Rats and Ferret Live Together?

OK. You will probably think that I am crazy. I love my three hooded rats. I would like to get a ferret. I know that the majority of the time an adult ferret would probably kill any rat or mouse that he meets. However, has anyone successfully gotten a rat and a ferret to get along? Possibly even live together?

The reason I ask is because I'd really like to get a ferret. I recently built a cage for my rats that takes up about a quarter of my bedroom. It is 5 feet long by 3 feet wide by 2 feet tall. They love it. If I were to get a ferret it would only be fair that he have a cage at least that big. I don't have the room for another cage that size.

Anyway....perhaps if I got the ferret when he was VERY young and he was properly introduced to the rats.... could this work?

My rats have NO fear of other animals. They even play with my german shepherd.

Thanks for your in-put.

Hank

Also posted in ferret section.

[Becki]

I don't personally have any experiance trying to mix the two, but I've seen the question asked of different animals MANY times. Aside from the actual liking vs. eating each other standpoint (my opinion is that even IF they got along, the ferret would play to rough for the rats and hurt them) there is also the feeding standpoint. If you have two different animals living in the same cage, you cannot feed them seperate foods. Rat's and Ferrets have VERY seperate dietary needs, a rat being pretty close itself to a ferret's dietary needs. I wouldn't do it, one bad day for the ferret and it could kill a rat with one bite.

On another note, that sounds like an AWESOME rat cage, I bet your rats just love all that space!

Thanks. They seem to love the cage. The pet store they came from had about 20 rats in a 10 gallon aquarium. It took them about two days to get used to it. Now I wonder sometimes if it's enough room. The have a digging box, a bunch of tissue boxes and stuff and a Little Tikes Mountain racer toy. A big huge plastic mountain with tunnels and a hollow inside.

Thanks for the advice.

Do it if you want dead rats.

I know someone who had rats in one cage in one room, and a ferret in another cage in another part of the house. Ferret decided he wanted rattie and not only broke the door, but tore the cage apart and killed all the rats.

Ferrets were breed to hunt rabbits and rats. If you own the two together, most DEFINATELY take every precaution to keep them well seperated, and sure as heck don't let them in the same room, whether one is caged or not. It's like throwing a lamb in a lion's cage and saying 'well, a friend of mine kept two together and they loved each other! And boy, think of the money I'm saving not having to get a whole different pen for the lambie!'

Yeah, think of the money you'll save on food for the lion, too.

[MinaHarker]

I agree w/ Orson. Ferrets kill rats. It's not the best thing for either species. They should be separated at all times.

Wow, sure learned a lot in that thread!!!