Ferret microchipping: why it matters, how it works, and travel abroad

No. In the UK, the law requires dogs to be microchipped, and cats too in England, but not ferrets. The PDSA nevertheless recommends microchipping ferrets: they are notorious escape artists, and a chip helps reunite you quickly if yours wanders off. It becomes essential if you want to travel abroad with your ferret.

A lost ferret handed in to a vet or a rescue centre can be scanned: the chip number leads to the database where your contact details are recorded.

• A tiny chip, about the size of a grain of rice, is implanted under the skin with a needle, much like an injection. Ask your vet to do it, ideally during a check-up.
• The chip is then registered on a microchip database with your contact details. Many vet practices register the chips they implant, but according to the BSAVA, making sure the chip is registered remains the keeper’s responsibility.
• Keep the registration confirmation with your ferret’s health record.

A chip is no use if the phone number on record is no longer yours. Contact the database your ferret’s chip is registered with every time you move house, change phone number or rehome your ferret; according to the BSAVA, a new keeper must record their own details.

Ferrets can slip through gaps of a few centimetres and get out through a door left open, where they risk getting lost or hurt: a chip is their best chance of coming home.

According to GOV.UK, ferrets follow the same rules as dogs and cats, except that the tapeworm treatment applies to dogs only:

• 1. MicrochipBefore, or at the same time as, the rabies vaccination; otherwise the vaccination has to be given again.
• 2. Rabies vaccinationYour vet needs proof that your ferret is at least 12 weeks old.
• 3. Waiting periodAt least 21 full days after the first vaccination: no travel before then.
• 4. Animal health certificateSigned by an official vet and used to enter the EU within 10 days of issue; it is then valid for 6 months for onward travel in the EU and for returning to Great Britain. A pet passport issued to a resident of England, Scotland or Wales can’t be used.

MyArk keeps your ferret’s health record on the iPhone of everyone you invite: identity, microchip number, vaccines and reminders, available with no time limit, even without a subscription.

• Your ferret’s microchip number and identity
• The rabies vaccination and its booster, with a reminder for everyone in the household
• Your vet’s contact details
• The pet sitter sheet with this information, for when someone looks after your ferret