# Are pet 'ferrets' evil baby killers? Why are they banned? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [July 1, 2008, 9:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-pet-ferrets-evil-baby-killers-why-are-they-banned/454874 "2008-07-01T09:10:02Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 16\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Ferret\_Herder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/e47774/32.png) [@Ferret\_Herder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ferret_Herder)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2008, 1:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-pet-ferrets-evil-baby-killers-why-are-they-banned/454874/21 "2008-07-02T01:18:21Z")
Just wanted to add that I **definitely** don’t think ferrets are for everyone! Besides their unique personalities, health issues, etc., I would not recommend them for most homes with children. Ferrets are relatively fragile compared to dogs and cats when it comes to potential rough handling/running feet/etc. of children and the potential for harm to the ferret is significant - not to mention the chance of nipping by an overexcited/poorly trained/hurt ferret. I grew up with dogs, cats, fish, a hamster, and an anole lizard. Living in apartments made me gravitate towards an animal that could handle a smaller home. With our latest two living with adrenal disease, I’m not sure if I’ll get more. I’ve had five ferrets previous, and only one went in his sleep; the others had to be put to sleep (cancer for three, a stroke for one) too young. I have issues with the breeding stock from the big breeders here; like many “purebred” dogs they’ve had susceptibility to diseases bred into them. If I do get more in the future I’ll probably foster some shelter ferrets. ---
**Author:** ![Lok](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e8c25b/32.png) [@Lok](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lok)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2008, 5:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-pet-ferrets-evil-baby-killers-why-are-they-banned/454874/22 "2008-07-02T05:02:08Z")
A woman I knew on another forum many years ago loved ferrets. Her and her husband had up to 8 at a time, between theirs and rescues they would keep for a short time. I met a couple of the ferrets before they moved to the NW and they were very nice. I have thought about having a couple as pets, but their short lifespans and my love of travel have made it less then and ideal setup. ---
**Author:** ![maggenpye](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ecc23a/32.png) [@maggenpye](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/maggenpye)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2008, 5:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-pet-ferrets-evil-baby-killers-why-are-they-banned/454874/23 "2008-07-02T05:08:33Z")
I don’t blame the ferrets - almost everything that’s been introduced here has been Very Bad for the native population - starting with the Kiore (polynesian rat) brought over with the first Maori settlers 750 years ago. I remember from way, way back in school that the only native species to have \*increased \*were the harrier hawks (carrion feeders - roadkill is good) and some pasture dwelling microbes that were breeding well on the artificial fertilisers that were dumped all over the place. We’re making more of a conservation effort these days. ---
**Author:** ![Tamex](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ccd318/32.png) [@Tamex](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tamex)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2008, 5:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-pet-ferrets-evil-baby-killers-why-are-they-banned/454874/24 "2008-07-02T05:32:10Z")
[QUOTE=Gatopescado] And they _ **REEK**._ [/QUOTE] Hear, hear! They reek and they bite and they get cancer and run up huge vet bills. I used to think they were so cool. Maybe the people who I knew who had them didn’t take care of them properly, but I’ve been permanently scared away nonetheless. ---
**Author:** ![Gulo\_gulo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/bcef8e/32.png) [@Gulo\_gulo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gulo_gulo)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2008, 8:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-pet-ferrets-evil-baby-killers-why-are-they-banned/454874/25 "2008-07-02T20:42:58Z")
I’ve come across a couple of escaped ferrets and they were both absolutely thrilled to be picked up by a total stranger and returned to the safety of their homes. My bf at the time felt that domestic ferrets were too airheaded to survive on their own in the wild. Great critters though. I’d love to have one but that won’t ever happen. A gal I worked with did ferret rescue so I could always go to her place and get a ferret fix when one was needed. ---
**Author:** ![slaphead](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e9bcb4/32.png) [@slaphead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/slaphead)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2008, 12:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-pet-ferrets-evil-baby-killers-why-are-they-banned/454874/26 "2008-07-03T12:44:10Z")
[QUOTE=Ferret Herder] 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. [/QUOTE] A friend of my mother’s actually had a pet polecat that she used to take on walks on a little harness thing. Seemed pretty much like a normal ferret, with the possible exception of the incident where it nearly killed a miniature poodle which attacked it in the local ice-cream shop. Miniature poodle =/= finely-honed predator :smack: ---
**Author:** ![Knorf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/58956e/32.png) [@Knorf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Knorf)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2008, 4:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-pet-ferrets-evil-baby-killers-why-are-they-banned/454874/27 "2008-07-03T16:07:12Z")
I’ve never in my life met a dog or cat that stank as badly as ferrets. I really find their stench unendurable. Perhaps their cages can be maintained well enough that they don’t reek (my ideal of Hell is that it would smell something like a ferret cage), but it must be a Herculean task because no ferret owner I have met has anything other than horrifically smelly ferret cages. ---
**Author:** ![Jackmannii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackmannii/32/311_2.png) [@Jackmannii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackmannii)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2008, 10:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-pet-ferrets-evil-baby-killers-why-are-they-banned/454874/28 "2008-07-03T22:31:44Z")
[QUOTE=LouisB] 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. [/QUOTE] _Your eyes cast a spell that bewitches The last time I needed twenty stitches To sew up the gash That you made with your lash As we danced to the masochism tango._ - Tom Lehrer ---
**Author:** ![Kalhoun](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/3bc359/32.png) [@Kalhoun](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kalhoun)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2008, 8:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-pet-ferrets-evil-baby-killers-why-are-they-banned/454874/29 "2008-07-04T20:18:18Z")
Our ferret did this “death flop” thing. Juan the Pink Ferret would be going along doing his ferret life, then suddenly flop down. I’d pick him up and he’d be limp as a dishrag. I’d jostle him, shake him, etc., and he wouldn’t respond. He’d just look freekin’ dead. Just when I decided to start rooting around for a box to stash the dead body, he’d pop up and start acting like a ferret again. Is this normal?? ---
**Author:** ![beowulf573](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/8e7dd6/32.png) [@beowulf573](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/beowulf573)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2008, 8:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-pet-ferrets-evil-baby-killers-why-are-they-banned/454874/30 "2008-07-04T20:44:13Z")
[QUOTE=Kalhoun] Our ferret did this “death flop” thing. Juan the Pink Ferret would be going along doing his ferret life, then suddenly flop down. I’d pick him up and he’d be limp as a dishrag. I’d jostle him, shake him, etc., and he wouldn’t respond. He’d just look freekin’ dead. Just when I decided to start rooting around for a box to stash the dead body, he’d pop up and start acting like a ferret again. Is this normal?? [/QUOTE] Could he be having a seizure? One of mine suffered from them for a few years before they did him in, however he was obviously having a seizure; shaking, drooling, etc. ---
**Author:** ![Ferret\_Herder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/e47774/32.png) [@Ferret\_Herder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ferret_Herder)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2008, 11:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-pet-ferrets-evil-baby-killers-why-are-they-banned/454874/31 "2008-07-04T23:48:43Z")
[QUOTE=Kalhoun] Our ferret did this “death flop” thing. Juan the Pink Ferret would be going along doing his ferret life, then suddenly flop down. I’d pick him up and he’d be limp as a dishrag. I’d jostle him, shake him, etc., and he wouldn’t respond. He’d just look freekin’ dead. Just when I decided to start rooting around for a box to stash the dead body, he’d pop up and start acting like a ferret again. Is this normal?? [/QUOTE] Wow. Narcolepsy, maybe? (I don’t know if ferrets get it) I’ve seen the “belly flop” move but they’re obviously not acting dead at the time; I’ve also seen the “dead” routine **often** but only while asleep. They’ll usually wake up fast to the sound of water running (they hate baths) or something like that, so I’ve become accustomed to checking for breathing first before freaking out too much. ---
**Author:** ![LouisB](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/dfb087/32.png) [@LouisB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LouisB)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2008, 2:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-pet-ferrets-evil-baby-killers-why-are-they-banned/454874/32 "2008-07-05T02:08:35Z")
[QUOTE=Jackmannii] _Your eyes cast a spell that bewitches The last time I needed twenty stitches To sew up the gash That you made with your lash As we danced to the masochism tango._ - Tom Lehrer [/QUOTE] The veins on the backs of my hands are quite prominent and I have the thin skin that develops with age; there was nothing masochistic about it. ---
**Author:** ![Kalhoun](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/3bc359/32.png) [@Kalhoun](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kalhoun)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2008, 2:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-pet-ferrets-evil-baby-killers-why-are-they-banned/454874/33 "2008-07-06T02:18:32Z")
I don’t think it was a seizure, but I guess I’ll never know. It was a deep, un-roustable sleep. Something like a coma, but it would only last a few minutes. Very strange. ---
**Author:** ![River\_Hippie](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/river_hippie/32/26_2.png) [@River\_Hippie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/River_Hippie)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2008, 3:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-pet-ferrets-evil-baby-killers-why-are-they-banned/454874/34 "2008-07-06T03:45:05Z")
“Are pet ‘ferrets’ evil baby killers?” If only I could train mine to just kill **evil** babies! ---
**Author:** ![chowder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/977dab/32.png) [@chowder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chowder)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2008, 5:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-pet-ferrets-evil-baby-killers-why-are-they-banned/454874/35 "2008-07-06T05:39:30Z")
[QUOTE=Kalhoun] Our ferret did this “death flop” thing. Juan the Pink Ferret would be going along doing his ferret life, then suddenly flop down. I’d pick him up and he’d be limp as a dishrag. I’d jostle him, shake him, etc., and he wouldn’t respond. He’d just look freekin’ dead. Just when I decided to start rooting around for a box to stash the dead body, he’d pop up and start acting like a ferret again. Is this normal?? [/QUOTE] Normal enough for zombie ferrets I guess. ---
**Author:** ![atomicbadgerrace](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/8e7dd6/32.png) [@atomicbadgerrace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/atomicbadgerrace)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2008, 8:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-pet-ferrets-evil-baby-killers-why-are-they-banned/454874/36 "2008-07-06T08:43:28Z")
Ah, I miss my ferret. We had him for 8 years before he passed away. He didn’t reek (glands were removed), and was quite well behaved. Never bit a soul or chewed shit up – like any animal, you have to teach them what’s good and bad to do. I’m welling up with tears inside just thinking about him now. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-pet-ferrets-evil-baby-killers-why-are-they-banned/454874.md?page=1)