I just thought I'd reply to the letter that BOB NIXON posted
last issue...
 
>From: BOB NIXON <[log in to unmask]>
>Date: 25 Sep 94 17:04:12 EDT
>
>
>I have been reading the FML for about 6 month's now and I think there
>are some gereral myths that lots of people who have Ferrets as Pets
>seem to have. From what I have seen most of you keep your Ferrets Caged
>most of the time letting them out to play for about an hour or so a
>day. This in itself modifies the animals behaivior. I currently have
>two Ferrets that have the run of the house like an indoor cat.  This
>requires some planning and sacrifice. The place has to be Ferret
>proofed,(holes, Refrig, littlering and caged when new guests in the
>house), but generally I think my Ferrets are probably happier then
>their caged brethern.
 
And you have the right to think so.  Some cons to having the ferrets
run outside might include increased exposure to fleas, predatory
neighbourhood cats, mites, etc. etc.  My place is also ferret proofed,
but since I live in an apartment I don't have the luxury of a backyard
to let the furries roam in.  I would be too worried about their safety
to let them roam outside anyway, especially if they can
leap as high as you claimed earlier... wouldn't they be able to
leap over the fence?
 
 
>While I tend to agree with most of you that if our ferrets got loose
>they probably would not survive for long especially Marshall farms
>breed Ferrets as from my experience they mostly only eat dry cat or
>Ferret food but, I have seen some locally breed Ferrrets, Whole not
>nutered that  will hunt mice and eat Raw or Cooked Meat.
 
No doubt they would, mmmm mice, fleas and disease. Mmmm raw meat,
salmonella.  Ferrets might eat it, but it may not be good for them...
 
>I have no
>doubt that they could survive if not thrive in the wild. Remember
>Ferrets are nothing more than domesticated Polecats.
 
Well they'd live until they found the first rubber tire, and then
they'd immediately chew and eat the rubber until they died from it.
Ferret survival skills aren't that apparent to me, but then again
I haven't seen mine leap to the countertop either, so I may be
uninformed.
 
>I also agree with most of you that domestic Ferrets are not mean and
>visious by nature but like all living creatures, including Humans, I
>have seem some mean ones too, Whether this was due to cruel handling. I
>thing in some cased it was but not always.
 
You have a point here, it is wrong to try and categorize any creature
based on its larger group. Which is why *your* ferrets may leap to
great heights, but that may not generalize to my ferrets.  And mine
may be hopelessly ground bound, but I should not assume yours are so.
 
>Some of you may say what is this guy rambling on about
 
What is this guy rambling on about?
 
So sorry. :) Couldn't help myself.
 
>but I was
>getting somewhat weary of the Yuppie!!! point of view and wanted to ad
>my own thoughs about ferrets based on 8 years of owing ferrets as well
>as reading as much as I can about Ferrets and their cousins.
 
Define Yuppie!!!.  Don't they eat brie or something?  :P  I am not sure
what that meant, but since you are the only serious ferret owner here,
Yuppie!!! must mean "anyone in the universe other than BOB."
 
>I resent
>the cutesy attitude that  lots of pets owners in general have dressing
>up their pets and taking them to see Santa Claus at the pet store at
>Christmas time.
 
How dare they!  Having *fun* again, were they? We'll teach the
little Yuppie!!! ferret loving anti-avocado Santa Claus enjoyers!
 
> It is enough for me to appreiciate them for what they
>are, Fellow living creatures with their own purpose, in natures great
>plan. I even have a some guilt in being part of the whole domestication
>thing, that we humans seem to think that every thing in this World was
>put here for our consumption.
 
If you truly believe the above, then I have to imagine that
your ferrets are not "altered", ie: they have not been fixed or
descented, and that you have not litter trained them (enforcing our
rotten human need for all poo to be in an easy to clean place), and
that you allow them to breed freely in your house.
 
As Chris stated, ferrets don't live in the wild.  They can't survive.
You remind me of a story that (I believe) Steven Wright told...
 
"When I was a child I had a live lobster for a pet.  But my mom
found out and she told me that it was cruel to keep him caged up
and out of the wild.  So the very next day I took him to the
forest and let him go."
 
Being a pet owner means dealing with the fact that these animals
only exist because we need something to amuse us.  Is this morally
wrong? I don't believe so, as long as the animals are not harmed
by our keeping them. You may attest that caging a ferret while you
are away is inhumane.  I say that it keeps the ferret safe, does
not harm them, and ferrets sleep for most of the day anyway.
(I have noticed that on the weekends, the little furries sleep
in until early evening anyway, me being at work or in the apartment
seems to not matter to them.)
 
>I hope that I haven't offended you good folks.  I just though I would
>offer a little different outlook on the FML Further any criticizm woulf
>be looked at thoughfully by me.
 
Good to see an open mind, unlike the poster who said something like
"I didn't even want to be on this list, I don't like the little
*rodents* anyway."  :P  I wasn't offended by the Yuppie remark, since
I really would like to be rich, but I do object to you categorizing
us all as Yuppies. Actually I wondered for a while if you meant
our "Yippee!!!" attitudes of fun and happiness, but that was just
denial on my part, I think. :)
 
I got my ferrets (Sprocket and Ivanova, 7 and 5 years old
respectively) from a woman who had them all their lives, but
had never heard of Ferretone or Linatone.  They love the stuff
now.  Then again, they lived for that long without it, so who
knows.
 
Lorene Turner, Ivanova & Sprocket duFerret - [log in to unmask]
*********************************************************************
    "Sometimes there just aren't enough rocks..." -- Forrest Gump
*********************************************************************
"I like to think that there's a little Hamlet in all of us. Not that
melancholy stuff. Or being a prince. But I've always believed that we
should have a little Danish in us.  Especially in the morning."
 -- Leslie Nielsen
 
[Posted in FML issue 0963]