Dear fellow ferret lovers,
 
I keep my ferrets in an outdoorarea I constructed last autumn.  The quality
of their appearance has improved since then, especially the fur is
beautiful.  I have 2 ferrets (one of each) that I know would survive in the
wild.  As a treat i feed my ferrets a few live mice every week, no matter
how fast the mice run or how high they jump my ferrets will get them.  The
ferrets have been used to me and my girlfriend since they were fairly young,
the enjoy being walked and love swimming.  If they come across the scent of
rats, young birds, eggs or mice they can find them in the holes or trees.
Until they were the age of about 8 months we started feeding them fish with
rice and (little) vegetables (eggplant/zuccini/beans) and the odd treat of
raw eggs and fruit.  Since then they became even more lively and playful.
It took the one ferret about a week to get used to also eating the mice ,
while the other one prefers mice to All else.
 
They certainly have not become aggressive towards me or my girlfriend, they
are interested in us and want to play and discover.  My ferrets clearly
have the skills/instincts for getting water and food in a natural area,
they would still have no fear for humans.  But wild polecats don't fear
many predators either as they are not favorit meals for foxes/birdsof prey.
I disagree with whoever made up the 99.99% chance of not surviving in the
wild, I feel that if kept in touch with their natural needs and
satisfactions ferrets become fully develloped animals that are more content
being pets and they have reasonable chances to get through natures tough
selection.I must emphasise that I don't want anybody to set ferrets free as
the ones that WILL survive will genetically do damage to the wild polecat
population.  Ferrets have been kept already for 4000 years ago (Egypt) but
have not always been bred with the wellbeing of the ferret in mind.
 
I don't think all ferrets should be fixed, they should be able to breed->
this can only be realised if owners are prepared to make a strict selection
with the offspring.  To me that is the responsible way to keep a
domesticated animal, it certainly is the way to go if you want the ferret
to have a decent chance to evolve with us.  I also feel that making
domesticated animals totally dependent on us for their survival(like getting
food,while ferrets LIVE to hunt) seems convenient but might not get us the
ferretbehavoir we desire: If a ferret is not given the chance to hunt for
years, it can still have that instinct and a baby cry might trigger it off
after years => an attack.
 
I prefer my ferrets to know what birds,mice and rats smell like and to be
able to distinguish these scents from human scents(or if you let it get too
far tastes !).
 
I know some of you are shocked by my feeding live mice, but in nature 80 %
of what polecats eat is are mice (females about 90% and males 70% with the
the odd frog, bird or rabbit).
 
Ps my ferrets are liveliest and most playful and healthy ferret i have seen.
 
Norbert Jongeneelen ( Animal Husbandry student)
[Posted in FML issue 2258]