Nancy Tubb asked about first hand experience with ferrets and birds: My
first ferret, Virgil came to me when I already had a yellow naped amazon
parrot.  The parrots perch was up high so the ferret couldn't get to him.
Unfortunately, Charlie (the parrot) thought Virgil was the devil incarnate
and screamed at him whenever they were in the room together.  One time
Charlie jumped to the floor to get closer to his enemy.  Virgil became a
streaky blur of fur and in seconds had Charlie by the neck and had dragged
him under the sofa.  I upended the sofa enough to get hold of Virgil by his
tail and pull him out form under the sofa.  Charlie came with him.  Feathers
flew.  Charlie did too.  I was left with one bemused looking ferret in my
arms and a very indignent bird hurumping and fluffing himself with feathers
upraised and with his eyes flashing.  Virgil went to his corner (actually
behind a closed door) and I had a chance to examine Charlie who was
unscathed except for the loss of a few neck feathers.  I don't know what
would have happened had I not gotten to them as fast as I did.  I have never
seen a ferret move as fast as Virgil did when he got the chance to take on
that "nasty, noisy" bird.  My opinion is that birds and ferrets need
seperate rooms, especially if they are left unsupervised.  The parrot was
upset whenever he even saw the ferret.  On Virgil's part, I'm sure the noise
was not pleasant.  Despite the claims that ferrets have lost their hunting
instincts, the ones that I have owned still have the "grab by the neck and
shake till its dead" instinctive behavior toward smaller animals (and
squeaky toys).
 
Max
[Posted in FML issue 1844]