I know the diet is different, but if someone wants to own one, what should they know? I know that it is not a common animal treated by veterinarians, but are they similar in alot of physiology that any exotic vet can treat them?
Are ferrets any more different than cats and dogs in there physiology?
I mean “their”
Yeah, since ferrets/cats/dogs are all completely different families (?). I can’t speak for ferrets, but I think the general idea of figuring out how to care for them (or any other species) is that we go from what we know, ie zoos and trial and error, and gradually build a body of knowledge around care and feeding of that particular species/subspecies/etc.
A quick peek at the American Ferret Association website points out a veterinary symposium for the purpose of training the vet attendees about how to care and treat the ferrets kept as household pets.
I own an African pygmy hedgehog, and even in the two years that I’ve had him, the knowledge of how to care for a pet hedgehog has substantially changed from my perspective. For example, I had a dead tree book on hedgehogs (one of those white hardback dealies you can pick up at any pet store), and the Usenet FAQ on hedgehogs. Referring to these resources together gave me the understanding that nobody was really sure but that the average hedgehog seemed to survive only a bit longer than a hamster might – four to six years. However, when I took him to the exotic vet recently, the vet informed me that my hedgehog was actually entering middle age and could be expected to live about 8 to 10 years. That’s not too far behind how long a cat or dog would live these days, and is a much more certain answer to boot.
There are a growing number of resources on owning and caring for the species classified as exotics – if you’re interested in owning a ferret or sugar glider, my advice is to poke around the net and see what turns up. There are often references to area associations and/or local vets. (the latter I strongly recommend – vets can often be an invaluable resource in your decision. I found my current exotic vet by phoning clinics and asking what they took, or if they didn’t, who might.)
Paging vetbridge and other more knowledgeable Dopers to GQ, paging…
As a resident humane educator, I’ll step in with a couple notes.
First, most humane society groups, including The Humane Society of the United States, recommend against treating sugar gliders and other exotics as pets.
So my first bit of advice would be, don’t treat them as pets. Hamsters, gerbils, and rats have been bred for pet characteristics for many generations; sugar gliders have not, and they’ll have many wild characteristics that will make you and them miserable while they’re in captivity.
My second bit of advice would be: read on both sides of the issue. The International Sugar Gliders Association claims that they can be wonderful pets. Read what they say in addition to what HSUS says.
If you do decide to try to make one into a pet, ISGA looks like they have some good, specific information.
Daniel
I just wanted to say that the sugar glider is, I think, a marsupial, not a rodent. The female has a pouch for her young, which, from a couple of sites I have read, are indeed called joeys, like a kangeroo baby. Being a maruspial, I would imagine your average vet would probaly not be as skilled at treating it as he would, say, a dog or cat, or even less common pets, like rats or guinea pigs.
One thing to make sure to check on is laws for owning animals calssified as exotic. Odds are, ferrets have been around as pets long enough that most states probably allow them, but some states (such as California) do outlaw owning a sugar glider, since it’s exotic and they are unsure of what effect it may have if released into the wild by accident, or even on purpose by some animal rights activist thinking they are doing the right thing.
We just had a thread on ferret ownership:
http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=336381&highlight=ferret
I highly advise finding a ferret specialist if you’re getting a ferret. The critters don’t often have to go to the vet, but they do have some species-specific problems (mostly adrenal-related) that are not always easy to figure out and handle if the vet doesn’t have experience. And be sure to keep at least $1000 saved up for the inevitable major surgery/hospitalization your ferret will face during its life.
(And, actually, ferrets aren’t that different from cats diet-wise.)
Sugar gliders are cuties, but the one pair I met didn’t make a very good impression as far as being a pet. They are nocturnal, and the little male informed me in no uncertain terms that he would remove my hand if I was stupid enough to stick it in his cage. The little female just snored. 
The owner of the pet shop in Florida where I saw them told me they make good pets if you get them young and handle them a lot. I would be very wary about keeping them around small children.
Well, if someone wants to own one, it would be good to read a book or website or ask the local veterinarian about issues relating to husbandry (how to keep them, what they eat, how to handle them, etc.). Most of the common problems vets deal with exotic animals have a lot to do with the husbandry. For example, incorrect protein, fiber, fat ratios in their diets can cause metabolic deficiencies and diseases. Ferrets need a higher protein diet than both dogs and cats. You don’t feed sugar gliders like rodents.
Sugar gliders are not rodents, and ferrets are neither dogs nor cats, but yea, in vet school they try to teach you the basic so that you (vet student) know how to handle them, get a physical examination, and the common diseases you’ll see.
Now, in terms of drugs used, yes, there are some drugs that you can use in both cats and dogs that you can use in ferrets (or most other animals, anyways). Dosages vary, of course, and sometimes it’s more eyeball than precise science. 
I would second what Daniel said in his post. Each species has its own physiology. Even cats and dogs are very different. There is an old veterinary saying, “Cats are not small dogs”. Feed a dog a diet free of taurine, no big deal. Give the same diet to a cat and you eventually will have a blind cat with heart disease.
Similarly, I use the drug Ivermectin in snakes and lizards. Give it to a turtle and the turtle dies. In avian medicine, people tend to lump “parrots” all together, yet there are nutritional needs specific to a given species.
Beg to differ, as I know veterinarians who exclusively treat “pocket pets”. If you are in the market for such a veterinarian, you can ask for referrals from local veterinarians or from groups who cater to the species.
And to stress what KarlGrenze pointed out, most problems that occur in exotic pets are due to inapproprite husbandry.
What about rabbits and guinea pigs? Both of these are called exotic pets, at least all the vets that I’ve seen have called them exotic.
bouv, ferrets are also banned in the states of California and Hawaii, and in NYC (my home). I’m not sure what other localities ban ferrets. IMO, Hawaii has a legit reason, the others don’t.
Ferrets are in the same family as minks, otters, skunks, and wolverines. They are not cats and dogs. Any ferret you see in a pet store is not a wild animal; they’ve been domesticated at least as long as cats.
A friend of mine owns a ferret and I’ve handled it a few times. Warm, friendly, furry, crawls around you for a while then settles in your lap like a small dog. It’s a good pet for my friend. Wish I had one! (They are illegal someplaces though.)
I guess that answers the question posed earlier, in that they don’t consider those pets exotic enough. Both rabbits and guinea pigs have been domesticated for years for fur trade and food production (and research), so I guess that is why the humane society does not consider them exotic. They are exotic in the sense of not being as common pets as dogs and cats are.
This is very true, although from what I’ve read owning a hedgehog may be less of a hassle than a guinea pig.
True, but ringworm can be given by any animal, there’s no vaccine against it, and as far as I’ve seen, it’s not a huge deal. And tuberculoris… well… cows and some captive-raised, non wild birds can carry that or other bacteria in that family.
Well…they’re still doing studies on what causes the animals to carry salmonella. It doesn’t seem to be that they naturally carry it (some studies done in some species show that they don’t have it when they’re born). Ehh… what do they mean with direct contact? Certainly, you should wash your hands after handling the snake, and if you’re cleaning the place where the animal is living, you should also wash your hands. Last I’ve seen, you need some sort of direct contact to get salmonella. And again, it’s not 100% of those animals that have salmonella.
While true, some zoo animals are vaccinated with a killed virus version of the vaccine (vs modified live). And ferrets are vaccinated against rabies using the same vaccine as is used in dogs.
The part about macaques is true, though. I don’t know why would someone want to have an animal that can be carrier for such a dangerous disease as herpes B for a pet.
And that is illegal in the United States, last time I got a lecture on it (last week). Smuggling occurs, and should never be patronized, in part for the reasons explained in the article. Captive-born animals of many avian species (except toucans), though, are available.
A couple nits that I feel the need to pick. First, there is a “vaccine” against ringworm. It is marketed by Fort Dodge and was introduced in the mid 90s. Before that time it was possible to have a lab produce an autologous vaccine.
Secondly, ringworm can indeed be a big deal. A few years ago a Pennsylvania shelter adopted a cat to a woman. The woman owned a day care. Many of her charges came down with ringworm, thereafter infecting their parents/siblings. The daycare ended up closing down due to the financial pressures (lawsuits/etc) as well as word of mouth derision. The shelter was sued and settled with the woman who adopted the cat. Not as bad as head lice (speaking of nit picking) as far as a daycare is concerned, but bad.
Thanks! I didn’t know about the vaccine being done by Fort Dodge, not commonly given, then.
And thanks for the ringworm info. I just thought that lumping ringworm with rabies was a big of a hyperbole in terms of health issues, since it is not as dangerous as rabies. As you’ve explained, it is a big deal in other ways.