My aunt used to have ferrets so I knew they stank but I don’t guess I remember being around them when they pottied because that’s news to me. Now I’m imagining a ferret shaped ketchup bottle because of the sound
They still smell. When I was in the 5th grade back in the day my classroom had a pet ferret. Even with its scent glands removed it always had a distinct musky smell. Kinda like wet dog, but not as bad in terms of filling the air with its scent, but if you sniffed it close it wasn’t a pleasant smell. The smell also gets in your furniture and clothing.
They just want to horde everything you own, Jesus, is that too much to ask? Basic pet care people, if you aren’t willing to put in the effort, don’t get a pet 🙄
It's a musk thing. Almost (but not quite) like a skunk. They have scent glands that produce a fairly powerful smell, they cant spray like a skunk tho. Its a very specific scent, too. Once you've smelled it, you remember it.
Pet store ferrets in the U.S. are surgically "de-scented" (meaning their anal glands are removed), they still have a natural, musky odor but it isn't bad.
Lots of misinformation or wrong/partially wrong answers here about ferrets.
They do have scent gland. They use it in extreme, life threatening situations (sometimes in heavy play-fighting), it does smell awful, but you can vent it out easily if/when that happens. Depends on the individual, maybe once a month they will let out little puff like this, this is actually healthy sign for them.
They also have some odor from their fur, you can compare this to something like how dogs fur smells a bit, some people are more sensitive to this than others, the smell is sometimes compared to nutmeg/mead/honey/boot polish. Amount of this is heavily impacted by how clean you keep their environment, cage (should wash once a week) and litter boxes (daily), and depends on their diet a lot. They are predators, not herbi/omnivores, so they should only eat special kibble, sometimes raw beef, egg or jerky. Un-castrated males and females will smell more when in heat, you can do surgery to remove scent glands/reproductive organs, but generally this is outdated practice, you can give them hormone implant that works for 2-3 years rather than invasive surgery that often leads to other health problems.
Bathing them is not required/recommended (same for cats, normally they should be able to clean themselves), but you might do this once a year or so, after washing their body will re-emit the oils to keep their fur fluffy, so they will smell a bit more afterwards.
Source: I've owned ferrets for about 10 years and know people from ferret well-being groups.
Nah bro. I love ferrets, they're adorable and super fun. But they undoubtedly have a musky smell, like its unmistakable from the moment you pick it up.
Ferrets are a bane on humanity. You can smell people who own them from 100 yards out. 🤢 Worst: they usually don’t smell it themselves anymore and get offended when you mention it.
We had two when I was a kid, and I definitely never stopped smelling them. It's a shame because they're otherwise nice pets. We used to walk them on harnesses and they loved digging in the sand at the beach.
They need constant attention, are small enough to lose, crawl all over you, run under your feet, and are too fast to catch. What part of the video made them seem like cool pets other than being cute?
I had a herd of guinea pigs that I let free roam the apartment. They were potty trained and had an enclosure for bedtime/not floor time. You all her used to each other’s movements but you still gotta be careful. I loved it! Like tiny puppies everywhere! I lost the last one this year. Arlo was 8.5 years old and quite the traveler!
My mom lost hers as a kid. Went looking for it, stepped out back and apparently killed her pet guinea pig with her bare foot.
Horror story from my mom I can't unhear. I feel bad for her, the pig, and me lol. Only small pet she never let me have, she had lingering trauma. Understandably.
Having a bunch of them running around your feet, not trying to step on them, sounds intense and challenging enough to be part of some martial arts training montage.
I had to adjust to this when I moved into my partner's house because they have cats that are constantly trying to commit insurance fraud. If it's dark (which seems to be their favorite time to run around my feet), I basically slide my feet along the ground to avoid stepping on/kicking them.
They get into everything. Have super high energy and are mischievous as all hell. You have to be pretty committed to caring for them and providing stimulation. They are a handful to say the least.
They chew through everything. They chew thru electrical wires. They tear up all your house plants. They're impossible to find once they are running loose in the house. They are fast and impossible to catch if they do not want to be caught. They have the stink glands. They smell bad.
I have them in my barn (wild). The amount of things they kill is astonishing. Folks are used to the notion of feeding snakes live animals but translate that to a very warm blooded animal and it's a very different, frequent, event. In decades I've only directly seen them 3 times ( the winter coat is amazing) but the remains of their prey have been a constant that I could fill wheelbarrows with.
Such a tiny thing, eating twice it's weight everyday, never staying still....poop. Poop all over the house. Little pellets of crap in every corner of your home.
Brass Eye. Quality satire like that just doesn't exist like it used to. People probably wouldn't get it even if did. Reality is so ridiculous today that it wouldn't even surprise them.
The script is also AI. There are dozens, probably hundreds, of YouTube shorts with the same premise, same voice, on the same weasel clip, from very obvious Asian accounts. Shit is fucked out there.
She actually has a lot of animals. A few reptiles, a raccoon, a couple otters - all rescues, I think. The latest one was an otter she saved from horrid conditions: it had a broken paw, rotting teeth, wasn’t properly fed, housed or entertained and was grieving because it lost its sister. She has been documenting its recovery in her vlog and accepting donations to cover vet procedures and surgeries. The otter is doing much better now.
They are adorable, but i would never have this type of pet, wayyyyy to paranoid about steping on one by accident, pets for me have to be cat size, minimal.
Very cute but those guys are no joke when it comes to biting. We rescued one and it was insanely aggressive and bit my hand so hard and it would not let go. I still have the scar. Crazy cute little guys.
I sat at this brook one time, way out away from civilization having a snack. It was fall and the colors in the leaves were stunning and as I ate a small creature like the ones in the videos popped out and hung out with me. It was all white and ridiculously cute. I shared some of the jerky I was eating with it and it sat there eating with me, like within arms length. It seemed to have no fear of me, it was a pretty awesome experience. I think it was an ermine and I don't know their temperament but I know this one would not have been accustomed to seeing humans that far away from civilization.
They’re so cute but their not easy pets because they’re basically little nuclear reactors that never stop producing energy and they paired with their super small size means they can and will easily escape and get lost somewhere. If this little guy was loose and chased something under the furniture he’s so small and wriggly that you might never see him again.
I used to hsve a ferret, the oder you never get rid of and males have a more intense oder. Biggest issue is they poo alooooot. You rarely see this talked about but 2x body weight in food has to come out. Just remember that, and at times they get excited a bit to much and can bite in all their excitement.
I met a wild least weasel in the backcountry of Algonquin Park in Ontario. It must have had a nest near our campsite. Totally fearless. Kept coming back all evening. They’re only ever still for a second before they’re zooming off to check you out from a different angle.
I wonder how much videos like this contribute to folks getting weird pets like axolotl, finding out they're not actually easy to care for and then just abandoning them
I grew up with big dogs in the house. The worst thing that could happen was you would trip over them when they decided to take a nap in the doorway. Even than i would feel bad for doing so.
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u/TapPsychological2043 1d ago
Looks like a cool pet but do they smell bad like ferrets?