Regional Talk > Northern California > Ferrets!

reply to Smatchimo

Re: Ferrets!

reply to Smatchimo
cool glad most of you all took an interest in this, sorry my link didnt work, i did copy and paste, woops!
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`~You can't have "manslaughter" without "laughter"~`

reply to sharondippity
Good question. Doesn't stop many people though. I have a friend that has (or had) two or three. Didn't much like them myself. They are pretty independent as far as I can tell, and you can really only practically have females because the musk from the males is pretty strong.

That's what I know about ferrets.
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Iraq Coalition Casualty Count | bobrk | The Blow Kings

reply to Smatchimo
If you can get ferrets as smart as Kodo & Podo, they'd be cool as pets. But I guess you'd have to be a Beastmaster for them to actually do what you want

Carrots.

oh wait, this isn't a WA thread?

reply to Smatchimo
Personally, I think that they should be left illegal. We have plenty of different kinds of legal small rodents and pets here in CA.

Ferrets are more damaging for the environment than other small pets, and can be VERY destructive too.

My Mom works for the Dept. of Fish and Game, so I'm not pulling these ideas out of my arse.
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My vision, My gallery. Known formerly as zakooldude.

reply to Smatchimo

reply to Smatchimo
If the squirrels around my neighborhood are an indication we may be in for a long cold winter. I can't ever remember seeing so many fat squirrels ever. I swear every one I see really poked up in the last few weeks. Also all around my yard I see little dig areas where the little critters are either burying something or digging something up.

Of course they make them selves right at home when I set out a small dish of food for the local stray cat I've been feeding and trying to tame down enough for him to let me pet him.

reply to DavisPhotog
Domesticated ferrets do not exist in the wild because they are not wild animals. They cannot exist in the wild because they have been domesticated. Their senses and instincts are severely lacking due to domestication. If you've ever spent more than one minute with a ferret you'd know that.

There has never been one case of a feral domesticated ferret population in the US, so, the information your mom passed to you was false. You are spreading propaganda.

If a domesticated female ferret goes into heat she must breed and become pregnant or she will bleed to death and die. This is why females are "fixed". Most ferrets sold at pet stores are "fixed" and "de-scented" anyway.

Let's also not forget that ferrets are illegal in 2 states, California and Hawaii. There are some local municipalities that they are illegal in, but only 2 States have an outright ban on them. If they were as "destructive" as you claim there would be a national ban on them. Instead, there are only 2 states that ban them. I wonder why that is?

Hopefully that cured some ignorance on the subject. There is a lot of into available on the subject, if you look for it.

I knew a few people who owned them and some of my customers have them. Everyone I've met who has owned them say they are a high maintenance pet and are not for everyone. Those that have them love them, other than the lazy people, and wouldn't trade them for anything. Don't let faith and ignorance blind you from seeking the truth.

BTW, domesticated ferrets are not weasels. They are in the mustelid family, but they are not weasels.

I've seen lots of "domesticated" animals that have turned wild. When animals are hungry just like people they do what they have to.
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"I've had people walk out on me before, but not when I was being so charming..."

Ever seen or heard about turkey's raised for human consumption being so stupid that they look up when it rains and drown because they don't have the sense to not do it? Not that domesticated ferrets are that stupid, they just don't have the senses a regular animal does. They wouldn't last a minute in the wild. If you spent any time with one you'd know that, or, you'd just post some random inane comment on the internet.

That also proves you have no proof of domesticated ferrets gone feral or you'd have posted it.;)

From the Calif Dept. of Fish and Game talking about the ability of domestic ferrets to survive in the wild.
»www.dfg.ca.gov/hcpb/species/nuis···_2.shtml

From the British Ferret CLub talking about how ferrets are still used to control the population of rabbits * at the bottom of the page).
»www.britishferretclub.co.uk/ferr···tory.htm

Talks about problems faced by Brown Teal populations in New Zealand in part due to ferrets being let lose into the wild.
»www.brownteal.com/site/?p=predators

reply to Smatchimo
Also here is an article from Snopes.com that deals with the myth that domestic turkeys are so stupid they can drown in a rainstorm.

»www.snopes.com/critters/wild/turkey.htm

Good one. I hadn't seen that before, but it makes a lot of sense.

reply to Smatchimo
Ferrets aren't illegal to own in VA. My local Petco sells ferrets and I can't see how there would be a problem with owning one. It's similar to the law of turtle ownership. You're not allowed to purchase a turtle whose carapace (shell) is under 4" because people blamed turtles as the cause for salmonella. Kids were putting turtles in their mouths, so turtles were blamed instead of the parents for not taking responsibility. I see this ferret law as another ridiculous law.