Two weeks ago my husband rescued a ferret from his mom's house where his sister had three. After the second one died from neglect he could stand it no more and brought the last one home. He tried to take care of them when he was there, but his mom lives 80 miles away so wasn't easy. She is a 4+-year-old, whitish female. She was covered with fleas, skinny, and had lost a lot of hair. She is a completely different ferret after just two weeks, and the hair growing in is black. She seems happy in her new home, but I read how they grieve the loss of their friends. I wanted to know how much more work more than one ferret really is. We are really enjoying her, but I worry that she is lonely when in her cage alone. Any advice would be appreciated. Thanks.

Hi there!

First of all, congrats on your new ferret, though it wasn't under the best of terms.

If she is gaining weight and eating, currently, you're probably OK in terms of depression. If she were still looking scraggly and not eating, then I'd be concerned.

But...I personally don't think having 2 is much more work than having one, particularly if you have a cage that can accomodate 2 ferrets. You've got twice the poop and twice the vet bills. The vet bills certainly aren't cheap for ferrets, as they tend to develop cancers later in life... It certainly is fun watching them play together, though.

Give it a little time and see if you end up really wanting a second ferret, though, would be my advice....

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