Chinchilla good...ferret bad. Ferrets are very clever, and they will escape, and your dog will chase it, and your dog could get hurt, or the ferret could wind up dead. Plus, ferrets smell, they have a pretty distinctive odor, it's very different from any other animal I've ever smelled. It's not even like a bunny rabbit.

My daughter has been wanting a guinea pig and I have discouraged it. Maybe a chinchilla would be a nice alternative. She used to have hamsters until the last one died recently of old age. Hmmmmmm...they do get along with cats?

LOL!!! I just happen to be an admin and moderator of http://www.chins-n-quills.com !!! You'd be surprised at the activity it has! I also just happen to BREED chins and have around 50 of them at this time.

Chins do not roam throughout your home. They are let out to play in a very strictly confined area. The thing with chins is they are chewers. You would never want to let a chin run loose in your house, as they will find every baseboard, every cord, every tiny little thing on your floor or walls to chew on. That's what they do....There is a saying that we chin lovers say... "They poo and chew, that's what they do." I would NEVER let my chins out in the same room as my other animals...dogs, cats, or otherwise. It's a disaster waiting to happen. I have however housed my chins inside my home where the other animals are. They just tended to sit and watch the chins inside their cages as if I had purchased the chins for the shear entertainment factor.

Chins are hypoallergenic too...that's a good point. They do not smell at all. Their droppings are dry and look like large grains of rice, only black. Their urine is usually placed by the chin in one corner of their cage, so it's easy to scoop that corner out of the cage each day to replace soiled shavings, then replace the whole cage's shavings around once a week. The dust baths are too cute to watch too!

Oh...and one other thing. Chins do not have sweat glands and do not sweat like humans do. They have cooling systems in them that work similar to elephants. They have giant ears so that when they get too hot, they pump the majority of their blood volume into their ears where the cooler air is, and then returns it to its body. If you put a chin in one of those crawler balls...you're just putting it into a sauna. DO NOT USE A BALL FOR EXERCISE FOR YOUR CHIN! That's a No-No! ;)

Ummm....I breed chins and know of chinchilla breeders up in your area of the world if you'd rather not ship one from a reputable breeder. Chins are actually pedigreed critters... There are shows for chins just the same as shows for dogs. We even have grand show champions and reserve grand show champions, etc. Trophies, ribbons, certificates, you name it. Need anything at all, just ask!

Believe it or not, one of our students kept a Chinchilla at our office. Her mother got it at a rescue society, but couldn't keep it at her home. Same problem, aggressive dogs. Anyway, that chinchilla was so messy and stinky. She cleaned the cage regularly, but it still stunk. She had a really large cage with separte sleeping area, exercise area and potty area (kitty litter). It also had dust baths regularly. Has your husband had a chinchilla before or just wants acquire one? Best of luck with your venture!:D