Rabbits With Other Animals

[cirrustwi]

I have 2 dogs and they have both met my bunniesand do well with them as do my cats. But I was wondering ifanyone has experience with ferrets and bunnies. Mine stay inthe same room, but have never played together and I was wanting them toget to do this...but I'm not sure.

 

[MyBabyBunnies]

I'd say no. Ferrets actually hunt rabbits in thewild. Although they are domesticated, they are not domesticated to thepoint of dogs and cats.

A ferret can kill a rabbit or cause serious injury.

 

[cirrustwi]

That's what I was thinking and for exactly thesame reasons, but I wanted to be sure.....how sad....I wish everyonecould be friends.

 

[Elf Mommy]

...before I knew any different...

When my sister and I had an apartment together in college (we're 13months apart), we both adopted animals at the same time. I got amini-rex (Chaucer). She got a ferret (Tobias). Both animals were littertrained and only penned up when we weren't at home or when we slept.

Chaucer very early on let Toby know who the boss was. She thumped himpretty good with those strong back feet. She'd lunge and growl at himif he got too playful. However, they did play together occasionally.She would binky across the floor and he would scamper along with her.They would even sleep snuggled up together. I think Chaucer thoughtToby was an odd-looking rabbit, and Toby thought Chaucer was a reallyfat ferret. LOL

Normally, these two animals do not get along. If you're ever in a petstore that has these two in petting bins. Try holding a ferret, orpetting one for a moment...then put your hand in the rabbit bin. Inmost cases, the rabbits will scatter to get away from your hand, andsome might even press their ears back and grunt at you. They weren'ttrained. They didn't have a mom to tell them, "stay away from that."The smell of the ferret on your hand screams "PREDATOR" to them.

I think I was really lucky to enjoy the friendship of rabbit andferret. I even got my picture on the front page of the TallahasseeDemocrat one day (a really slow news day) with Toby and Chaucer both onleashes, running around on Landis Green in front of the FSU library.(Someday I'll get that scanned in to show you guys LOL)

I'd follow the previous advice and not have them play together.

 

[DaisyNBuster]

Hi. I actuallyhave2ferretsand 2bunnies,although I don't actually keep them together or let them play togetheras I wouldn't let my cats and my rabbits together either.Arabbit is just as likely to be killed by a dog andacat as it is aferret.

It is a myth that ferrets hunt to kill rabbits the truth is that theyare actually trained to go down to the rabbits burrow and the smell ofthe ferret scares the bunny away and then it is the hunter who actuallykills the rabbit - just thought I'd point that out !

However, I just wouldn't trust them together though as they arecarnivores and may go for them. Not only that ferrets are very playfuland like to nip, not to injure just to play and may hurt them that way.I did have an experience when Scamp got out of his cage and managed togo downstairs into the kitchen and go to Snowy's cage. He was veryinterested but Snowy was completely horrified and went mad even thoughthey never actually made contact. I just think that he hated the smellof him (have you ever smelt the musk scent of a ferret )!

We did a lot of research before getting my boys as we had to considerthe children as well as the rabbits and the cats. We had to make surethat we had everything covered. They are playful little creatures, butare laugh a minute and I don't think I would be without my little guys!:dude:

I wouldgo with not putting them to play together though!

Vickie

 

[MyBabyBunnies]

Nope, actually wild ferrets do eat wild rabbits!

 

[DaisyNBuster]

A domesticated ferret wouldn't..... are you sureyou don't mean a polecat?It'sa fact that ferretsare tabooed as vicious, when a lot is actually known about them. Idon't think people should be so quick to judge, afterall if adomesticated ferret was going to kill a rabbit would I risk them withmy baby? Like I said I had to think hard before getting one and I'mglad I did.

Oh and just another note, even people actually eatrabbit andrabbit is in some cat food. I don't think you can just say a ferretwould eat a rabbit as beinga bad thing, I'm sure othercarnavore animals (cats, dogs, etc)would too, as they wouldlamb or beef.

 

[MyBabyBunnies]

I'm positive it's ferrets.

Ferrets are domesticated, but like a lot of animals, can still havesome 'wild' nature. Some ferrets still may see a rabbit as food (itdepends on the individual ferret) and rabbits often see ferrets aspredators.

It's not uncommon for a very friendly ferret to become playful with arabbit and the rabbit to become fearful because rabbits and ferretsdon't play the same way.

 

[MyBabyBunnies]

DaisyNBuster wrote:

Oh and just another note, even people actuallyeatrabbit and rabbit is in some cat food. I don't think youcan just say a ferret would eat a rabbit as beinga bad thing,I'm sure other carnavore animals (cats, dogs, etc)would too,as they would lamb or beef.

I didn't say it's a bad thing, but would you want your pet rabbit killed by a ferret?

The big difference is size with a baby and a rabbit. I'm sure biggerrabbits have nothing to worry about with ferrets (although they may beafraid of them to a severe point) but kits and small rabbits I'd beextremely weary of letting be within distance of eachother.

 

[pamnock]

The domestic ferrets kept as pets are descendantsof the European Polecat which does feast on rabbits. Theblack footed US ferret has a specialized diet of prairie dogs, andhunts them as they sleep in their burrows.

We had a male ferret years ago --neat little creatures



Pam

 

[DaisyNBuster]

I don't know though as my rabbits are only littleand my ferrets are fully grown and are half the size of my rabbits. Mycats are loads bigger than the ferrets. Its funny actually watching theferrets play with the cats as there is such a big size difference. Thecats do get annoyed with them as they are just so playful and wont givethem 5 mins.

I am not saying that they wouldn't kill a rabbit but Iknowmine are a domesticated full size and I don't think theywould be big enough even if they wanted to. They have teeth like littlepins though so even a little nip would hurt. I would trust my cats asmuch as the ferrets, it is amazing how alike they are. The only concernI would have is the playfulness, but I have been told that they growout of that once they are about 5 - oh joy another 4 years of devilment

 

[DaisyNBuster]

MyBunnyBoys wrote:

It's not uncommon for a very friendly ferret to becomeplayful with a rabbit and the rabbit to become fearful because rabbitsand ferrets don't play the same way.

I can agree with that - my rabbits hate the ferrets, thats why theydon't play together. I do agree that they don't play the same at all.Rabbits can hop along happily on their ownbut a ferret isjust so in your face and likes to chase others (even our feet). They doadvice on buying in pairs for that reasonand that is why wedid as they will get bored.

 

[MyBunnyLovesMe]

I don't know about ferrets but I know when I hadMaggie and Rahoon(hamster) on the bed together, Rahoon bitMaggie on the nose lol.

Maggie is afraid of dogs, where Peppy doesn't mind them. I took him towork with me *grooming salon* and let him play with the dogs and thisone Shih-Tzu kept following him around and licking his ears...I thinkPeppy got annoyed after a bit.

Still can't figure out why on earth the dog wanted to lick his ears so badly....

 

[Bo B Bunny]

Elf Mommy wrote:

Normally, these two animals do not get along. If you're everin a pet store that has these two in petting bins. Try holding aferret, or petting one for a moment...then put your hand in the rabbitbin. In most cases, the rabbits will scatter to get away from yourhand, and some might even press their ears back and grunt at you. Theyweren't trained. They didn't have a mom to tell them, "stay away fromthat." The smell of the ferret on your hand screams "PREDATOR" to them.

Well this is really interesting! I never thought of it, but yesterdaywhen I held those 4 adorable Dutch bunnies, I also played with a ferretbaby before I left.

Normally when I get home and I've, as Gabby so lovingly said, "cheated"on Bo and held another bunny, he will just chin me over andover. Yesterday, however, he laid his ears back and showed methe butt. I bet he was upset over the ferret!

 

[Delphinum]

My granddad used to go rabbiting with ferrets...he had 2 and loved them to bits. He also had rabbits, sheep,cows and a horse - they lived on a farm, in case you'rewondering! LOL He was a poacher on the locallaird's land when he was a teenager and used to use the ferretsthen. That was 60 years ago mind you, so I'm sure I canforgive him now... maybe. :? Ferrets have big teethand I was always terrified of them as a child! LOL

 

[Gabby]

Bo B Bunny wrote:

Well this is really interesting! I never thought of it, but yesterdaywhen I held those 4 adorable Dutch bunnies, I also played with a ferretbaby before I left.

Normally when I get home and I've, as Gabby so lovingly said, "cheated"on Bo and held another bunny, he will just chin me over andover. Yesterday, however, he laid his ears back and showed methe butt. I bet he was upset over the ferret!

cheater cheater cheater.. i get it from hubby when he's beenout working and pets nother doggy and our dogs go nuts sniffing himwhen he gets home he'll say "like that i've been cheating onyou with a rotti, or a yellow lab or blah blah blah" LOL