Do Ferrets and Rabbits Get Along?

Many people find it challenging to keep rabbits and ferrets together in their gardens. Ferrets are social creatures, but they kill rabbits and use them as food.

Do Ferrets and Rabbits Get Along? Ferrets and rabbits cannot get along because ferrets are the natural predators of rabbits. Both have opposite natures because ferrets are carnivores and rabbits are herbivores. Ferrets can chase them in the burrows and kill them using their sharp teeth and claws. In addition, the musky smell of ferrets frightens them, and they start running to save their life.

Many people used to keep ferrets to hunt rabbits in older times because they form burrows deep down in the ground and create problems.

Why ferrets and rabbits cannot get along?

Many animals and birds develop a strong bond and can live with each other, while others cannot live together.

The predator and prey cannot stay together. So birds and animals make friends with those who are easy to understand and adopt the same lifestyle and habits.

Moreover, nature is a significant factor in this regard because it helps to identify whether they can get comfortable with each other or not.

Nature of ferrets

They are not arrogant creatures and become friends with others. However, it does not mean that it behaves friendly with everyone.

Their docile nature makes it easy for them to select prey. In addition, they are easygoing and have playful nature, which depicts that you can keep them as pets.

It is a carnivore, and it can kill small birds and snakes. It is a primary carnivorous animal and depends entirely on the meat source.

It is not odd that it eats rabbits because it is the law of nature to keep a predator-prey relationship between animals and birds.

It creates a balance between these species, due to which no furious animal or bird is in excess. For example, a ferret can live for 7 to 9 years but cannot survive for more than 3 to 4 years due to complications.

Furthermore, people use them as domestic work animals in many parts of the world who work to hunt rabbits and other harmful insects.

Nature of rabbits

They are friendly rodents, and people love their nature. However, they are specifically herbivores and do not eat meat or such products.

It contains two pairs of front teeth, used for nibbling and eating grass-like products. Moreover, these teeth keep on growing with time.

Rabbits are ferrets’ prey and cannot attack these animals because they are not stronger than ferrets.

People keep them out of their homes in open spaces because they can make holes in the ground.

They can live longer when you keep them as pets but do not survive for more than 3 to 4 years when they are present in forests.

It does not live longer because it becomes the food of carnivores. The rabbit is not a predator by itself but a prey for powerful predators.

Sharp teeth of ferrets

Each animal has a specific type of teeth used to eat and capture prey. They can control the animals by using their pointed claws and sharp teeth.

They do not have teeth like rabbits, but their teeth are more like cats. These teeth help to tear the flesh from the bones.

The pointed teeth get stuck in the flesh of the soft rabbits, and they can eat them. A whole rabbit can be a treat for the ferret because it only eats meat.

The ferrets’ canines and fangs can pierce the flesh, but these cannot cut the bone. Instead, it can chew the bones using its molars. Other small animals and birds are also its food, that’s why it keeps on preying on them.

How do ferrets attack rabbits?

Rabbits are small rodents that do not harm other animals or birds. Instead, it tries to save itself from the attack of other rodents and predators.

It uses its pointed claws to save itself and spins around in the air to jump over its predator if it finds an opportunity.

In addition, a fretter is a strong animal with a flexible body that helps it to find and attack its prey. For example, the rabbit enters its burrow when a ferret comes across it.

The ferret’s body is lean and adjustable everywhere, including a tunnel or burrow. It enters the burrow and follows it until the last end.

It captures the rabbit through its sharp claws and attacks its back by inserting nails and teeth into the flesh. It attacks rabbit when it is angry or has nothing to eat.

The rabbit’s flesh is a complete diet for a ferret because of the sufficient nutrients. Its flesh is the priority among the meat of different animals or birds.

Who is faster among rabbits and ferrets?

The animals move fast whenever they face a predator or a hunter that is near to shoot it. Then, they run to save their life, but they cannot succeed every time because of less speed.

They can run fast from many rodents, but they cannot run faster than ferrets. Rabbits can run at an average speed of 3 to 5 kilometers per hour above the ground.

Furthermore, their average speed is more than rabbits, and they can run at a speed of 30 to 35 mph.

A ferret can attack them because of its high speed and efficient nature. Many people keep ferrets to hunt rabbits because they make burrows deep down in the ground, creating problems.

It disturbs the grass growth in the garden or lawn and hence pest levels in the soil that are good for the grass.

Moreover, rabbits can be harmful to sheep and cows; that’s why it is essential to remove them.

Can you keep ferrets and rabbits together?

Ferrets and rabbits are different creatures that cannot live together. Ferrets frighten them because they are predators and keep hunting bunnies.

It runs faster when it gets the musky smell of the ferret because its brain signals for the attack immediately.

You need to keep them in a separate cage where they do not know about the presence of each other if you want to keep both of them as pets under the same roof.

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