REQUEST FOR INFO:  Have female "ranch" mink, age < (less than) 1 year.
 
This mink female was rescued by Ferrets NorthWest (the 3rd one so far) in
response to a plea for help to come and capture a "ferret" in garage.  As it
turned out, the "ferret" was a steel blue/grey female mink.  Yikes!
 
FNW in desperate need of rearing/care information about mink, possibly to be
kept as a pet?  Oh sure.
 
Need to know procedure for cross breeding mink and ferret, when mink goes
estral.  Has such been done before successfully?   If successful, what is
taxonomic identity given to crossbreed . . . Mustela putorius vison?  Common
name. . . .Ferrink. . .Minerret?  Fink is unacceptable!
 
This is 3rd mink rescued; first was destroyed by wildlife rehab folks,
second mink died two days after porcupine quills removed from body and paw,
apparently from very heavy staphlococcal infection, such being the misfortune
of any animal that receives quills into skin, or so I've been told.
 
Any advice greatly appreciated, and the sooner the better.
 
Edward Frettchen/Nerz Vergnuegen Lipinski
[Posted in FML issue 1869]