[Pam? Could you send me the whole thing directly to [log in to unmask] I'll make my comments to that. Thanks.] FERRET FAQ FOR NEW AND PROSPECTIVE OWNERS Compiled and edited by Pamela Greene ([log in to unmask]) (version 1.0, 12/15/93) This FAQ is being distributed to the FML in about 20 pieces in order to encourage your comments and suggestions. I'd also be happy to send you the whole file; it's roughly 70kB, but I can split it into smaller segments if your mailer has problems with large messages. *** PART 2 of LOTS *** - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 0. *** About this FAQ *** 0.1> Goal of this FAQ A number of people have begun work on comprehensive discussions of all sorts of ferret behavior, medical problems, and advice. This FAQ is not intended to replace any of those. However, there seems to be a need for an "intro" FAQ which covers many of the basic questions in a fairly light way. That is, this is intended to be a FAQ in the purest sense of the term: a document to answer questions which keep coming up in the newsgroups and Ferret Mailing List, rather than a comprehensive guide to ferret ownership. If you're relatively new to ferrets, the idea is that you'll read this guide (or one like it) first, then go on to the more detailed guides. 0.2> Credits and editor's notes Contributions of individual respondents are noted by [begin XX] and continue until the next [begin XX]. Contributions may have been edited a little, for spelling or space. Anything I've inserted will be in square brackets [], and deletions will be indicated by ellipses in square brackets [...]. Credits: PG = Pamela Greene ([log in to unmask]) <-- me MW = Marilee Warner ([log in to unmask]) AK = Arlyn Kerr ([log in to unmask]) RN = Rochelle Newman ([log in to unmask]) TC = Todd Cromwell ([log in to unmask]) NH = Nancy Hartman ([log in to unmask]) SC = Sukie Crandall ([log in to unmask]) JG = [has not yet approved inclusion; may live in a FFZ?] - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 1. *** Introduction to ferrets *** 1.1> Are ferrets wild animals? Why are there ferret permits and FFZs? [begin PG] Domestic pet ferrets, Mustela putorius furo, are not wild animals. They were first domesticated by the Egyptians around 3000 B.C. Ferrets have not been shown to establish in the wild if released; if yours got free it would likely die of dehydration or starvation within a few days. Unlike cats and dogs, ferrets aren't even large enough to push over garbage cans and scavenge. In the past, and some still today, domestic ferrets were used as hunting animals to catch rabbits and rodents. The ferrets didn't kill the prey, they just chased them out of their holes and the farmers (hunters) killed them. This practice is now illegal in most, if not all, of the U.S. Most of the misconceptions regarding domestic ferrets probably come from confusing them with their cousins the North American Black-Footed Ferrets, Mustela nigripes. Black-footed ferrets (BFFs) are wild relatives of the domestic ferret. They live mainly in Wyoming and neighboring states, and they are an endangered species due to outbreaks of canine distemper and recent drastic reductions in the population of their main prey, prairie dogs. However, despite very similar appearances, the BFF is not even likely to be an ancestor of the domestic ferret, since the latter were first domesticated in Egypt and only brought to North America comparatively recently. Some people have also compared, or confused, domestic ferrets with weasels, which is rather like comparing a pet dog to a wolf; or with mongooses, which is more like comparing a cat and a squirrel. Neither gives much useful information. States, counties, and municipalities outlaw or restrict ferrets for a variety of reasons, but by far the most common is the mistaken belief that they're wild animals and should be treated in the same way as squirrels or raccoons. In the face of overwhelming evidence, many of these areas are being persuaded to change their outdated regulations. [Posted in FML issue 0698]