I was interested in Sophie's remarks about the small size of Aussie ferrets
and the probable cause - namely that they are very closely related to
hunting stock.  Our fuzzies are both pets and hunting animals.  For hunting
we choose the smaller critters, as they are less likely to kill a rabbit
underground (if they do, you have to dig them out as they eat their fill
then go into one of those really deep sleeps!).  This has resulted in
ferrets being bred to be small, there are rumours of really small ferrets,
less then 12" long (including tail), they are supposedly called greyhound
ferrets and are superb hunters, able to slip past a rabbit in a dead end and
drive it back out, the trouble is, no-one reliable has ever seen one!
prehaps they are like elves!  but stories of heroic small fuzzies abound.
 
I am always amazed by the size of US ferrets, they seem massive compared to
ones here in the UK.  We do have a few large animals though, a friend of
mine has a huge albino hob (probably a "regular" size in the states).  It is
called "bottlebrush" as it is an ace hunter, he imagines it moving through a
rabbit burrow like a bottlebrush, sweeping all the bunnies out!  It is very
energetic and keeps my friend's dogs in order!
 
On a more serious note...
I thought that I had heard the worst of ferret cruelty stories, old poachers
used to break teeth and sew up mouths to stop their ferrets killing rabbits
(and biting them as they were not tame), but I had not.  Dayna's experience
is definitely THE most horrible I have ever heard.  How anyone could do that
to a ferret is unbelievable, I just kept imagining the trusting fuzzie being
held while the rubber bands were put on, probably thinking that it was some
great new game.  It made me sick to visualise this situation.  My thoughts
are with the litter fellow, lets hope he makes it, he sounds like a fighter.
 
graham
 
The Hunting Ferret
http://www.warwick.ac.uk/~phrrv/ferret.html
[Posted in FML issue 1565]