So you want a ferret, but your parents aren’t exactly on board with the idea. First, you should ask yourself an important question. Are you responsible enough to keep a pet ferret? This is more than just having a cage and occasionally checking in on it. Ferrets are expensive, high-maintenance animals compared to some other pets like a hamster or a goldfish. Your parents might know this, and they might not, but either way, you ought to be prepared before you make your case.
Convincing your parents does not mean that you have to lie to them. You have to prove to them that you can manage a pet on your own.
Even adults have a tough time dealing with them. If you think you are “old enough” to keep a ferret then you might be wrong. Keeping a ferret will need you to be a responsible parent to a small child. These pets require utmost attention and care from their caretaker.
In a way, you should prepare yourself for being responsible for another life. When you are sure you are capable of it, then you go to your parents to convince them.
If you have perceived all these details, let’s come to the real questions again, how do you convince your parents to keep a ferret?
Well, here are the few things you need to learn first.
Do Some Detailed Research On Ferrets
You can’t persuade your parents if you don’t know anything about ferrets yourself.
Learn about the environment they prefer, their health, and their habits (including all their habit-related pros and cons). Talk to your parents openly about the drawbacks of having a ferret too. But then also suggest solutions for those drawbacks.
When your parents see you already know about the drawbacks and have some concrete solutions for them, they take interest in your suggestions.
If you don’t have enough knowledge then the person you buy the ferret from can easily inform you about all these details, or you can check out other articles on our website to know more about pet ferrets.
Apart from this, before buying a ferret, you need to know about the right procedure for buying pet ferrets. Since if you don’t know about the buying procedure, you can be in trouble.
For example, ferrets mostly come neutered. So, you have to make sure that the one you are getting is neutered or spayed as well. If this goes unnoticed and turns out the ferret is not neutered then it will cost extra to your parents. Besides, a ferret that is not neutered deals with many health problems throughout his lifetime.
We have a section of this blog dedicated to preservation of ferret health and treating the various issues that can arise, so for a better idea of what to expect, we recommend you look at the ferret health section here.
Use Actions Instead Of Words To Convince Your Parents
Age does not determine your level of responsibility.
You can start by helping your parents with the work around the house. This will slowly build up their mind about you being old enough to keep a pet.
In addition, if you already have some pets in your home, start taking care of them. Let your elders see that you are old enough to take care of pets and that you have compassion and a sense of responsibility.
Show them through your actions instead of words that you can take care of a ferret or a group of ferrets too, and they will accept your demand in no time.
Know How To Deal With The Cons Of Having A Ferret
Though we have already covered this topic in a bit of detail above and in this article, you still need to know about all the drawbacks to keeping your parents comfortable. Since ferrets do have some unique drawbacks that can compel your parents to go against your decision once you have a ferret at home.
For example, the smell of a ferret is one of the biggest concerns. Their smell is really bad if they aren’t cleaned regularly. You have to clean them, their cage, and basically, anywhere they live regularly. If you won’t do that, their smell will spread and make your family uncomfortable.
Apart from this, you have to deal with some other things too that cause smells, such as changing their bedding, cleaning the litter box, and refilling the food and water bowls.
These are not exactly the cons yet but if you are not committed enough then even the little things will seem like a big drawback to your parents.
Join A Ferret Shelter
One of the best ways you can learn and show your compassion is by joining a ferret shelter. These shelters are available near most vet offices.
In a ferret shelter, you will learn every little thing about a ferret. Watching them every day will show you their different personalities. You will learn many things, such as, what to do when a ferret catches a cold or a fever.
Getting a hands-on experience will prove to be much more useful than just gathering information about it. By being there you can practically practice how to deal with a ferret in most difficult situations.
Joining a shelter will also let you know if you are allergic to ferrets or anything related to it.
Take Responsibility For Their Health
Sometimes most parents don’t agree with having a pet is because of the price they will have to pay for it.
All pets come with different pay costs. It is really rare for a ferret to not catch some sort of disease as they age. Although it will happen after they reach the age of 2 and by then you will learn many things about them, but still, in the long run, having a ferret can be costly, especially if they are affected by diseases. You have to take them to the vet over and over again.
Ferret Proof Your House
Ferret proofing your house is immensely important, and it can push you to spend some money as well. You can start by ferret proofing the room where the cage is kept. Remove all the tiny objects that may be swallowed by the ferret.
Once the room is prepared and officially ready for keeping a ferret then you can show it to your parents. Also, you need to cover the furniture or precious belongings if they are inside your ferret’s room, as ferrets are curious animals and they can scratch or destroy them.
Check out these articles for further tips: How to Ferret Proof your Bathroom and How to Ferret Proof Your Kitchen.
Tell Your Parents About The Pros Of Having A Pet Ferret
Tell your parents that there are many benefits of having a ferret.
For example, ferrets are highly intelligent animals and they are very social. They love to play with people, playfully bite them, and act like babies.
Imagine how adorable it is when you are sitting on the couch and a small soft animal comes to snuggle with you. Your serotonin levels will go sky high. Having a cute pet to care for is linked with increased happiness, comfort, and gratitude in life, so it is something the entire family can appreciate. Besides, when your parents see the playful acts of a ferret with their own eyes, they gradually start loving them too.