Ferrets are social pets that are good for pet lovers who love to release them out of the cage to enjoy their company daily. Ferrets are very good companions to humans. If you have a ferret as a pet you should do well to let it out of its cage every day to spend time outside for at least four hours. This is necessary because they need a lot of exercises. Your ferret is at risk of getting obese if you don’t allow it to come out of its cage every day to exercise. For young ferrets, they like to nibble your toes and chase toys. The Chihuahua is a small breed of dog that is very intelligent. It is very loyal to humans and is very good at responding positively to training. A Chihuahua has a terrier temperament but if you train it gently, it will obey. They make good pets but watch children closely when they play with them so they don’t handle them roughly.
So, do ferrets get along with Chihuahuas? Yes, they do. But you need to put in a lot of training, supervision, and work to ensure they get along well. Another way you can get Chihuahuas and ferrets to get along is by allowing them to interact with each other from their young age.
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Ferrets are usually bred to live with humans, they may find it difficult to cope alone. If you bring a ferret home to your dog pet, your Chihuahua might behave aggressively towards it at first. But to ensure that their first meeting doesn’t end badly, handle their introduction slowly. Don’t rush things. Do a quick evaluation of these two pets. Ask yourself if they are both territorial and aggressive. If your Chihuahua is territorial for example, and your ferret tries to steal its toys, it may hurt your ferret.
Since your Chihuahua has a terrier temperament, it will likely want to hunt small animals like rodents. So, if your ferret is still very young and your Chihuahua sights it, you may want to hunt it too.
Signs you will see if your Chihuahua and ferret aren’t getting along.
Always make sure you are constantly observing the behaviors of your ferret and Chihuahua so, you can always know how they are feeling. The signs they show you will help you know if they are getting along well or not.
If you notice that your Chihuahua is always crouching around your ferret’s cage, it’s not a good sign and you should try to stop it before it ends up hurting your ferret.
Also, if your Chihuahua is always stiffening its tail, stalking your ferret, and raising its hairs whenever he sights your ferret, it might be that it’s seeing your ferret as prey that should be eaten and not a friend. To depict its unfriendliness, it will growl, bite, nip and try to scratch its cage or that of the ferret.
Do not ignore the body language signs your Chihuahua shows you. Take it seriously so your ferret doesn’t get hurt. If you notice your Chihuahua panting, exposing its teeth, skulking, nipping, shaking with his pupils dilated, and making fast movements towards your ferret, it’s a bad sign that it is not getting along with your ferret.
How can you help a ferret and a Chihuahua to get along?
To help your ferret and a Chihuahua to get along, make sure you keep the Chihuahua separately from a ferret during their first introduction. Also, ensure that you put a barrier between your ferret and Chihuahua during their first introduction. Leave the ferret in its wire cage.
Then, you watch both of them closely as they look and sniff each other from a distance. If you notice that after a while, your Chihuahua starts barking, take it out of that environment immediately. Repeat the introduction with the ferret inside its cage plenty of times until your Chihuahua and ferret starts to get along well.
The next step is to show your Chihuahua how you interact with your ferret and allow it to watch you. Let your Chihuahua see how you and your family members play with your ferret. Repeat the same thing for your ferret to see as well.
Another step is to keep your Chihuahua on a leash and allow it to communicate with your ferret after removing it from its cage. Make sure you provide a safe spot where your ferret can run if your Chihuahua tries to be aggressive.
Give your Chihuahua’s leash to any of your family members while you keep your ferret in your arms. Then, you allow them to observe, sniff and communicate with each other. If they can interact well without hitting each other, you can remove the ferret from your arms and keep it on the floor while your family member still tries to keep the Chihuahua in check. You will notice that your ferret will try to nip your Chihuahua’s toes if it wants to play.
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Take the leash on your Chihuahua and allow it okay with your ferret if you notice its friendliness towards the ferret.
Make sure you maintain a close distance as they play so your Chihuahua doesn’t bite your ferret and they play. Always be around them whenever they are playing.
If your dog and ferret don’t get along, there are certain things you can do to handle the situation. Some of them are:
- Get your Chihuahua leashed and keep your ferret in its cage.
- Keep both of them in different places.
- Always create a barrier between both of them so they don’t get aggressive and hurt each other.
- Keep introducing them until they eventually get used to each other.
- Always be there to supervise them.
Conclusion
The mutual interaction between a ferret and a Chihuahua is possible, it can be exciting and beautiful too if you follow the steps given above. I hope you found those tips helpful.
Most times, you need to be patient when it comes to allowing these two animals to coexist. It is natural and normal for a ferret and Chihuahua who are old to find it difficult to play and interact often because of their age.
Take your time to understand and observe the behavioral patterns of your Chihuahua and ferret before you allow them to coexist.