The Ferret at the Faire

I was at a Renaissance Faire over the weekend, and spotted a number of participants who travel with their pets. I encountered a few small dogs, a cat, and a ferret — in or near the owner’s booth, enjoying the day. Thumper the ferret was most impressive, I have to say. He first caught my eye when his owner (a maker of leather clothing, costumes, and accessories) was taking him for a walk. He loped along on his little leash and harness, following the sound of the squeaky toy in her hand. And he isn’t her first squeaky-trained ferret. A … Continue reading

The Story of My Ferrets… Part 2

One occasion I was grooming my ferret Phoebe (cleaning her ears, clipping her nails and bathing her) and really noticed how emaciated she was. I sobbed at the thought of possibly having to her put to sleep. We’d been taking her to the vet regularly but nothing was working. Then having our son recently placed with us by adoption, we didn’t feel financially we could do much for her. So we took her to Ferret Rescue. They offered help but we told them of our efforts to help her and felt with a new son, our focus needed to be … Continue reading

The Story of My Ferrets… Part 1

Our ferret friends Phoebe and Sara joined our family right after my husband and I married. We adopted them from a ferret rescue, and moved out of state shortly after. They were so cute and entertaining. Sara became aggressive about a month or two after we got her. When I contacted Ferret Rescue about our concern that she may be going into heat early, we were told it was not likely and that ferrets tend to play rough. Sara was down right vicious though! Afraid she’d harm her sister we brought her to our small animal shelter which sent her … Continue reading

Ferret Basics

Since the 1980s, ferrets have become a popular family pet choice in the United States. A 1997 survey by the American Veterinary Medical Association found just under a million pet ferrets in residence in the country. The domesticated European ferret came from wild polecats and spread across the continent by Roman soldiers. Early explorers brought the creatures to the New World — legend has it that Ferdinand and Isabella of Spain sent ferrets across the Atlantic with Christopher Columbus! Historians see evidence of ferret-like animals in ancient Greek and Egyptian writings. Modern domestic ferrets weigh anywhere from one and a … Continue reading