>The only thing I am worried about is that I have a sixteen month old
>daughter and I don't know how they will get along.  She loves the kitty
>and the kitty loves her, but we all know ferrets and cats are not the
>same.  Please let me know if I should wait
 
Leslie
 
Ferrets and toddlers can be a dangerous combination, for both the toddler
and the ferret.  If you do acquire ferrets they should be caged out of the
child's reach.  A small padlock on the cage would not be an unreasonable
safety measure.  Small children should not be left alone with ferrets.
They should handle ferrets under very close supervision only.
 
There are several causes of potential danger:
1. Toddlers often smell like candy or cookies or sweet treats. Ferrets can
be confused by this and actually bite the child's fingers or lips thinking
it's meant as a treat for him.
 
2. Ferrets have a 2-year-old's mentality. The rowdier the play the more
exuberant they get the rowdier they get until they forget the child's skin
isn't as tough as a ferret's and again, they bite too hard.
 
3. Toddlers are still developing hand to eye coordination and muscle
control.  A ferret's soft body is squishable only to a point.  Then it
becomes painful even for these very flexible little critters.  Their
first line of defense is to bite.  (A cat's first defense is to scratch
which is usually not as harmful as a bite.)
 
4. Toddlers have enough trouble keeping their balance without a fuzzy
zipping around and between and under their feet.  You can't expect a small
child to be careful not to step or fall on a ferret.  Nor can you expect
the ferret not to zip around the child.
 
5. The ferret will love the child's toys... unfortunately; most toddler
toys are unsafe for ferrets, especially the soft, rubbery teething type.
 
6. Small children can be very loving and want to give things to ferrets
that could cause fatal blockages if chewed and ingested.
 
I would recommend you wait a few years before adding ferrets to your
household.  If you do acquire ferrets, please exercise caution.  It only
takes a spilt second to fatally injure a ferret or frighten a small child
enough to leave serious emotional scars.
 
Debi Christy
[Posted in FML issue 2971]