Starting Out

Before you take your ferret out and about your city, town, neighborhood, or area, you'll want to do a few things. The first is to get your ferret vaccinated. I know there are debates about this, but if you do take your ferret out walking, you can very easily expose him or her to canine distemper, which is deadly to ferrets, and rabies. Distemper can be picked up by your ferret just walking about, but you can also carry it on your clothes and give it to your ferrets who never go out. Rabies is far less likely for your ferret to catch, as he or she has to have contact with an infected animal, but the vaccination is usually the law, and if your ferret bites someone and is not vaccinated, the consequences could be severe. Also, if you are in an area where heartworm is prevalent. you'll want to consider heartworm preventatives. If you have a young ferret who cannot yet get the rabies shot, start the distemper series and do not let strangers touch your ferret. (Note: I'll put a caveat in here. If you do want strangers to be able to per your ferret, scruff the ferret gently, drape the ferret along your forearm -- rump towards wrist, and present the hind end only for petting.)

The second thing you'll want to do is to make sure your ferret is not normally likely to bite. If your ferret is young or a biter/nipper, make sure you have started nip-training and can be reasonably certain of your ferret not biting. Even once your ferret is nip-trained for normal circumstances, recognize that many nip when they are playing/roughhousing, so if you are out and your ferret gets in a very excited mood, do not let other people touch, or present the ferret scruffed and rump-first, as mentioned above.

The third thing you'll want to do is get your ferret used to the harness. Do not take your ferret out with a collar alone. Get an H-harness (see picture). These can be bought in the small animal section of pet stores that have one, or sometimes in the section catering to small dogs or kittens if they do not have one. Before you take your ferret outside, get your ferret used to wearing the harness, make sure it can't be wriggled out of easily, and get them used to having a leash on.

Adjust the harness to a small-ish setting. Most how-to ferret books tell you to put the harness on after the ferret has been out of the cage and playing for a while, and tired enough to put it on easily. I agree that a worn-out ferret makes it a LOT easier to get the harness on. However, I don't think it sends a good message to the ferret. It's counter-intuitive. Hey, I play, I have fun, and my reward is to have this confining thing strapped to me. What I have found works well is to put on the harness as you are taking the ferret out to play. This requires a bit (or a lot) more effort on your part, but what it does is it teaches the ferret that the harness is associated with playing and fun things. When you have gotten the harness on, praise and pet the ferret. Let the ferret get used to the harness. You may have to make size adjustments; this can be done fairly easily, though you may need two people for adjustments. When it is adjusted properly, it should be VERY difficult (though not impossible) for the ferret to get it off. If the ferret does not get the harness off, leave it on the whole playtime. Take it off when you put the ferret back in the cage. Praise and pet the ferret again.

Once the ferret is used to the harness, it is time to introduce the leash. Clip this on the leash ring (the D or O ring at the top) BEFORE you put the harness on the ferret. Just trust me on this one. Let the ferret drag the leash for a while. Once he or she is unconcerned about the leash pick up the holding end of the leash. Walk with the ferret, let him or her lead you for a bit. Just maintain enough tension on the leash so they know you're holding it. Once they have no issues walking about and playing with you holding the leash, your ferret is ready for the big world outside.

(Note: Most ferret harnesses either do not come with a leash or come with a 4-foot lead. Four feet is difficult to work with while walking, especially if you are taller. It is okay to start out with. I recommend purchasing a light, thin 6-foot lead, or a retractable 10-foot lead for experienced walkers.)

Ferret harness and 6-foot leash