I've been a little behind lately, but I wanted to say something about the
issue of ferrets & children.  I remember reading on the list about a few
cases of ferrets deliberately & aggressively attacking children, & I
remember how incredulous I thought the stories were.  There had to be
extenuating details overlooked.
 
Over the 14 yrs I've been owned, & 10 yrs I've been actively fostering &
offering ferrets for adoption, I'd never experienced such a behavior.  That
was until a few weeks ago.  A mother & her 2 sons (4 1/2yrs & 10 yrs old)
came to my home to determine if ferrets where the right pet for their
family.  Both children were perfectly behaved.  They weren't loud or rough,
& they handled the ferrets as if they'd lived w/them all their lives.  I
let different groups out so they could experience how different their
personalities are.
 
Farris (a 4 yr old male who only accepts his cagemate, & who had lived
w/one owner before being surrendered because he didn't go w/the new
apartment) & his cagemate had been w/me since 8/99.  I knew he would test
new people w/a pinch occasionally, so I kept a close eye on him.  All I can
say is, it's a good thing I did.
 
With the 4 of us in the room, Farris walked around checking everyone out, &
then it happened.  He started getting a little too excited for no reason.
Prior to that day, whenever he did give a "let's see what'll happen" pinch,
it was very casual & he would sit there waiting for a reaction.  But this
time he made a bee-line for the 4 y/o's face, climbing straight up his body
to get there.  I grabbed him immediately & put him down, telling him NO.
When I put him down he immediately ran straight back up to the little boy's
face & I almost wasn't fast enough.  He'd already connected w/his cheek &
had I not gotten my thumb & forefinger into both sides of his mouth when I
did, he'd have ripped that kid's face.  This was a deliberate, unprovoked
attack.
 
Before everyone starts telling me that it's never happened to them w/their
ferrets & their kids, I know.  It never happened to me before either & it
hasn't happened since.  I couldn't tell you how many kids I've had here
w/out incident.  Farris is a sweetheart.  He gives lots of kisses & follows
me around like a puppy, & he's never reacted this way w/anyone seeking
adoption or any of his sitters when I was away.  Why then did it happen
w/this child & no one else?
 
This incident was a wake-up call for me to be prepared for the potential,
no matter how unbelievable it seems.  Before anyone jumps up on their
soapbox, I'm not supporting the negative propaganda that anti-ferret
activists solicit as commonplace.  I don't believe ferrets are a threat
to children.  It's an isolated incident that's taken me almost 15 yrs to
experience.  But this incident really did drive the point home that no
child should ever be left unattended w/any animal.
 
Juliana  (770) 984-1417 <[log in to unmask]>
FERRET BUSINESS of GA
(fer'it`biz'2nis) n.  1 Ferret foster care & adoption.
2 Info about ferret care & ownership.  3 What a ferret does.
4 A collection of ferrets.  5 A direct result of ferret math.
/That's BUSINESS as in a bunch of ferrets folks./
FERRET BUSINESS of GA is a GA nonprofit corporation
& is licensed by the GA Dept. of Agriculture as an animal shelter
[Posted in FML issue 2986]