Hello everyone,
 
I just subscribed to this list a few days ago, and am hoping someone will
be kind enough to answer a few questions I have. But first, a short
introduction...
 
My ferret enthusiasm (we won't say "obsession") started about a year and a
half ago, when a customer at the pet store I work for came in asking about
ferret products.  Since I had next to no idea what a ferret was, I wasn't
much help (when she described it to me I thought of Rikki-Tikki-Tavi).  She
ended up talking to me for a good half hour about ferrets; not long, but it
was enough to pique my interest.  I picked out a Barron's book we had on the
subject, started reading it during my lunch, and bought it before I left
that evening.  By the next day I was sure I wanted a ferret, legal or no
(I live in California).  Since I've always been cautious when it comes to
acquiring pets, I decided I needed to learn more about ferrets before I
actually drove up to Reno to get one.
 
Fast forward to a year and a half later.  I now have 7 ferret books and two
ferret magazine subscriptions.  I'm receiving the Ferrets Anonymous
newsletter, I've had two lengthy discussions with my vet about keeping both
a ferret and a cockatiel together (he has ferrets and birds), and I consider
anyone owning a ferret fair game for questions.  My friends think I'm
obsessed, although I have one, Mike, who now wants to become a "ferret
runner", smuggling ferrets into the state :).  I'm going to be making the
trip to Reno at the end of August, and I have a few more questions before I
go.
 
1. How bad are ferrets in regards to biting?  I ferret-sat for a friend a
few months ago, and it wasn't the most pleasant experience.  Bailey was 10
months old, unneutered, and relatively untrained when I agreed to watch him
for a week (his owner believes in letting animals "be themselves").  He
smelled incredibly strong, left urine marks everywhere, and bit me hard
enough to leave scars (I still have them).  It got so I was afraid to pick
him up out of his cage without a few towels and a long-sleeved shirt.  I did
play with him, mostly by he and I chasing each other around the apartment,
and the day before he left I apologized to him for not handling him more.  I
realize that unneutered males are more aggressive than other ferrets, but
how much more so?  Except for the biting, Bailey was very cute, and that
"weasel war dance" really is hilarious.
 
2. Does early neutering have any effect on a ferret's long-term health?
 
That's enough for now.  I realize that these are probably talked-to-death
questions, and that I could find answers on the Ferret FAQ or other internet
sites.  However, I'm not looking for definitive answers, I'm more trolling
for peoples' opinions, knowledge, and personal experience.  Please forgive
me for being long-winded...
 
Thanks in Advance for any/all replies,
 
Meghan
[Posted in FML issue 2351]