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Okay, so sudden weird breaking point happened and I am now going to be moving out to Austin Texas near my brother.
I have three ferrets, a cat and a big dog. I suppose my cat and dog will have to stay here with my dad, because I’m pushing my luck as is with my ferrets. I understand apartments that say “pet friendly” really just mean cats and dogs, and will say no to anything else.
Has anyone here been in an apartment with ferrets? Was it hard to find an apartment willing to let you have them, or was it an ordeal? Or was it as simple as “I’ll pay a bigger pet deposit”?
Does anyone have any general tips or something like this? This is a total first for me. I could live with my brother and his fiancée, but… harhar they don’t want my ferrets in their house. Leaving without my ferrets is not an option for me.I have lived in rental places *all* my life. It has always been my experience that in fact, apartment rental places don’t pay attention to or care about anything that lives in a cage or tank (birds, reptiles, rodents, fish – and I’ve had them all except the fish.) “Pet friendly” is a simple way to let people know that they do accept cats and dogs (and to differentiate themselves from places that say NO PETS).
The biggest reason apartment managements choose to not have pets are these:
*Damage to carpets (pee, poop, scratching, fur, dander)
*Damage to the apartment structure (chewing on door frames, scratching up the doors)
*Pet messes left on premises from people walking their dogs (people who don’t poop scoop)
*Noise (barking)Caged pets don’t have any of these issues. You will be 100% ok with having your ferrets. As a pet friendly rental place,I’m guessing they’d be fine with your cat, and even dog if you want, so long as you’re willing to pay the extra deposit and possible monthly pet rent. Just check with the management – some places have weight limits on pet size to keep dog sizes to the smaller breeds, and some limit the number of cats/dogs you can have (like, no more than 2 cats/dogs total).
I have always let my rental agencies know all the pets I have (right now, cat and cockatoo) and nobody’s ever cared about anything but the cats/dogs. (Even though IMHO they *should* care about the cockatoo – them’s noisy!!!)
Best of luck to you, and let us know how it goes 🙂
Our experience with apartments and renting before we moved into our house was that each situation is as individual as the landlord themselves. Some are more open minded about different pets than others, though many prefer to stick with pets that they’ve had experience with renters having in the past. I’d just ask any potential landlord….discuss your options and what you’re willing to do, or not do, to accomodate each other. If they’re unwilling to talk and discuss that sort of thing, they’re probably not best for your situation anyway.
My experience was like Purplecat’s… each is individual! My experience was in the Houston, TX area and while there we toured and looked at dozens of apartments. I was concerned because I had birds and fish, and my roommate had a large dog, so we always asked the landlords/office what their pet policy was.
Some said no pets at all. We didn’t go any further with them!
Some said cats and dogs only, under a certain weight (I think 40lbs?) with a deposit.
Some said cats and dogs under a certain weight with a deposit and everything else they don’t care about.
I do remember one place did have a special clause for ferrets and treated them like cats, requiring a deposit.
A few places told me that they required a deposit (and it was $300 at one of them) for EACH animal we had excluding fish. So because I had three cockatiels that shared a cage I’d be required to pay a $900 deposit! Augh! We didn’t chose that apartment complex, obviously.All I can suggest is that you ask up-front and be honest. Read your lease agreements very carefully before deciding and signing!
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My art: featherdust.comJennifer wrote:All I can suggest is that you ask up-front and be honest. Read your lease agreements very carefully before deciding and signing!
Agreed. I rented all through college, and they are all different. As far as caged animals go, there are MANY apartments near LSU that actually will not accept reptiles. For some, it was just snakes they wouldn’t accept. 😆
Each place is different. It just takes a little bit of looking. Good luck! 🙂
Yea, It all depends on the people and what they know about ferrets. I never have seemed to have noticed problems around here with them, (usually caged animals are okay unless the place is really strict) but some people think they will stink up the whole house which isn’t the case. I have ferrets and as long as you keep them clean they don’t really cause any harm in a no pet environment. As far as destruction, they don’t destroy my house, just all the stuff I have inside it 🙄
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I guess I should have mentioned one thing… my ferrets aren’t caged. I have a cage, but it just sits in the back room. My ferrets have free run of the house, and then at night they sleep in the laundry room (door closed). I suppose if everyone assumes they’re caged, that I just don’t mention anything about it. 😕
I had emailed a “ferret way station” in Austin, and they said they didn’t know of any apartments that accepted ferrets. They said once you mention them, they say no.
I just feel like this will be super hard! I’m flying out next week to look around for jobs and suitable apartments. My brother’s fiancée says it go super fast and everything will fall into place, but I’ve never been that optimistic… lol.I suspected you let them have free reign; it really depends on the complex/landlord. Like the one I visited, they listed each ferret the same as a litter trained cat, so each needed a deposit. I hope it works out!
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My art: featherdust.comI have not met a landlord who would let us have ferrets. They were considered rodents and not pets (like my rabbit) and pets were only dogs and cats. Can ferrets be litter trained? As a home owner, I would be concered about pee on the floor and chewed corners if you let him run around free, but I dont know much about ferrets except that they are cute, inquisitive, and smell sometimes.
skigod377 wrote:I have not met a landlord who would let us have ferrets. They were considered rodents and not pets (like my rabbit) and pets were only dogs and cats. Can ferrets be litter trained? As a home owner, I would be concered about pee on the floor and chewed corners if you let him run around free, but I dont know much about ferrets except that they are cute, inquisitive, and smell sometimes.
Ferrets are not in the rodent family. At all. Shows what little most people know about them 🙁 (not you, landlords… and people in general).
Yes, ferrets are litter-trainable.
And they don’t chew… on anything but my motorcycle helmet, laptop and wallet lol.
Oh, and they don’t smell either :pKujacker wrote:skigod377 wrote:I have not met a landlord who would let us have ferrets. They were considered rodents and not pets (like my rabbit) and pets were only dogs and cats. Can ferrets be litter trained? As a home owner, I would be concered about pee on the floor and chewed corners if you let him run around free, but I dont know much about ferrets except that they are cute, inquisitive, and smell sometimes.
Ferrets are not in the rodent family. At all. Shows what little most people know about them 🙁 (not you, landlords… and people in general).
Yes, ferrets are litter-trainable.
And they don’t chew… on anything but my motorcycle helmet, laptop and wallet lol.
Oh, and they don’t smell either :p
Hu. I obviously didnt know they were not rodents either so dont feel bad about lumping me in the same category as most people. I just assumed since they called my bunny a rodent they would call a ferret a rodent but I guess when I think about it that makes no sense. I guess I just never really thought about it because I have not thought seriously about owning one in many many years.They dont CHEW…except the pricey stuff, hu? LOL Thats a step up on rabbits (and puppies) for sure and being litter trainable is pretty impressive. 😮 . The ones at the pet store smelled… though I guess their cage could have needed a cleaning.
Do they ever chew your Windstones? I know cats love to chew them and wonder if ferrets are interested as well.
My sister had ferrets at one point and they had a faint musky smell. The scent stayed on my hands for a bit after holding them, but wasnt very strong. I only saw them once though, so I’m not a particularly reliable source of ferret info…except that i find them kinda cute.
Ski, ferrets are in the mustelid family, which includes things like weasels, otters, badgers, stoats, mink, fishers, martins, etc. They are very carnivorous and hunters; they’d prefer to eat a rodent. XD They are used to hunt rabbits and other prey in some parts of the world still, which is probably why they were domesticated in the first place. They have pointed canine teeth like a cat.
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My art: featherdust.comskigod377 wrote:Kujacker wrote:skigod377 wrote:I have not met a landlord who would let us have ferrets. They were considered rodents and not pets (like my rabbit) and pets were only dogs and cats. Can ferrets be litter trained? As a home owner, I would be concered about pee on the floor and chewed corners if you let him run around free, but I dont know much about ferrets except that they are cute, inquisitive, and smell sometimes.
Ferrets are not in the rodent family. At all. Shows what little most people know about them 🙁 (not you, landlords… and people in general).
Yes, ferrets are litter-trainable.
And they don’t chew… on anything but my motorcycle helmet, laptop and wallet lol.
Oh, and they don’t smell either :p
Hu. I obviously didnt know they were not rodents either so dont feel bad about lumping me in the same category as most people. I just assumed since they called my bunny a rodent they would call a ferret a rodent but I guess when I think about it that makes no sense. I guess I just never really thought about it because I have not thought seriously about owning one in many many years.They dont CHEW…except the pricey stuff, hu? LOL Thats a step up on rabbits (and puppies) for sure and being litter trainable is pretty impressive. 😮 . The ones at the pet store smelled… though I guess their cage could have needed a cleaning.
Do they ever chew your Windstones? I know cats love to chew them and wonder if ferrets are interested as well.
For sure, the pet store ones smell because they’re in that tiny cage that doesn’t get cleaned often 🙁 You should actually only wash them about 4 times a year. When you wash them, they smell is bit stronger a few days after because their skin is getting all the oil back. And like PT said, they do have a slight smell, but it’s not a gross smell. Just like a cat or dog have a scent. Seems all ferret owners love how ferrets smell 😉
My hands don’t smell like a ferret after handling, though.And nope, no Windstone chewing. I have all my stone/candle WS on the floor, and they just walk by them. Sometimes they kind of perch on them when looking at something, but that’s it.
Only one of my ferrets likes to chew on the laptop… but they all love the helmet (or rather, love to try. I keep it out of reach… but the second it’s in their reach they’re all over it) and the leather of the wallet.And like Nam said… their natural diet is rodents and birds and such. Some ferret owners actually feed their ferrets whole prey. Mine get a special raw meat diet, along with kibble.
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