>Bill wrote:-
>But if some of our ferrets are a guide.  The mouse has little to worry
>about.  Had a crack in the basement and some mice snuck in.  Walked into
>the ferret's primary romm and startled a mouse that was munching on a bit
>of spilled food.  So where did he run to hide?  Right under a ferret.
>Did the ferret respond?  Well she almost seemed to say "Be my guest".
>Didn't have any English or Swedish ferrets then so might have a different
>ending now.
 
If it had been an English ferret the outcome would have been a dead mouse.
 
Yesterday morning (Friday) was a nightmare, I have one ferret who can climb
over the plywood barrier dividing the living room off from the rest of the
house.  I had been in and out of the room several times making sure to close
the door on the last occasion I did so I was sitting at the computer reading
my e-mail when I heard an animal squealing, my immediate thought was that
the other ferrets were having a bit of a scrap a few seconds later I
realised that it was a kitten.  Horror of horrors the door was open and
there were only 3 ferrets in the room instead of 4.  I shot upstairs into
the back bedroom and there was the ferret with a kitten in his mouth.  I
shouted, the ferret dropped the kitten, I grabbed the ferret.  The kitten
was suffering from a neck bite and had lost a lot of blood.  I put the
ferret back in his cage and Ron and I did what we could for the 12 day old
kitten.  I gave it glucose to help with shock and to try to replace fluid
but it was useless the kitten died a few hours later.
 
I feel absolutely terrible about the incident, I closed the door but it
couldn't have latched properly, either the dog pushed it open, the wind
blew it or the ferrets opened it from the inside.  I had my back to the
door so I couldn't see that it had opened.  In no way do I blame the
ferret, he was following the natural instincts of a hunting carnivore when
it comes upon suitable prey.
 
If you have ferrets and other small mammals please, please make sure that
the ferrets can't get to them.  Most ferrets have a natural killer instinct
and it just isn't worth the risk.  Adult cats and ferrets get on fairly
well, i.e. the cats keep out of the ferrets way but a kitten has no chance.
 
Sheila
Bolton Ferret Welfare & National Ferret Welfare Society Newsletter Editor
http://www.btinternet.com/~sheila/ferrets.htm (Last Update 10 May, 1998)
Waiting at Rainbow Bridge: Jill, Deanna Troi & Cameron
[Posted in FML issue 2325]