Ferrets, Fun and Frolic

It is amazing how much misinformation still exists about ferrets. There are never on anyone’s list of things they would like to have. The old tales still cling to them, separating them from other pets.

Or, can a ferret be a pet? Absolutely. My rescue-ferret Rascal is laying by my feet as I work. He is my friend, companion and sounding board. His sister, Amber, died of old age on June 13th.

These little sweeties came to me via a ferret-rescue. They were taken from a household where they were abused. The ‘man’ of the house would clip their tales to the bars of their cage with a clothespin. Their frantic cries were a dig at the woman, who should have cleaned the cage and did not. Both of my babies have crooked tails - Rascal does, even after all this time.

As a survivor of domestic violence I understand their fears and phobias. It took me months to get Rascal to trust me. He ran whenever I took one step in any direction. So I would pick him up - for, literally, one second, kiss his head and put him down again. I lengthened the time if he did not resist and after a long hard struggle he learned trust and comes to me asking to be picked up.

Ferrets make lovely pets, especially for shut-ins or those not able to take a pet for a walk. They use a litter box just like a cat and are very clean. Ferrets sleep around sixteen hours a day. They eat cat food. I feed Rascal Purina with hairball control.

In the distant past in England and other European countries, ferrets were bred to be vicious. Hunters put them in rabbit holes and then waited for the ferret to flush the bunny out the other side. Thus we have the phrase, to “ferret” out. Those wild ferrets were much larger than their domesticated followers, with quite long, sharp nails. It was not unusual to see a ferret kill another animal.

Ferrets are part of the weasel family, and look a bit like otters. They vary in color from the tans to the silvers. Rascal is a pink-eyed mink. That means he is silver and gray and his eyes glow red in the dark. This is very disconcerting the first time seen.

It is now illegal to import wild ferrets. Ferrets are domesticated for sale. They have their scent glands removed to control a slight musky odor. Rascal greets every new object in the house by rubbing it, “marking” it with the scent he no longer has. Ferrets are neutered so that casual breeding does not occur, which could allow the unwanted traits to become a problem. It is still illegal to own ferrets in California.

Domesticated ferrets have been bred to be smaller animals. They are NOT vicious. I raised mine exactly the way I raised children, with tenderness and love. Actually Rascal is a bit on the shy side. Amber loved to go to the park and dig up trees, but Rascal just lies down and looks at me as if asking, “Is it over yet? Can we go home.” However, he gobbles up the attention curious people lavish on him.

A ferret needs a vet and regular check-ups. They are prone to intestinal blockage, which is part of what killed Amber. Age was the main factor, but she was too old to fight off the attacks.

I do not keep Rascal in a cage - he doesn’t make me sleep in one, so it’s only fair. My studio apartment is small, so I know all the hidey places. If you had a large house I would recommend some kind of containment. Ferrets do not bite and you are safe to let your child pet one - if you have asked the owner if the ferret bites.

Playful was a word invented to describe ferrets. Rascal loves to wrestle and tumble. He has a toy that is a bird that when squeezed says, “I love you” and other phrases. He tosses this poor bird, pounces and mauls. I have a stuffed bunny, when squeezed it make a “boing” sound. This sends him into paroxysms of play behavior, noises and such.

By the way, the ferret makes very little noise. They ‘duk’ or ‘chirp’ when happy and will scream if in pain. Otherwise they are silent pets.

If you want a pet that doesn’t climb the curtains or bark at shadows, you might want to check out ferrets. I highly recommend them as loving and fun pets.