>From:    Gary Holowicki <[log in to unmask]>
>Subject: Can Ferrets get colds??
>Yes, and the flu.  They can also give them to us (humans) and get them FROM
>us.  Treatment is usually just supportive, like with people.  They also can
>give it to other ferrets too, unless kept seperate for awhile.
 
As far as I know there has only been one confirmed case of ferret to human
transmission of the flu.  If one confirmed probably more unconfirmed but
still only one case doesn't make a huge problem but something to know about
so more cases can be avoided.  (Source the latest American Ferret Report
from the American Ferret Association: stories on the trip to the AVMA
conference)
 
>From:    Bob Church <[log in to unmask]>
>Subject: Bob C: Ferret Evolution, Part 2.
>I suspect the ferret was initially domesticated for mousing and ratting,
>taking the role of the house cat in its' domestication in Egypt.
 
This matches most of what we've read though we're also sure its less in
depth.
 
>I suspect the discovery of the ferret's ability to hunt rabbits came later,
>and with the introduction of the house cat (to this day, a better hunter),
>became the primary desired characteristic.
 
Not sure we really agree here.  Cats are better hunters above ground for
sure.  But as with rabbit hunting, the ferrets purpose in ratting is
flushing the rats not killing them.  I'd suspect the primary purpose for
ferrets up until the 1950's was ratting with the "sport" of ferreting
rabbits a pleasant bonus.  In the US ferrets for ratting was definitely more
important than hunting rabbits.  Ferrets can also be used to hunt other
burrowing animals including other mustelids such as badgers too though this
is not as well known any more.  Before killing rats with chemicals became
popular in the more Sterile sanitary America ratting was a flush and kill
procedure.  Ferrets flushed rats out of the walls where ratter dogs would
kill them.
 
American rabbits do not tend to live in the huge warrens of the European
rabbits so hunting rabbits with ferrets in the US just doesn't work as well.
At least this what we've read.  We'd recommend that quirky though
informative articles on ferrets from older sport magazinees such as those
written by A.R.  Harding from Columbus Ohio.  Although not scientific and
certainly not recommended as guides to proper treatment of ferrets they
provide a glimpse of daily life of a ferret during the first half of this
century.
 
>although I think a wild housecat is
>much harder to tame down than a dog, and a dog harder than a ferret.
 
We would have guessed that on the whole dogs would be easier than ferrets
for the same reason dogs would be easier than cats.  Some of this comes from
your writings.  The pack nature of dogs would allow the "faster" Alpha
animal approach in conjunction with the kindness gives more to work with on
dogs.  Cats and ferrets being more "solitary" in ancestry work against you.
The family here is divided on cats.  bill is just not all that fond of cats
because they are on the whole not really all that fond of people.  Ferrets
seem to become far more reliable than cats and possibly more than dogs.  But
we still would think in our experiences dogs that are "bad" are easier to
break than ferrets that are "bad".
 
>However, I have little expertise taming feral ferrets because none exist in
>the USA, so I may be wrong.
 
Our experiences are not with "feral" animals but with less well trained
ferrets.  We in America are spoiled with the niceness of our ferrets in some
ways.  Having dealt with more European ferrets they are more high strung.
This is largely their higher energy levels.  Yes MUCH higher.  If you think
your American pet ferrets are energetic and high strung try the more recent
immigrants.  One way we put it is that if you walk in the room and look for
an American ferret you normally look down.  If you walk in and look for a
European (especially English) ferret you look up.  Some of this in regards
to English ferrets might be the more recent hybridization with polecats (or
reputed polecats as some might be feral ferrets).  It would mean that some
of our experiences would be with the polecat sides rather than strictly with
ferrets.
 
>From:    Roger McMillian <[log in to unmask]>
>Subject: Chicago Show Update
>there are 219 ferrets entered in this years show.
 
Gonna be a long one... <grin>
 
We'll definitely be there.  This time without Courtney as she can't miss the
school Friday.  bill gets to judge and thats a bunch of ferrets to judge.
diane will be mostly meeting folks, already plan on meeting Georgia and
Mags... Hope to meet some more of you too.  Say hi to us.  bill will be the
guy at the judge's tables and diane will be the lady limping with long red
hair.
 
bill and diane killian
zen and the art of ferrets
http://www.zenferret.com/
mailto:[log in to unmask]
[Posted in FML issue 2086]