>From:    Bob Church <[log in to unmask]>
>Subject: Bob C: Fitch Ferts
 
Ironically as people who DO have polecat ferret hybrids...
 
>As for the "wild" blood in ferrets, I really don't know why anyone in the
>USA (where ferret hunting is illegal almost everywhere) would even want a
>ferret that was part polecat.  Ferrets are domesticated, polecats are not,
>and those differences are what allow ferrets to become good pets.
 
We agree completely (for the pet owner).  These hybrids are NOT as
trustworthy as ferrets.  A hob we've discussed in the past seems to be an
exception to that but the majority of the ferrets with some recent polecat
in their backgrounds are a bit "meaner".  They seem to mean more damage when
they bite and they bite more often.
 
These polecat hybrids are not a part of our breeding program.  We are not
the type of folks that feel comfortable stating things that we do not KNOW
are true.  Now that we have expereince with partial polecats we feel we do
know that behavior is different between ferrets and partial polecats.
 
>All mustelids are inherently tameable.  I've read accounts centuries old
>that speak of pet otters, weasels, fishers, skunks, etc., and I'm sure
>polecats are similar, else they would have never been selected for
>domestication in the first place.
 
We've read a lot about American badgers...
 
bill and diane killian
zen and the art of ferrets
http://www.zenferret.com/
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[Posted in FML issue 2161]