Ferret Life Span – How Long Do Ferrets Live?

Many people argue about ferret life span expectancy, ferret experts included.  Some ferret owners and ferret experts claim that a ferret will live between seven and ten years, while other ferret enthusiasts and experts will insist that a ferret can live as little as eight years and for as long as twelve.  Some ferrets are even reported as living a whopping fifteen years, although it is agreed that it is very rare for a ferret to live that long.

Ferrets are considered to be baby ferrets from birth to about two years old, although some say a baby ferret becomes an adult as early as just a year old and others say it takes three years for a baby ferret to reach full adulthood. 

Either way, it is known that ferrets between two and three years old begin to experience the health problems associated with older ferrets – so it is fairly safe to assume that ferret adulthood is reached between two and three years of age as well.

Sadly, although a ferret can live between five to seven years, a ferret’s old age is considered to hit around the age of three years old.  That makes the majority of their life spent in a “geriatric phase.”  For this reason, many people choose not to own ferrets at all.  If you do choose to own a ferret or already own one, it is important to recognize the fact that ferrets are considered old for the majority of their life and for much longer than they are considered young.

It is well known within the ferret community that a ferret reaching the end of its lifespan will begin experiencing more and more age related health issues.  It is important that if you are a ferret owner that you are prepared for your ferret’s elderly years and have set aside money (or have acquired pet insurance) that will help take care of the costly medical bills that are sure to follow.

Of course, if you spend plenty of time with your ferret and give your ferret lots of attention, it does not matter if they live to be five years old, seven years old, fifteen years old or fifty years old.  What does matter is that your ferret’s life was enjoyable and he or she enjoyed their life to the max.  What good does it do if a miserable ferret lives fifteen years?  Regardless of what the "experts" take on ferret life span expectancy is, make sure that their life is a great one.