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From: evans@mhuxt.UUCP (crandall)
Newsgroups: net.pets
Subject: more on ferrets
Message-ID: <697@mhuxt.UUCP>
Date: Thu, 21-Mar-85 13:14:12 EST
Article-I.D.: mhuxt.697
Posted: Thu Mar 21 13:14:12 1985
Date-Received: Fri, 22-Mar-85 02:20:13 EST
Organization: AT&T Bell Laboratories, Murray Hill
Lines: 22

My wife and I have lived in a very small apt. (<500 sq. ft.) with a ferret
for a few years now and don't have any real problems. Our main reason for
going with a ferret was that they are small (easy to hide), quiet, and
reasonably non-smelly (assuming you have a descented female).

If you want one for an apt try going with a female. They're about 50% the
size of a male and about half as destructive (eg - our ferret loves pushing
books out of bookcases - a large male we know loves pushing over bookcases).
Personality varies considerably from ones that won't nip even in hard play
to "sinkers" that believe in humans with < 10 fingers. For further reading
try a book by Wendy Winsted (I think its title is someting clever like
"Ferrets"...). It is probably necessary to have the beast descented - a task
that isn't cheap ($75 is almost a standard fee - probably most of it is
hazardous duty money for the vet) and neutered (much cheaper on males than
on females). Some pet stores will sell you pre-fixed animals. Unless you
intend to breed a female GET HER FIXED - they can only be brought out of
heat hormonally meaning little ferret bc pills or death afther a few months
of heat.

			a NJ house-weaseler
			Steve Crandall
			ihnp4!mhuxt!evans