Since I am the caretaker of the mink in question, I thought I'd have my
say...

Her name is Minky, and she came to me from another ferret shelter, who
had rescued her from a garage in Seattle where she was snacking on
cat/dog food

Best guess is that she was 6 months old when rescued....so she was an
escapee from a mink farm is the most logical explanation

She was a year old by the time she came to live with us

I had no prior experience with mink prior to getting Minky, however I
have had ~30 ferrets over ~20 years......

Mink are cute, very cute....just like ferrets and they have a somewhat
similar body shape....but that's about it!

Mink are faster...and stronger...and smarter than any ferret I've ever
had..or ferretsat for!

My first thoughts when I finally got her home was "She's fast..scary
fast!" and "She moves like quicksilver"

Mink love water! Not just the occasional trip to a tub (at least in
Minkys case anyway..) she expects water (and lots of it!) handy!

Minky has the largest rigid childs swimming pool I can find, in her
room....and she swims and plays in it throughout the day....every day!

She has toys....lots of toys, and she retrieves these, and stashes
them in various spots in her room

She has teeth (and they are white like regular teeth)

She eats chicken...beef...salmon She likes food she can chew on
(Chicken Gravy was not a big hit)

I have been nipped a few times...mostly when I frightened or suprised
her....or disrespected her....or expected that she would behave as a
ferret would!

Yes....they have quite powerful jaws (Put your finger in a pair of
pliers and squeeze hard....that's close..)

Usually she will just 'strike' me with mouth open....so I feel teeth,
but she doesn't break skin...she just dents me...

But she is so fast....she does it and is gone by the time you realize
she did it! Like a snake strike.....

However, I can also pick her up, and hold her (2 hands, and away from
my body) for like 20-30 seconds....

I've had her put my finger in her mouth and have her gently peel it
away from her body when she is done being held

I've held a ferret that would as soon bite you as look at you, and
bathed and harnessed him....but not Minky!

I cannot hold Minky when she don't want to be held! It's just
impossible! Akin to riding a zebra I would think....

Being non domesticated, she does not seek me out to play....she
tolerates me playing with her at mealtimes....

We do play at mealtimes...me trying to catch her....Her making me look
like a lumbering Frankenstein, as I try to catch her.....

I try to steal her toys...she daring me to be faster than her teeth....

I've been barefoot in her pool with her (the trick is to not make your
toes look like little fishies!)

She lives by herself in a 150+ square foot room now....she originally
had ferret roommates...but she was far too strong and fast to play with
the then elderly ferrets

Do I think she's lonely? No I do not.... She's one busy 'Water Weasel'
doing what she pleases all day long

She is caged at night, but free in her room 15-16 hours a day....her
cage is her security place

You can tell she feels secure, when you peek in and see her asleep on
her back...legs up...tongue hanging out...

Yeah, I think mink really should be free.....but Minky was never really
free.....this is the best life she could have

Do I think everyone should get a mink? NO!

Hand raising a baby mink does not guarantee a friendly mink.....others
have proven that

However there are other mink people who do have friendlier mink than
Minky

Considering she was a year old when I got her, and having a healthy
dislike for humans....she's become a well behaved girl..

Minky is my first and my last mink.....

I do have a web page with photos and videos thru the years if you care
to see.......

http://minky.ferretsunited.net/

RS

[Posted in FML 6827]