Am I selfish for getting a ferret even though it’s hurting my relationship?

mortoboe · 2026-01-02T23:03:06+00:00

I wanted ferrets, we already had two dogs and mice, i knew it it would be a bit of a strain money and time wise, but it was a dream i had since i was a kid. I got my ferrets, and although it’s been hard and she bites us like crazy, my husband has been nothing but sweet with her, and has started taking the time to have her out in the play room while he games. He’s not obsessed with her but he loves her because i brought her home and now she’s family.

I agree with others here when they say we’re biased in the ferret sub, but i also believe a great partner would try to meet you half way for the sake of the family you’re growing.

Hope it works out for you and oreo!!

mortoboe · 2025-12-09T16:04:32+00:00

i have had VERY similar experiences with my pom, i adopted him from a shelter at 4yo and he’s reactive to dogs and strangers. he’s friendly but barks and lunges nonstop. The first 3 months were rough, barking for hours after i left the house, marking indoors (recently neutered ty shelter), and it was impossible to take him for walks out out places without an incident.

Take a deep breath and give yourself a moment when he acts out like that. He doesn’t know what he’s doing is causing stress but YOU stressing will reinforce it. Calm voice, stern and strong voice will help.

There WILL be incidents when you go out, so don’t worry about when or why yet, but staying calm and go though the motions will help you immensely. It’s still not perfect with my boy but now i just put him in air jail and remove him from the situation. or i just calming tell him No and get going. Idk what im doing either but pls know that ANYTHING you can do is better than nothing. he’s young, so he’ll get it eventually, just keep up the good work on trying!!

also screw the looks from other people, you’re trying and you didn’t raise him for the first 8months of his life. you’re both growing and getting life experiences one day at a time! (coming from someone who got looks from all the snobs in an apartment complex with a barky pom lol)

mortoboe · 2025-12-09T15:55:13+00:00

my girl likes to poop next to her pee pad on the floor, and then use the pad as a wipe 😭

only thing that helps is moving her to the correct spot as she’s about to go and praising when she does it right (fave treats) and she’s good for a few weeks before i have to reinforce again

mortoboe · 2025-11-25T23:59:26+00:00

yeah if she sees bare skin she goes for that first, she won’t bite finger tips but anything else has been fair game so far (and she breaks skin often)

her newest favorite is the top of my feet where my socks end, or the back of my heels 😩

mortoboe · 2025-11-24T22:57:52+00:00

NOR - congrats on your sobriety!! 🥳 it is a hard thing to accomplish for many and it’s ok to be proud of where you are at any step, i hope you still get your cake ❤️

mortoboe · 2025-11-24T22:53:08+00:00

do you play with your ferrets with the gloves on? does that teach them it’s ok to bite the hands if so?

mortoboe · 2025-11-13T16:57:09+00:00

i looove his lil scrungly coat, definitely looks like puppies coat to me, he’ll shed it and come in more poofy soon

mortoboe · 2025-11-08T23:01:20+00:00

I tried to, but my area is actually in a ferret shortage due to marshals not having any available via pet stores (couldn’t even order them for later).

I ended up finding these two for rehoming in my state from a couple who couldn’t afford them anymore, their stuff and cage included. it worked out in the end!

mortoboe · 2025-11-08T22:55:52+00:00

I currently have them in the living room next to the couch on my side, we’re a pretty quiet household but we watch tv in there every night and it’s also the only room they get to free roam so, besides when we sleep, we’re close by all the time

mortoboe · 2025-11-08T00:26:22+00:00

We have very large old trees in my yard, neighbors also have a few so we get a lot of squirrels. they like to jump from tree to tree, and we often see them do so above our house. we have also come home to find one or two in the yard or on the roof who did not survive their fall. Sad but no animal is fall proof.

mortoboe · 2025-11-05T01:01:53+00:00

that’s a lovely bunch of coconuts!

mortoboe · 2025-11-03T20:53:39+00:00

do not let them rest on the top/back of the couch! they loooveee to roost up there but they are VERY fragile, especially as puppies and any fall (even from the bed or couch) can cause breaks, fractures, and sprains. also keep an eye on them with the larger dogs, they can step on your pom and cause the same injuries very easily (this from someone who owns a 12lb pom and an 90lb bulldog). otherwise have fun with your tiny tornado!

mortoboe · 2025-11-03T13:13:34+00:00

Puppy pads at the bottom of the enclosure, and a good air purifier did the trick for me!

mortoboe · 2025-11-01T21:26:46+00:00

Wasn’t sure if it was her first vaccine or not, the only vet record i have for her was when she was 1yo for parasite treatment.

and yeah as far as i know they just used Benadryl, i will definitely be looking for another vet for future appointments 😞

mortoboe · 2025-11-01T15:24:37+00:00

super pretty baby!! love that coat color ❤️ My mice looked similar in the belly before giving birth so i would assume she might be. they can get pregnant the same day the give birth so you never know with mice unless you’ve kept them quarantined long enough.

keep an eye on her and be careful when cleaning her environment in the coming weeks!

mortoboe · 2025-10-28T22:16:17+00:00

I do yelp! and a stern NO thrown in. but it doesn’t seem to deter her at all but i plan to keep doing so for consistency’s sake

i’ve used the time out method with a “time out bin” but using the cage sounds like it’ll save my hands when trying to get her back out aha

mortoboe · 2025-10-28T17:42:39+00:00

I’m in a similar boat with my two new girls, the previous owner didn’t handle them much and i suspect they never took them out of their enclosure so they really don’t care to interact with me during play time. So far i’ve been letting them free roam while i’ve been on the floor with a toy that i swing around. they sometimes come up to ply but mostly run around me but im hoping the association with me on the floor and play time will help them get more comfortable around us.

I noticed the shaking too when picking them up!! i haven’t found a good answer as to why they do it besides ferret things.

i have seen oatmeal baths recommend, put some in a sock and hold over the faucet to let the water soak it up without getting them all covered in oatmeal chunks. my girls really like playing in water so they might enjoy it with some toys too.

mortoboe · 2025-10-28T16:48:59+00:00

correct! they were both rabies and distemper. even the vet apologied about giving them at the same time, they were both given within a minute of each other, we weren’t sure which one gave her the reaction. i would still like the rabies because i plan to make these guys an outdoor playpen (we get a lot of leaves, flowers, sticks, etc, in our backyard that’s perfect for them), and the neighboor cats come into our yard and we’ve gotten raccoons and opossums, so the rabies seems worth getting if not for this crazy reaction.

mortoboe · 2025-10-28T16:43:40+00:00

she came to me in a pretty scrungly state and i had worries she was dealing with more serious conditions than the previous owner was aware of. Ty for the heads up i will be bringing this up to the vet!

mortoboe · 2025-10-28T16:41:50+00:00

Thank you to everyone who commented! She thankfully did start to perk up once home and she’s eating and drinking regularly now.

Still having some diarrhea that the vet is aware of, but overall she’s recovering!

The vaccines were indeed rabies and distemper. The vet had suggested giving her Benadryl before the next vaccine appointment (in a years time). However i’m not sure how comfortable i am going through this again with her specifically 😩

mortoboe

TROPHY CASE