In February 1990, the first rabies vaccine was approved by the U.S. Department of Agriculture for use in ferrets. The Ferret as a Pet Domestic ferrets are very inquisitive and have to investigate anything and everything, neglecting even their personal safety to have a look . For this reason, most owners do cage their ferrets while gone or during the night while sleeping, and often at least part time during the day so that they can do normal house cleaning without weasel-help . Ferrets, unlike dogs and cats, can not be allowed to be left outside unsupervised.
Ferrets lack a homing instinct, and with their incessant curiosity, quickly become lost.
Weighing on the average of between 2 - 4 pounds, ferrets are not a match for most dogs, cats or other predators. Being strictly house pets, the possibility of a ferret coming in contact with a rabies vector is very small. As Mr. Roger Caras, President of the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, wrote 3 When asked about the threat from rabies, I pointed out that it was such an unlikely scenario that unless an owner had the disease and bit his ferret, it would be difficult for me to imagine how a housebound and frequently cage-bound animal could become exposed to the disease. During the average year, less than two people in the entire United States will die of rabies. Many of the victims of the disease will have contracted it while traveling abroad.