is a ferret right for me????

[moonstream]

I am looking for a gentle, playful, interesting companion animal that dosent smell too much and isnt too expensive to care for.  I was thinking that a ferret might be cool, anyone have any feeback?  care?  would it be bad to have it in the same room as a chinchilla, bearded dragon, aquarium, gerbils, and in the same house as cats, a dog, and several people?

[weloveratties]

Ferrets have a ferrety smell, require TONS of attention, LOVE at least one friend, and need veterinary care like a dog or cat (vaccinations/exams etc.) Ferrets sometimes peacefully coexist with other pets, but sometimes they don't/ My ferrets and cat cannot be trusted all together. The cat stalks them and is pretty rough. Ferrets also need a decent sized cage. They also require somewhat expensive food (strict carnivores) and litter that is NOT made of clay or clumping material. Take out a copy of Ferrets for Dummies at a library, and make sure you know what you are getting into. And if odor is an issue, you might want to think of adopting something else. Ferrets don't smell awful, but some people think they are stinkos. It all depends on how well you are able to smell.

[dragynflye]

ferrets require a very high quality diet, which can get expensive.  they need a fairly large cage, which can be expensive.  if kept singly, they need lots and lots and lots and lots of human interaction.  even if kept in pairs/groups, they need at least four hours play time DAILY.  on top of routine shots and vet visits, there are common health issues that can be extremely expensive to fix.  ferrets are predators.  depending on the animals involved, they can be great friends with dogs or cats (NEVER UNSUPERVISED), but they will kill small animals such as chinchillas, gerbils, rats, rabbits, ect.  ferrets have a musky smell to them (i rather like it) no matter how well they are cared for.  feeding a high quality diet, cleaning the litter box AT LEAST once a day (i do mine three times, but i have five ferrets), and cleaning their bedding/cage regularly can help keep the smell down. 

i second ferrets for dummies, it's a good book.  also, www.ferretvillage.org has been rather slow lately, but there's still lost of good info on health, diet, care, behavior, ect there.

good luck!