Went to exotic pet store . . . I saw these little weasel things and the sign said ‘ferret’.
I learned that they are banned in California, Hawaii, and NYC. I’ve never seen a ferret in real life besides that one store–what kind of pet are they? Do they attack people violently? I am biased because I remember hearing stories about some kid who got mauled by these things.
Or are they like dogs, normally non-violent towards humans?
Oh my these exotic pets are bizarre . . .
I don’t know for sure, but I think the reason they are banned in some areas is because people raise and breed them in cruel conditions in order to sell their skin.
edit: according to wiki, Hawaii has banned them because of rabies. It doesnt say why ferrets are banned in other areas, though.
One of my friends has three pet ferrets. They’re lovely cuddly little things, unless you’ve got a bit of chocolate in your hands and that’s when they become vicious little biting things!
I don’t know about the other states, but in California you can basically own a dog or a cat*. Most everything else is considered wildlife and you can’t keep wildlife as a pet. As far as ferrets go, it’s nothing personal, they’re just considered wildlife.
*I’m exaggerating.
A major Internet-based ferret group (which includes many vets) has found only 2-3 cases of a ferret-like animal killing infants and none have been proven to actually be a ferret. One was a wild ‘relative’ that can interbreed with ferrets, much like wolves can with dogs, and is sometimes used for hunting vermin.
The reasons for being illegal seem to be misunderstanding of the animal’s domestic status (they do not survive in the wild, and have been domesticated for a couple thousand years or so), policies against “weird” animals (like in CA), worries about a population getting out of control if they escape - see above about lack of ability to survive in the wild - and rabies concerns. There is an approved rabies vaccine used for pet ferrets.
Plus, in my experience, many people seem to give dogs and cats more slack for nippy behavior that they wouldn’t tolerate in a “weird” animal like a ferret. Ferrets have thick skin and play with littermates by nipping/biting. They need nip training early on to learn that humans are delicate skinned, and you do unfortunately find many ferret owners who never bother. I can see how people who don’t understand this might find a weasel-like animal trying to bite them to be frightening. I’ve owned 7 ferrets over the years, with only a few skin puncture incidents; I believe all of those happened from a ferret we owned who had (as best as we could tell from his behavior) been tormented and abused in the shady pet store we rescued him from. He became a sweet and loving ferret, but we always kept him away from other people just so we could be sure. We also had one ferret lash out at my husband’s sister, but no skin puncture happened; we figured out later that the fur coat she was wearing had “fitch” fur in the lining/trim. “Fitch” is a euphemistic way that the fur industry refers to ferret fur. (I don’t blame him!)
My son used to keep ferrets. They are dirty, stinky little buggers if you don’t clean up assiduously and bathe them regularly. He did look after his well and we let them run around the house once in a while. If they are regularly handled they don’t bite much at all and even then it’s more like playful kitten stuff.
There are quite a few tricks to keeping them but all in all they were no worse than any other pet.
I think in the case of Hawaii they prefer to err on the side of caution in that regard. As a series of island ecosystems they’ve already had quite a few instances of introduced species wreaking havoc.
I’ve little to add to Ferret Herder’s post, but did want to touch on this. Bathing ferrets regularly (unless by regularly you mean quarterly at most) will increase oil production and thus their “smell”. Cleaning the litter box(es) and washing their bedding regularly is the way to go. Conditioning sprays and regular grooming (including ear cleaning) help a lot.
Even on the extremely rare occassion that my ferret bites (to get my attention because some schmoe [size=0*(D_Odds)*[/size] has not refilled the food bowl outside the cage) she never presses down. Not that it matters…those teeth are sharp. I am careful around new people. She seems to learn not to nip on a person-by-person basis.
As for why they are illegal in NYC, it traces back to a single man - a former mayor who had presidential aspirations. Facts, like provided by Ferret Herder, were useless. This former mayor always knew what was best, facts be damned, and he bullied anyone and everyone to get his way. That some people thought this petty tyrant was presidential material was beyond me. I wouldn’t trust him as a school crossing guard.
You forgot the part where Ferrets are dangerous. Much like cats and small dogs they are often vicious in the ability to materialize under your feet at inopportune moments causing you to trip while carrying something. Especially if the something might be tasty. 
I’ve only known a few ferrets. They were all nice and none smell worse than far too many dogs I have seen as pets. The one sad part is they are short lived compared to cats and smaller dogs. IRC: they live 7-8.
I would have one, but my wife would not go for it. So I stuck to cats and dogs.
Jim
My Darling Marcie owned a ferret when we first met. In order to win Marcie’s affection, I had to show affection to the ferret. To my surprise, it wasn’t at all difficult and I quickly learned to love the little beast. I’ve always liked to rough house with kittens; letting them shred my hand if that was their desire. I had to teach that ferret that it was okay to bite my hand in play, but once he caught on to the game, he really got into it. His biting and scratching often left me bleeding copiously but he never bit unless I started the game. He knew when I had had enough and would stop on command. He’s been gone at least five years now and I still miss him.
I don’t know about killing babys, but I’ll tell you they are the filthiest, smelliest most disgusting animal I can have the displeasure of having encountered. This includes the likes of skunks, porcupines, Democrats and turkeys.
They are also destructive. Chew shit up. And they REEK. Truly horrible critters and should be driven to extinction.
I’d be cautious about the whole ‘they do not survive in the wild’ thing, especially in California. Our town has a flock of green parrots that I’m pretty sure weren’t originally native.
My two were the best pets I’ve ever had. Generally dog-like in relation to interaction with humans with the abstract thought of cats. Relentless energy. I didn’t find them to be offensive at all. They do play-bite like dogs or cats but their tiny teeth are a bit sharper.
I was told with great authority by locals here in San Diego that our flocks of green parrots were descended from escaped pets. In fact, most of them are red crowned parrots that are native to Mexico and have gradually established themselved in more Northern locations.
I wasn’t saying that no domestic animals can survive in the wild; that’s obviously not the case. (We even have a parrot colony in Chicago.) In the time that I looked into the topic, I’ve never heard of a domestic ferret (Mustela putorius furo, not their European polecat relative) successfully becoming feral or living in the wild, and I’ve read statements from ferret-knowledgeable vets who agree that it’s not likely at all. I don’t really begrudge places like Hawaii who fear the chance, though.
Gato, I’ll just say I disagree. Their bedding needs to be laundered, they need to have their scent glands removed and be spayed/neutered, and their litter boxes should be scooped regularly, and that should cut out the great majority of any scent. They should inhabit a large cage (multi-level to let them explore and climb), which will drastically cut back any chewing opportunities. I’ve met far more destructive and noxious-smelling dogs, cats, rabbits, guinea pigs, etc. I think you may have encountered very “permissive” owners.
What I was told, in the agricultural heartland of California, is that the ferret ban started more or less entirely as a political issue with the poultry industry in the state. The fear was they’d get loose, establish a native population of feral animals, and decimate the poultry industry. Agriculture is big, big money in California.
The funny thing about it is, there are more pet ferrets in California than anywhere else in the country–something like half a million of them.
Besides, we already have the Hawaiian ferret. 
I saw one eating french fries off a plate lunch on the beach.
Wild ferret populations have become established in New Zealand and are major predators of ground breeding fauna.
(bolding mine.)
Of the above predator list, ferrets and possums were introduced for the fur trade, Stoats( I think) were brought in for rabbit control. Rabbits and pigs were brought in for meat.
We had a case a while ago on one of the offshore wildlife preserves, where a group of people boated out for a picnic, bringing along their female, *pregnant * ferret. They insisted there was no threat to the predator free status of the island.
I have no problem with them as pets, as long as their owners are responsible.
We had one. It sucked. Your mileage may vary, but it was the crappiest pet I’ve ever had. The snakes and lizards were way cooler. But, when the kid brings something home, I like to give it a try.
That’s interesting, reading the domestic ferret article it seems the critters you have are a hybrid of ferrets with their ancestor, the European polecat. That, I’m not surprised about. I’ve read that people still cross-breed them in Europe and other countries for better ratters/rabbiters.