At the Expo we participated in last weekend, many a child and teenager saw
our Ferrets and looked up at their respective parent with wide open eyes and
said those words every child usually saves up until Christmas time, "I want
one".
 
My first response to the child is, this is not a pet, this is a committment.
Its not something you play with for a couple of weeks and then forget about
like the toys you received last December 25th.  This is not like the puppy
that is now a full grown dog in your back yard.  Yea, remember that creature
that barks everytime it thinks your going to come outside and play, instead
you choose to go down the street to hang out with your friends.  THIS IS A
DOMESTIC FERRET, probably the most demanding pet on the market.  You must
play with it daily, you must feed it daily, you must make sure it has water
daily, you must clean up after it daily, you must clean its cage when its
dirty, you are RESPONSIBLE whether this animal lives or dies.
 
Now some of you out there may think I am being hard and scarring the child
or teenager away from owning a ferret.  But, if you have ever seen a
neglected ferret let alone any animal, you will agree with me.
 
I also want the parents to know, this cute, fuzzy, playful critter may also
be their worst nightmare if they are expecting something along the lines of
the hamster they bought their child two years ago that died and no one
seemed to notice it was gone.  FERRETS are a in your face, wanna play when
out kinda animal.  They must get out.  Try keeping a two year old child in a
small area for any period of time.  That usually gets the parents attention.
FERRETS are permanent two year olds.  They want to play with everything, get
into everything and just about everything will go into their mouths.  Plus,
Ferrets can have accidents too.
 
So after I shock the weak and terrorize the timid, if they are still
standing there.  I tell them all the good stuff, the rewarding playfulness,
the cute and funny antics, the unconditional love a FERRET bestowes to its
new parent, and most of all the advantages of being a FERRET Parent over
having a dog, cat, or other animal.
 
My advice to any WANNABE FERRET Parent is this, before you een approach you
parents or guardian, husband, wife, significant other, you better do your
homework for both of yours sake.  Not your parents, but the FERRETS sake.
Learn about the FERRET, chat with several ferret owners, not pet shops.
Read a book or three.  You will only benefit from the knowledge and share
that knowledge with other members in the FERRETS household.  Also, find out
if there are any FERRET clubs, organizations, or associations in your area.
They can be a very helpful in answering your questions about our Furry
Freeloader.
 
HOPE THIS HELPS YOU,
United Ferret Organization (Excluding MASS) [log in to unmask]
[Posted in FML issue 2372]