Hedgehog & Ferrets

[Puffers315]

Okay, this is a hypothetical question, in the future I would like to adopt a ferret, as there are many who are in need of homes. This won't happen until god forbids one of my guys travels to the rainbow bridge. I jumped into the whole hedgehog game quickly and went from having one to two, and its been a blast, but I know I will in general only keep one hedgehog as a pet when that time comes, but would also like to have a ferret as a pet too.

Would it be at all possible for both to be housed in a Ferret Nation double decker. I know there's major issues with the two since Hedgehog = Prey and Ferret = Predator, and that the ferret can be cause of stress to a hedgehog probably even from just their smell. But would it at all be possible to house both in a ferret nation. I would say ferret in the top cage so the smell isn't rising with the heat to the hedgehog, but I just wanted to throw that out there and see what the general opinion was.

Of course playtime and such would not be together, there's a youtube video that shows a pair of ferrets screwing with a hedgehog and the poor spiked guy isn't having any fun.

In the end, just pondering the future, that and I was in the mall and looking at a ferret in the pet store, I know the owner and he has a barn with about 20 abandoned ones living happily there.

[MeAmandaTee]

I think that it would probably bother the hedgehog too much. Cuz when ferrets play they jump around there cage and make a lot of noise because of it lol i dont think they are up that often but when they are there the life of the party!! And even though the hedgehog would be on the bottom ferrets tend to have a natural musky scent (especially if they havent been descented) so he would still smell the ferret pretty well. I do a lot of research on many animals just for the fun of learning, so thats my advice

[Puffers315]

Oh yeah, I'm well familiar with the ways of the ferret (Weezer), had one several years ago, a rescue that came into the shelter my Mom was working at. In short she was found in an animal horders house living in a tiny bird cage that literally had 2 inches of poop on the bottom, there floor was totally consumed by it. She spent a few months at the shelter and we finally took her in, lived with us for half a year, and then was shipped to PA with my brother, who for the past decade has had ferrets, 8 at one point, down to 3 now with Weezer (renamed Dutchess) as the eldest.

So I'm well versed in their playful nature and musk. Activity wise, they're more lazy than a hedgehog, sleep 22 hours a day, play for 2, sleep some more. But you're right about the thrashing in the cage, they are more active. I -never- see my hogs out until 9pm, where you'd see Weezer here and there, wake up, poop, eat a little, play a little, sleep.

So either way, if she was on top there would be the playful thrashings, on the bottom would be the musk rising. I just ponder if the thrashing would be disruptive to a hedgehog, it'll be Hester Sue who would have to live with the new room mate (she's not even a year, Loki is 2.5) and she does sleep like the dead, I can move her house during cleaning and she doesn't even wake up, unless its a sharp movement (then I hear the complaining).

Next question is, if they're not sharing a ferret nation. I plan to at some point in the future to buy a second ferret nation setup and connect both together, giving my hogs double the space they got. Hester uses levels so in the end, I could split the cages apart into two seperate setups, keep the ferret at one side of the room, her on the other and use the bottom of her ferret nation for more space since she'll use tubes. But again my main concern would be the musk, I believe most are decented but they still carry that smell with them (skunks too).


Weezer the Ferret, being all crazy like.

[Lilysmommy]

I've never had a ferret before, but with seeing firsthand how defensive a hog can be around one, I would go with the second choice. Separate cages, and keep them across the room from each other, or even in another room, if possible. The one time (besides youtube videos) I saw a ferret and hedgehog together was when I was picking up a hedgehog from a high school classroom. The teacher had the hedgehog and ferret both out on the (very cold!) desk. Ferret was having a good time frolicking around. Hedgehog was in a quivering, terrified, poky ball. She huffed several times and nearly huffed herself right off the edge of the table. Poor thing was so terrified that when I picked her up, she immediately latched onto my hoodie sleeve and refused to let go for several minutes.

[Nancy]

Having owned ferrets, my advice is separate rooms but most definitely separate cages and as far from each other as possible.

Ferrets stink. Even descented they still stink especially in warm weather. The hedgehog/s will know the ferret is there by the smell and ferrets are predators, hedgehogs prey. Do we really know what effect having a predator animal such as a ferret that close to a prey animal has on the prey animal?

The Ferret Nation is a good secure cage that they can't get out of and that is what you want. Our one little gal could open her cage door faster than we could and we had to use multiple dog clips on the doors to keep her from opening them. I'm quite amazed she never figured them out too.

If you get a ferret, you should get two. Ferrets are very social creatures and really do need to have at least one other ferret. At one time we had 8 and they were a riot but the last two just moved out with my daughter.

[Puffers315]

Originally Posted by Nancy

Do we really know what effect having a predator animal such as a ferret that close to a prey animal has on the prey animal?

That is true, not like there has been a study on the effects of ferrets on hedgehogs before, just figured there's possibly been members or people that have had ferrets and hedgehogs in the same room, possibly that close to each other like they would be in a ferret nation. It also crossed my mind that it would also probably depend on the individual hedgehog, as I can see where some would get totally freaked out, and others wouldn't care. I think Hester Sue wouldn't care, she spent the first 4 months of life in a room with basically 50 other animals, from reptiles to birds, etc from the crazy hippy lady that had her, she always seemed to be 'tough like nails' to me. But still I don't want to be that guy who had a hedgehog die from a heat attack brought on by stress.

It also crossed my mind that the 9 cats in my house have to be a predator factor, not as much as a ferret since they don't stink, but still thats 9 predator creatures running around here, and they tend to gather in my room with the hedgehogs. Thankfully Vera Lee put them in their place, they learned their backs don't feel good and Vera use to sniff them out when they got into her playpen and bite them. Hester and Loki don't even really blink, Hester usually goes after them I think more to anoint with them.

But in the end I do agree, seperate cages ideally in seperate rooms or at least on the other side of the room would be best. But as said I'm of course talking at least 2 or more years down the road, I might not be living where I am now (parents house) and have multiple rooms to keep both in.

[HedgeMom]

Ferrets need to be in totally separate rooms. Hedgehogs have a very different temperature need than ferrets. 78 for a hedgehog is hot enough to cause heat stroke in a ferret. They need to be kept at 68-72 max.