Dear Anonymous,
 
I think that the ferret community is no different than any other
community when it comes to having their favourite animal portrayed in a
negative fashion.  This extends to people as well, with movies making fun
of the overweight, the physically deformed, the mentally challenged and
so forth.  Ferret people are not unique in wanting to defend the animal
they love.
 
I do wish to challenge something that you have stated though...
 
You said,
>I have had ferrets for over 20 years, and hellooooo, many ferrets DO
>bite.  For whatEVER reason, many ferrets DO bite.  Far more on an
>individual basis than a dog or a cat.  Soooo.....
>
>Why do we as ferret admirers get cranky about people talking about this
>FACT.  Maybe if more people knew this truth there wouldn't be so many
>abandoned ferrets---"
 
I have lived with ferrets for close to 20 years and in that time have had
the pleasure of living with over 70 of them.  I do agree that ferrets
bite, but I don't agree with the rest of your argument, especially when
you compare them to cats or dogs.  The truth is that ALL mammals bite,
but the frequency has yet to be determined by an accurate study that has,
to date, not been done.  The challenges of doing a study like this are
enormous... We cannot simply base "biting cases" as those that people
went for medical treatment over as we already know that many people who
have been bitten, do not report them or falsely report them.  Then we
have to be able to separate out the severity of the bites.  Having lived
with a number of animals including cats, dogs, birds, snakes, a guinea
pig, hedgehog, tarantula, a bat, and ferrets, I can tell you that I have
been bitten by all of these animals on a regular basis.  Sure, their
reasons were different each time... pain, fear, not used to being held by
a human, feeling sick, being handled wrong, fun and play... but you have
to be able to know what biting is done in play and what bite constitutes
something more serious.  This may be perceived as an extreme way of
thinking, but my experiences in running a shelter have also shown me
that, oddly enough, people have mistaken nail scratches as bites!  I also
know that people who have more sensitive skin feel they have received a
serious bite when in comparison to someone who is well seasoned to bites,
considers them to be nothing.
 
So you see, perception plays a big part in all of this.  And when you say
that ferrets bite as matter of fact, also know that the frequency of said
bites is tainted by society's fear of certain animals to begin with.
Let's look at the the Bat.  The Rat.  The Rottweiller.  Or the Pit Bull.
There are generalizations that people make of any species, or any breed
of dog.  Sometimes, these generalizations turn into "fact", when they are
not necessarily fact, but a belief shared by a group of people.  I'm sure
that given any breed of dog, or specie of animal, an argument could be
made either way as to its temperament.  And people believe it whether it
is fact or not.
 
As for ferrets biting... I don't agree with your statement that if more
people knew that ferrets bite, that there wouldn't be so many abandoned
ferrets.  It actually has nothing to do with knowing they bite, as I have
already stated that ALL mammals bite.  It has more to do with challenging
why a person wants to have a kit over an adult and not understanding that
kits are more of a handful in terms of training than an adult.  (Kittens
and puppies bite too when they are young!) It also has more to do with
people not understanding the needs of ferrets and wanting to force mold
them into being a certain kind of pet that they are not.
 
Do ferrets bite more than cats or dogs?  No.  Do people's perceptions of
ferrets cause more fear in being around them?  Absolutely.  So, the next
time you read about ferret people getting upset over someone portraying
their beloved fuzzy as a vicious or ferocious animal, it has more to do
with them knowing that these animals can be sweet and loving, cuddly and
playful, forever nonjudgmental and accepting when they are in homes that
know how to treat them properly and raise them right.
 
betty and her blur o'fur
for the love of animals
[Posted in FML issue 4369]