The pet ferret is one of the most rapidly growing household pets in terms of popularity, despite it being banned in many places for being considered a wild animal. In fact, it is the third most common domestic pet in the Unites States.

Ferrets make a great addition to the family, if you have the knowledge, budget, and time to care for them. They are cute, friendly, playful, curious, and loving. In short, they are everything someone would want out of a pet.

The pet ferret isn’t the easiest animal to care for though. This is primarily because despite how common they’ve become, the knowledge on ferret care isn’t as main stream as other pets. Don’t get me wrong, caring for a pet ferret is worth it and a very rewarding process to boot, but you should learn a thing or two about them before you adopt one.

Ferrets are extremely active in one way. When they are awake they are brimming with energy and love to be able to roam free during this time. They tend to sleep 18-20 hours per day though, so don’t freak out and think your ferret is dying if you see them sleeping all of the time.

This means you need to have an area for your ferret to play and things for it to play with. A ferret will often play with anything that is available, but what is available isn’t always safe or desirable to have your ferret playing with; clean the area your ferret will be playing in and get some ferret toys for your little friend.

Pet ferrets also need regular vaccinations. The most important of these is a series of distemper shots when your ferret is still a baby, also known as a kit. Distemper is an extremely dangerous virus that claims the ferret’s life in almost 100% of cases if contracted. There are other vaccinations, but nothing else protects from any viruses or diseases with such staggering numbers.

A pet ferret will climb around or inside of anything as well, so if you have furniture that moves like recliners or rocking chairs, be careful that your ferret isn’t nearby when it is moving.

Ferrets, additionally, are carnivorous, and have very special diets. If you want to go the easy route you can find certain pet superstores with real "ferret food."