i need help convincing my mom to let me get a ferret!

[luvmypets13]

I love animals and had lots of them in my life. My mom says were are not animal people but we have had tons of pets in  my life.dogs, cats, birds, fish, hamsters, turtles, snakes, and I have taken good care of all of them! I'm very responsible! So recently i went to my friends house and she had 2 ferrets! I fell in love they cuddle with me  and just so active and funny! I came home and explained to my mom about how much fun those little guys were! The first thing she said was NO MORE PETS!

About 6 months ago I squeezed my way into getting 2 dwarf hamsters. I found lots of info on care, needs, and everything about hamsters! Finally We went to the pet store and I paid for ALL the stuff i needed!

Now I'm trying to get all the info about Ferrets! i learned lots information. now all i need is the money ...HELP ME WITH WAYS TO EARN MONEY TO BUY A FERRET!

So once i have all the money and info how do i  persuade my mom??    ME AND MY FERRET(soon) FUTURE DEPENDS ON YOUR ADVICE!!! 

[ratlets]

How do you plan on paying for vet bills for a ferret?

[luvmypets13]

i have money put away for vet bills so theres no problems here!

[NutKitty]

Do you know how incredibly expensive ferrets can be?  Over $100 to purchase one, their food is expensive each month, you need a *very* large cage, and the ferret will need to be let out for a few hours each day - with constant supervision.

They also tend to incur very large vet bills - we're talking thousands. 

I'm speaking from experience.

Maybe you could just play with your friend's ferrets? 

[luvmypets13]

thanx for the advice i know whats ahead of me and im willing to make a safe home ferret! my parents now understand the costs and i understand the need of supervision. The only problem is my friends moved away.So i cant see her ferrets no more. So i decided id like my own

[Novakain21]

ferrets are fun... I just got 2 myself... unnamed yet... like I said they are fun but you have to watch them closely especially since I have two kits... tey are only twelve weeks old... I had to buy a huge cage for them and shampoo and food and treats and hamocks on them... lets just say it was over three hundred for all of the suplies and the ferrets... if you have the time Id say go for it but if you dont have the time then think of a different pet

[KatSnRats]

I don't think that anyone who is trying to find ways to raise money JUST to acquire a ferret and their necessary supplies should be buying one in the first place.  Their food and vet bills alone are VERY expensive.  It is like owning a dog, they need shots and major amounts of attention.  You also cannot just let them out to play around the house unless the house is baby/houdini proofed and you KNOW FOR A FACT that there is nothing they can ingest that may harm them bc I had a ferret that ate something and he then had a blockage.  I was away on vacation trusting someone (ex bf) to care for the little men and he didnt do such a good job obviously.  I didn't know that anything was wrong until he stopped eating, lost weight, and became bloated.  When I took him to the vet it was already too late for him.  The surgery that would have been done had it been an option would have cost over a thousand dollars...and that is if everything went perfectly.  If you are a responsible person you will not get a ferret until you are financially stable enough.  Your own wants should not be selfishly put first.

[Novakain21]

yes and no fatsnrats if he can talk parentals into letting him/her whatever get the farrets Im sure they would help out 

[nakedrats]

I'm not sure ferrets are the right pet for you.  You said that you have money put away for vet costs?  Last time I was at the emergency vet with a sick ferret (this past November), I was handed a bill when she was checked into the hospital estimating the charges to be $1,500-$3,500. This was just to stabilize her and figure out what was wrong with her and then it would be more to fix it.  I had to pay half up front before they were willing to look at her. Unfortunately she didn't survive to the fixing stage.  I just want to echo what other people are saying.  If you don't have the money to get your ferret's cage and supplies, you probably won't be able to afford the vet care and if you can't afford the vet, you can't afford the pet.

As for the whole parents thing, do you really think her parents are going to want to shell out a few thousand dollars for a pet they don't think she should get?  I'm not talking about $60 bucks for an exam and some antibiotics, I'm talking $1,000+ to get the pencil eraser back out of the ferret's intestine.  Not many parents are on board for spending that kind of money.

So why don't you become a foster home?  If you can convince your parents and raise some money for food and supplies, you can have a series of temporary weasels rather than owning one.  Most shelters and humane societies will pay for medical care for a foster animal and sometimes give you a cage if you feed and clean up after it.  To find shelters and rescues near you, try searching on Petfinder.com for ferrets near your zip code.

[ferretluver11697]

Ferrets are very expensive which I am sure everyone has made clear here! Well it took me 4 years to convince my parents to let me get 3 rats (I wanted a ferret though, but love my rats to death!) They were my only b-day present! I am trying to get a ferret at the moment too. There is one in particular that I am trying to get and if that doesn't work I have to wait until my rats pass away to get a ferret. Anyways here is a list of things you can give up/do to maybe convince her:

Give up computer
Give up Wii/Game cube
Clean the whole house for a certain amount of time
Do extra chores
Practice piano/instrument extra time
Make dinner every night for a month
No texting
Do laundry
Keep bedroom spotless
No American idol (or a favorite tv show)
Prevent fights between brothers/sisters
And ask her if she would like you to do anything else

Hope this helps!

[rattietayls]

Well, I got my self into this situation when I was 8 years old. She was a beautiful white backed ferret, with a brown line down her back, I already decided to name her Bella. My friend is the one who brought me to the pet store, I saw her, we went home, then I came home and told my mom I wanted her and she was so sweet. My mom and I went to see her 3 days later, we held her and I loved her. They put her on hold, and we were buying her 1 week later, Guess what my mom did. She took me into a puppy place, and bought me a puppy. She has grown up to be a beautiful little girl, we bought her from a small shop that gets puppies from accidental litters, and local breeders. Now that I have Sabrina the dog, I am so much happier now, then I would have been with Bella the ferret.

Dogs and ferrets are expensive animals, I'm not saying to get a dog, I'm saying thats how badly my mother didn't want me to get a ferret.
Don't get me wrong I LOVE ferrets, but I'm just saying, you might really regret this.

And I completely believe you have it figured out, I am a BIG planner girl   
But point blank: You. Will. Regret.

[ShadowDancer60]

Just a couple of things from a long time ferret owner.

If I had the money we've spent on vet bills the last 17 yrs, just from the ferrets, our house would be three quarters paid off (And it's not an expensive house.). That being said, we still wouldn't trade them for anything, especially since nearly all of our ferrets are adoptees... given to us by people who found them to be more than they expected...a lot of times, already with existing medical conditions, like Cushing's or diabetes (Cushing's is a cancerous growth around one of the adrenal glands). We've had over 60 weasels bless our home over the years...and we are caring for what may be our last 10 now. Ranging in age from 2yrs to 5, with most in the 4-5 range.

Also, ferrets should be in pairs, at least...though 3 are better, since they need the company and playmates as much as do rats. They are forever getting into mischief, no matter how well they are watched.

Personally, ferret ownership should be one of those things best left to when a person is actually out on their own, IMHO.

Good luck in whatever you do finally decide.

For more info, try www.ferretvillage.com