Recently, Tammy Castro asked a question about Ferrets around pregnant women
and very young children.  I have already sent her email on the topic, but I
thought this information might be helpful to others who have similar
questions.
 
1) There is very little risk of a pregnant woman contracting a dangerous
illness through direct contact with a ferret.  Playing with it, and handling
it create few if any risks.
 
2) Ferret poops however can carry a parasite that is very dangerous to
pregnant women.  (I can't remember the name of said parasite, but it is the
same one that cats can pass on through their poops).  As a general
precaution, pregnant women should avoid cleaning the litter boxes and
accidents of any animal in the house, especially ferrets and cats.
Therefore, dad or the kids should do that job for the entire nine months of
the pregnancy.  (I know the transmission rate to date has been close to nil
for proven cases involving ferrets and pregnant women, but safe is better
than sorry in this case.)
 
3) After the baby is born, it is important to remember that infants cannot
defend themselves against even a minor bite from any animal.  No infant
should be left alone with any pet no matter how trusted the animal is.  This
is not being paranoid, just reasonably cautious.  Keep all animals out of
the room in which your infant is sleeping.  (Other accidents with pets have
been caused by animals trying to cuddle with sleeping infants and accidently
smothering the child)
 
4) It is probably a good idea to not allow animals in the room in which your
child is playing until he is able to at least walk or crawl.
 
5) Until your child reaches an age where he can be taught the correct way to
handle an animal do not allow him to pick up any of your pets.  Many small
animals have been accidently injured (some severely) by small children
squeezing or dropping the pet by accident.
 
There are many scare stories about ferrets around infants.  Most of the
really nasty ones are the result of bad animal care coupled with improper
supervision of an animal around an infant.
 
It is also important to remember that trusted pets cuase harm to family
members every year by accident.  Animals can be smart and very gentle, but
they are not human.  If they are surprised, scared or curious they will
react according to (1) instinct, and (2) their own temperment and nature.
Therefore, it is remiss to assume that just because an animal has never
harmed a living soul to date, does not mean that a situation cannot arise
where it may suddenly bite or claw a family member.  The best prevention for
this is (1) providing good animal care, (2) proper obedience training (if
possible), and (3) proper supervision of animal-human interaction.
 
I want to state now that I adore ferrets, and if my fiance's allergies
permitted us to have them I would not get rid of one because I expected a
child.  However, I would be extremely cautious about when and how any of my
pets would have access to my young child.
 
The above reflects my own opinions, research and experience only.
 
Take care
LVM
--
****
A composer is a guy who goes around forcing his will on unsuspecting air
molecules, often with the assistance of unsuspecting musicians.
 
(FRANK ZAPPA)
 
*****
[Posted in FML issue 1862]