I just made a 60 mile roundtrip drive to pickup what was supposed to be a
ferret, but turned out to be a weasel.  This was the first weasel I've seen
so it was worth the educational experience.  My question is, how do you
describe to someone over the phone the difference between a weasel and a
ferret?  This weasel was quite docile, it has been hanging around their
yard for a week or so.  When they picked up the Have a Heart trap, it
didn't even flinch.  It was obvious to me it wasn't a ferret, it was small,
skinny, all tan except for a slight colored mask, tail was really long and
slightly bushy (maybe from the excitement?).
 
I suspect either more people are hearing about Ferrets Anonymous, or we are
having more weasels in peoples back yards in rural areas.  I had a call
from someone else about 20 miles west of the same area who thought she saw
a ferret in her yard.  I took a carrier over in case, but never saw the
supposed ferret.  The local Petco suspected weasel as they had family that
lived in the area who had seen weasels.
 
So to the uninformed, is there an easy way to tell the difference between
a weasel and a ferret?
 
Chris Kibler
Ferrets Anonymous Lost/Found Coordinator
[log in to unmask]
619-440-8823
[Posted in FML issue 2767]