Zupreem
Sheperd & Green
Totally Ferret
Maximum Nutrition for kittens (yup the walmart brand)
Felidae

I also make a concontion of duck soup (includes special canned food from my vet, cooked chicken & broth, kibble, water etc.) this is NEEDED in case your ferret becomes ill, it has tons of nutrients in it BUT you should feed this everyday because again ferrets are picky eaters, if you wait until your ferret is ill he may not take to it & it may be too late.

They sleep a lot (about 18 hours a day) but when they are awake they need excersize & lots of it. they can fit through any opening that their head can (although sometimes they can get stuck 1/2 way whixh can be dangerous) but you have to ferret proof your house (which is hard to do)

finding a vet that is ferret knowledgable can be difficult so make sure youve got one before you get your ferret.

they are social creatures & it is best to have at least 3. they love to be together & can become so severly depressed if they loose a friend that can actually die from depression. Thats why you should have 3, in case you loose one your fert can still have a friend.

I would make sure youve got at least $600.00 or more saved up before you get your ferret. plus make sure youve got back up money or a good vet with payment options in case you require medial care.

I am not talking you out of owning a ferret, they are great pets but they are a handful & tons are in shelters due to the lack of knowledge on them. My ferrets are more expensive & time consuming than my dogs!!!!!

here is a great forum about ferts:
http://www.neeps.com/cgi-bin/ubb/ultimatebb.cgi

i'm chaotic chaos on there!
hope to see you around there!