Can ferrets and chinchillias live together, without one or the other killing?

Scenerio : brother buys 1 ferret, loves it. Buys 3 more. Sister buys a chinchillia. Neither have met the other, ferrets are ages 2,3(x2)and 4. Chinchillia is about 2 yrs old. Would they kill each other? Is it possible with heavy supervision to let them play together?

Public Comments

1. i would not let them if you have any worries about it just buy another chinchilla
2. You may introduce ferrets to any kind of animal, even large ones, with proper supervision. I have never heard of a ferret and a chinchilla meeting, so I cannot say what may happen. But hold each animal and let them look at and sniff each other. If they are uncomfortable, do not let them interact. If they don't seem to mind, let them come a little closer together, but remember that ferrets will bite in play and may accidentally hurt the chins. However, with a lot of patience and supervision, they can coexist in a room for play time.
3. It's not only possible, but likely that the chinchilla will be the one killed. Ferrets are predators, chinchillas are prey. I have seen the aftermath of owners trying stupid combos like this with the idea that they'll all be friends when the animals true nature is ignored. Cats hunt. Terriers dig. Ferrets have been known to chew up the faces of infants, because infants make prey animal sounds. Don't mix species, it rarely ends well. And yes, I know personally, a person chewed up by such a ferret in his infancy. One more thing, I read that you can introduce ferrets to any other animal. Nothing could be farther from the truth. I could let my ferrets play with my cats and dog because I knew them all well and know they could have easily defended themselves if the ferret decided not to be nice. A smaller animal, prey animal or any animal without adequate defense is sitting duck. Birds, rodents, reptiles, amphibians and pocket pets especially. A "ferret researcher" ought to have more sense.
4. No! Chinchillas are prey animals and ferrets are predators with high prey drives. Even if your ferrets are just trying to play they could seriously injure or kill the chinchilla before you could stop it. Chinchillas can literally die of fright, no matter the intentions of the ferrets.
5. No... they cannot. The Chin is a Rodent and eats grain and vegetables, the Ferret is a CARNIVORE and eats meat. Ferrets were bred to kill and chase rodents ....and "ferret" them out of holes! Your ferrets will harass the chin to the point of either killing her from the chin being so nervous or outright kill the chin! Do NOT allow them to play like this, it will only be a matter of time before the ferrets learn to kill the chin. DO NOT even keep them in the same room as the chin will smell the ferrets and never be able to relax. And, if the Ferret eats any of the Chin food, it will cause an intestinal blockage and kill it. Ferrets do not have a cecum and cannot digest plant matter. Please respect the two different species and provide a safe environment for them both individually.
6. I have both, but I would not leave them alone together.