A Ferret Merry Christmas to all

Merry Christmas

You can create a free holiday e-card featuring your pet's photo. Just upload, add your choice of holiday accessories, and you're ready to e-mail, tweet, or post to Facebook. Visit http://petpixvth.vetmed.illinois.edu/index.php to Picture Your Pet For the Holidays!

ferrets

Ferret's 12 Days of Christmas

A Ferret's 12 Days of Christmas

On the first day of Christmas my Ferret gave to me
The topper from the Christmas tree.

On the second day of Christmas my Ferret gave to me
Two presents in the corner
And the topper from the Christmas tree.

On the third day of Christmas my Ferret gave to me
Three punctured ornaments
Two presents in the corner
And the topper from the Christmas tree.

On the fourth day of Christmas my Ferret gave to me
Four broken window candles
Three punctured ornaments
Two presents in the corner
And the topper from the Christmas tree.

On the fifth day of Christmas my Ferret gave to me
Five chewed-up stockings
Four broken window candles
Three punctured ornaments
Two presents in the corner
And the topper from the Christmas tree.

On the sixth day of Christmas my Ferret gave to me
Six soggy ribbons
Five chewed-up stockings
Four broken window candles
Three punctured ornaments
Two presents in the corner
And the topper from the Christmas tree.

On the seventh day of Christmas my Ferret gave to me
Seven scraps of wrapping paper
Six soggy ribbons
Five chewed-up stockings
Four broken window candles
Three punctured ornaments
Two presents in the corner
And the topper from the Christmas tree.

On the eighth day of Christmas my Ferret gave to me
Eight tiny reindeer fragments
Seven scraps of wrapping paper
Six soggy ribbons
Five chewed-up stockings
Four broken window candles
Three punctured ornaments
Two presents in the corner
And the topper from the Christmas tree.

On the ninth day of Christmas my Ferret gave to me
My wreath in nine pieces
Eight tiny reindeer fragments
Seven scraps of wrapping paper
Six soggy ribbons
Five chewed-up stockings
Four broken window candles
Three punctured ornaments
Two presents in the corner
And the topper from the Christmas tree.

On the tenth day of Christmas my Ferret gave to me
Ten Christmas cards I should have mailed
My wreath in nine pieces
Eight tiny reindeer fragments
Seven scraps of wrapping paper
Six soggy ribbons
Five chewed-up stockings
Four broken window candles
Three punctured ornaments
Two presents in the corner
And the topper from the Christmas tree.

On the eleventh day of Christmas my Ferret gave to me
Eleven unwrapped presents
Ten Christmas cards I should have mailed
My wreath in nine pieces
Eight tiny reindeer fragments
Seven scraps of wrapping paper
Six soggy ribbons
Five chewed-up stockings
Four broken window candles
Three punctured ornaments
Two presents in the corner
And the topper from the Christmas tree.

On the twelfth day of Christmas my Ferret gave to me
A dozen ferret kisses...
and I forgot all about the other eleven days.

ferrets

Video about Ferrets and children - Safety Concerns

Children & Ferrets: Safety Concerns -- powered by ExpertVillage.com

My opinion is that you should not have a ferret as a pet with children, especially small children

Ferrets in the news one of eight animals that are major health threats to children

Pets that are major health threats to kids including ferrets

Out of all these animals, how many kids own these ?

Reptiles
Hamsters
Hedgehogs
Monkeys
Baby chickens
Ferrets
Prairie dogs
African Gambian rats
Big cats
Raccoons
Other wild animals

Animals that are not recommended for children under 5 years old - do you know any kids asking to get a prairie dog, or baby chickens for a pet? I think there are far more greater health risks than this - like maybe vaccinations? or genetically modified food, or corn syrup in every food product, how about chemical in baby bottles the government denies causes cancer, or mercury tooth fillings that pose no danger? Are we eating cloned animals yet? Be sure to read the comments.

Update to article - Pets for Young Kids: Does Exotic Mean Toxic?

Clinical Report from Official Journal of the American Academy of Pediatrics - Exposure to Nontraditional Pets at Home and to Animals in Public Settings: Risks to Children

Additional Reading:
Pet-Associated Zoonotic Diseases and Natural Disasters (PDF) after floods and hurricanes

Advice from CDC - Healthy Pets - Healthy People

Kids Health - Selecting safe pets

PETCO - FDA SEIZES PET FOOD FOR UNSANIITARY AND FILTHY CONDITIONS

This must have been really bad, as the advisory to wash your hands and anything from PETCO, how could have anybody worked in those conditions. I wonder if any of the employees got sick from this?

The Petco distribution center that the FDA seized animal products is in Illinois and serves 16 states:

Alabama, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, Ohio, Oklahoma, Tennessee, Texas, and Wisconsin


FDA Requests Seizure of Animal Food Products at PETCO Distribution Center

Today, at the request of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), U.S. Marshals seized various animal food products stored under unsanitary conditions at the PETCO Animal Supplies Distribution Center located in Joliet, Ill., pursuant to a warrant issued by the United States District Court in Chicago.

U.S. Marshals seized all FDA-regulated animal food susceptible to rodent and pest contamination. The seized products violate the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act because it was alleged in a case filed by the United States Attorney that they were being held under unsanitary conditions. (The Act uses the term "insanitary" to describe such conditions).

During an FDA inspection of a PETCO distribution center in April, widespread and active rodent and bird infestation was found. The FDA inspected the facility again in May and found continuing and widespread infestation.

As a precaution, consumers who have handled products originating from the PETCO distribution center should thoroughly wash their hands with hot water and soap. Any surfaces that came in contact with the packages should be washed as well. Consumers are further advised as a precaution to thoroughly wash products sold in cans and glass containers from PETCO in the 16 affected states.

If a pet has become ill after eating these food products, pet owners should contact their veterinarian and report illnesses to FDA state consumer complaint coordinators.

FDA: Protecting Our Pets

Andy’s Take (Commissioner of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration)

This week, at FDA’s request, United States Marshals seized tons of animal food products at a major pet food distribution warehouse because they were being stored under unsanitary conditions. While you know that the mission of the FDA is to protect and promote the health of you and your family, you may not have realized that our mission also includes safeguarding the health of your pets. In fact, both FDA's Center for Veterinary Medicine as well as our Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition regulate the food and feed we give our pets and livestock, and the Center for Veterinary Medicine also regulates medicines for animals.

My take on this is that FDA remains committed to doing what is required to protect and promote the health of you and your family – including your family pet. The FDA will not allow a company to engage in practices of unsafe or unsanitary production or processing of food or feed that endanger the life of any person or any animal.

During an inspection FDA inspectors found that the pet food facility was heavily infested with various pests, such as rats, mice, and birds. The company was told to fix the problem, and when it was determined that the company had not made the necessary corrections, we had those products seized to prevent them from reaching your pet. I would like to reassure you that the pet food that is currently in retail stores is not involved in this problem and can be purchased and used with confidence.

ferrets

Ferrets - Living rat traps

In this article from Popular Science, February 1936, about how Levi Farsworth started raising ferrets and became one of the largest ferret farms in New London, Ohio, raising as many as 10,000 a year. They were sold for extermination of rats, but they also were used for ridding of other pests. It explains how the ferrets are raised and kept.

Living Rat Traps RAISED ON NOVEL FARMS

In This Article, the Author Takes You for a Visit To a Strange “Ranch” Where Ferrets Are Bred by Thousands To Aid Man in His War Against Rodents
By Walter E. Burton

IF A MAN. . . make a belter mouse-trap than his neighbor,” someone said, “though he build his home in the woods, the world will make a beaten path to his door.” The truth of this statement is being realized with profit by a number of “farmers” in the vicinity of New London, Ohio; only the traps are raised and not built, and they work equally well with rats, prairie dogs, and squirrels. New London is known as the ferret center of the world, because more of those animals are raised there than in any other place, some 25,000 a year being a conservative present-time estimate.

continue reading ferret farms

A town called "Ferretsville"

New London United States Pennsylvania Levi Farnsworth Ohio Ted Cunningham Mississippi - SI Vault


History of how Ferrets came to be in America and a town called Ferretsville, in Ohio.

In this article, ferrets were sold as rat exterminators and it became a big business in this town. Times changed, new methods of pest extermination using chemicals, ferrets soon met their demise and were outlawed.

This is part of the article about a ferret named Parker.....

With the questing instincts of a fox and a build like a wet noodle, the ferret rivaled any hunter. So society passed laws against him, Ferretville, U.S.A. died and the author was left with memories of a wriggly pocket

The first ferret I knew well was a white one belonging to my grandfather. In theory, this hob lived in the basement and was employed as the family rat chaser. In practice, he was usually found either asleep in a broom closet or sitting up on his hind legs begging for toast and cheese in the kitchen. Occasionally my grandmother, exasperated by this vicious killer, would chase him downstairs with a broom, ordering him to go catch a rat and stop pestering her for cheese sandwiches. As far as I know, this ferret never leaped at her jugular vein. Between then and now I have known other ferrets, all of which were considerably more personable and peaceable companions than myna birds, Pekingese dogs or Siamese fighting fish.

A few years ago I bought my last ferret at black-market prices from a poacher friend. He shall go unidentified and un-located, for if he were caught with his dozen ferrets he would be treated harshly. This ferret was a little brindle female who, when she was brought to my houseful of children, dogs, cats and assorted livestock, took up residence under the refrigerator. She was named Parker (after the famous Nosey) in recognition of a ferret's most notable characteristic, which is not lusting after blood, but insatiable curiosity.

Ferrets are congenitally unable to resist exploring holes, nooks, crannies and cracks. Parker, like all ferrets, had an ideal build for this investigatory work. She weighed about a pound, was 16 inches long and as supple as a serpent. She could get her sharp-pointed little head through a hole two inches in diameter, and anyplace her head could go her shoulderless and hipless body could follow. She squirmed into heating ducts, into the innards of radios and pianos, into boots, into the decapitated corpses of hollow-bodied dolls and under bookcases and rugs. Her only violent act was committed against a clumsy German shepherd who stepped on her one morning as she was emerging from her den beneath the refrigerator. In a chattering rage, Parker twisted around and bit the stumblebum on the nose. Forever after, this boob of a dog treated Parker with great respect. Parker had only two habits that ferret detractors could call depraved. She would run nylon stockings as she tried to climb up the legs they encased, and she would steal dish towels, dragging them into her pad under the refrigerator.

Despite her easy adjustment as a house pet, Parker was, after all, a ferret, whose traditional line of work was supposed to be chasing things out of holes, not dusting under chairs with her tail. So in the spring of her first year we took her to the farm of a friend, Glenn, who had a pasture full of rabbit and woodchuck holes. In the evening Glenn and I, with Parker in my pocket, set out on one of the last great ferret hunts.

One of the advantages of ferreting is that the principal participant, the ferret, does not need much training. All a ferret's instincts urge him to go down any hole he is shown. The man, who is supposedly in charge of the operation, only has to put his ferret on the ground, sit down and wait to see what comes up. The difficulty is that sometimes a ferret gets into a hole he likes too well. He may follow a maze that brings him to the surface a long way from the original entrance; he may decide to curl up and take a nap; or he may, on rare occasions, decide to catch himself a meal, which he will eat in leisurely fashion despite any pressing appointments the man waiting above ground may have. Even love may detain a ferret. One oldtime ferreter tells of dropping a she-ferret in an amorous physiological condition down what he thought was a rabbit hole. Actually, there was a he-mink in the burrow. These two close cousins proved simpatico, and the ferreter claims that whatever went on in the dark was tempestuous and took the devil's own time to accomplish. However, he was never able to prove that his ferret was not all she should have been since, as the saying goes, there was no issue.

To avoid these annoying delays, ferrets are sometimes harnessed and worked on long leashes. In this way they can be dragged back on demand, except when the leash gets tangled on a root or around a stone. When this happens there is nothing for the ferreter to do but get out a pick and shovel and start digging. This kind of thing tends to take the fun out of a hunt, particularly if the ground is frozen. A muzzle is also sometimes used on a ferret. The idea is that the animal can now chase, but cannot dine, on his quarry. The risk of this method is that if the ferret meets up with a hole owner who is ready and willing to dispute a passage, the hunter is likely to become the hunted. Still other ferreters hunt only mated pairs. They send the female underground and keep the male with them, as a sort of hostage. The reasoning is that the little lady will hurry back to her husband. The female is never kept waiting for the male. If nothing else, this procedure ought to interest young wives and marriage counselors.

Parker, Glenn and I were innocent of any fancy equipment or philosophies when we set out on our expedition. As it turned out, we did not need them, for Parker took to woodchuck holes like a woodchuck will to a sweet-corn patch. She dived down the first hole we showed her and came up a few minutes later at the mouth of an interconnecting tunnel. She had earth on her nose and a pleased gleam in her eye. Then, as we followed, she began to work down the fence row, diving and surfacing in the loam like a porpoise in the sea. The only disappointing aspect of this operation was that Parker was the only creature who came up out of any of the holes.

"I know there's chucks in there," Glenn complained. "They sit around stuffing themselves on clover all day. I see them when I'm plowing."

External evidence confirmed this claim. Many of the holes had fresh earth and woodchuck table scraps at the mouth. Occasionally, while Parker was underground, we would hear an ill-tempered rumbling. Even so, Parker would come up alone, with a worried, apologetic look on her face. Finally we decided that since it was getting late the woodchucks must all have been sacked out and Parker had been far too much of a lady to rouse them.

Eventually Glenn raised a young rabbit that bolted down a hole in the bank of an old quarry. We picked up Parker and ran to the spot. This burrow had two entrances and we put Parker in the one we thought the rabbit had used. Almost at once there was a satisfying commotion. Shortly, both animals emerged, but there must have been some underground confusion, for the rabbit came out of the hole Parker had entered and the ferret popped up from the far exit. They stared at each other for a brief moment and then the rabbit jumped. The bunny was clearly adolescent, but it already outweighed Parker about two to one. With sort of the rabbit equivalent of a straight arm, the quarry simply ran over the vicious ferret. When the dust settled, Parker picked herself up and looked around groggily after the fashion of a T-formation quarterback who has been blitzed. The rabbit was long gone. It was a humiliating experience for both Parker and me. We got no sympathy from Glenn, who howled hysterically, "She's a tiger, a tiger. Please don't let her get me."

In attempting to rebut the various slanders that have been circulated about ferrets it would be unrealistic to claim that all of these little animals are as ineffectual as Parker was on this occasion. I admit to remembering a great white ferret who was once dropped down a wide-mouthed hole. There was an almost instantaneous explosion of action. Two fox pups followed by a vixen came boiling out of the den, with the hob ferret in close and ferocious pursuit. Most ferrets do chase things-it is their nature- and catch them, too. A ferret worked frequently can probably take as many rabbits in the course of a year as a man driving to conservation meetings can kill with his car. Even Parker might have become an efficient ferret if given a little practice. It was just that at the time of her maiden hunt she was more accustomed to dealing with dish towels than game. After this first and last field trial, she was retired and lived out her days in the kitchen, operating from the security of her refrigerator den, where no rabbit could get at her.

In time, as all creatures must, Parker came to her reward. Though she was mourned, she has not been replaced. What with all the assaults recently being made on law and order, I did not want to contribute to the breakdown of public morality by keeping a bootleg ferret, and I did not have the time or money to license one. However, my recent visit to New London renewed my craving for these weasels. Deciding to live dangerously, I inquired about buying one in this Cooperstown of ferretry. I had no more luck than Parker did with the rabbit. Rumor has it that there is one retired ferret rancher near New London who keeps half a dozen of the animals for old times' sake. But this man will not admit to such carryings-on and so, lacking a search warrant, there is not a ferret to be had in what was once Ferretville, U.S.A. There is nothing left in Our Town now but Chenango Charlie and the girls' choir and those nice old ladies on their porches.

FERRETS AND EASTER

HAPPY EASTER



Remember to keep your ferrets out of the Easter basket and away from candy, including chocolate and caffeine. Candy can be harmful to pets, and chocolate is toxic to dogs, cats and ferrets. Note: Raisins and grapes have recently been found to be toxic to pets.

Free Ferret Magazine

Ferret Magazine is going digital in April.

Article about Ferrets being seen as "Disposable Pets'

I have tears reading this article from the American Ferret Association. It's about the woman in Virginia Beach - 97 ferrets seized and 61 had to be euthanized because of poor health. WHY DID SHE NOT ASK FOR HELP?

"MANY THINGS ARE LOST FOR WANT OF ASKING"
CHINESE PROVERB

The article continues about "the disposable ferret". People buying ferrets, not realizing the commitment they need to make. In this busy world, if you have kids and work, you have little time left for anything else (I was there at one time). These animals are like children, and as an owner you have to take the time to keep them happy and healthy, creating a deep bond. They are not like cats or dogs at all. They are totally dependent on you and crave human interaction. I don't work or have kids, and I don't cage my ferrets, so I'm able to spend a lot of time with them.

Here's the link to this article: 97 ferrets seized in Virginia Beach

I AM YOUR FERRET

ferret pics

I am your ferret, and I have a little something I'd like to whisper in your ear.

I know that you humans lead busy lives. Some have to work, some have children to raise. It always seems like you are running here and there, often much too fast, often never noticing the truly grand things in life.

Look down at me now, while you sit there at your computer. See the way my dark brown eyes look at yours. They are slightly cloudy now. That comes with age. The gray hairs are beginning to appear.

You smile at me; I see love in your eyes. What do you see in mine? Do you see a spirit?

A soul inside, who loves you as no other could in the world? A spirit that would forgive all trespasses of prior wrong doing for just a simple moment of your time?

That is all I ask.

To slow down, if even for a few minutes to be with me.

So many times you have been saddened by the words you read on that screen, of others of my kind, passing.

Sometimes we die young and oh so quickly, sometimes so suddenly it wrenches your heart out of your throat.

Sometimes, we age so slowly before your eyes that you may not even seem to know until the very end, when we look at you with grizzled muzzles and cataract clouded eyes.

Still the love is always there, even when we must take that long sleep, to run free in a distant land.

I may not be here tomorrow; I may not be here next week.

Someday you will shed the water from your eyes, that humans have when deep grief fills their souls, and you will be angry at yourself that you did not have just "one more day" with me.

Because I love you so, your sorrow touches my spirit and grieves me. We have NOW, together.

So come, sit down here next to me on the floor, and look deep into my eyes. What do you see? If you look hard and deep enough we will talk, you and I, heart to heart.

Come to me not as "alpha" or as "trainer" or even "Mom or Dad," come to me as a living soul and stroke my fur and let us look deep into one another's eyes, and talk.

I may tell you something about the fun of running through tunnels, or I may tell you something profound about myself, or even life in general.

You decided to have me in your life because you wanted a soul to share such things with. Someone very different from you, and here I am.

I am a ferret, but I am alive. I feel emotion, I feel physical senses, and I can revel in the differences of our spirits and souls.

I do not think of you as a "Ferret on two feet" -- I know what you are. You are human, in all your quirkiness, and I love you still.

Now, come sit with me, on the floor. Enter my world, and let time slow down if only for 15 minutes.

Look deep into my eyes, and whisper to my ears. Speak with your heart, with your joy and I will know your true self.

We may not have tomorrow, and life is oh so very short.

Love,

On behalf of ferrets everywhere

Author Unknown

del.icio.us Tags: ferrets,pets,animals

GETTING A NEW FERRET

My First Ferret

My first ferret, Abby (female, Albino), had a previous owner and was about 6 months old. They person I bought her from said she did'nt have time for her and she had a small child. When I got Abby, she came with a cage, some food (she had been feeding her Marshall's ferret food) and a couple of toys. Abby is a Marshall's ferret. She is so small, weighs about a one pound. I put Abby into the cage that first night, and after that I did'nt see any reason for the cage, and she has never been caged since. I don't think they belong in cages. I have read they are not caged animals, "you cage them for their protection". If you do cage them, they need at least 4 hours minimun out . Spend lots of time with your ferret, playing with them. If you don't have the time, then you don't need a ferret. Read here - so you wanna get a ferret

I did alot of research on the Internet, reading about ferrets. I made sure I ferret-proofed, but she was one not to get into alot of things anyway. I feel she had been caged most of the time with her previous owner, because she hardly knew how to jump or get up on things. But once I started playing with her she learned. Some of her favorite play activities are: Playing with a towel - I lay the towel on the floor and she jumps on it and I slide the towel on the floor. Another one is a plastic grocery sack, She loves it when I shake the bag, she'll hop into it, I'll throw in a toy (little furry mice) . Another good play toy is a box. Also got a big container with clean dirt for her to dig in, low enough she could get in by herself. They love to dig.

Abby is now about 6 1/2 year old. Ferrets live about 7 or 8 years, and someday she will cross the rainbow bridge. She sleeps alot now that she's old. She's also adrenal, and I've been treating her with herbs from Azmira. I know that the herbal fomulation have helped, she had adrenal for many years. The season changed, she lost alot of hair, I thought she was going bald, but it's growing back. I've also made a place in my closet to keep her in the dark as much as possible.

A Ferret's Prayer

A Ferret's Prayer

Understand me and I will be your loving pet.
I am not a rodent, but a carnivore.
I am not a wild animal, but a companion to man, domesticated between the time of the dog and the cat.
Feed me as a cat, but only with dry food for clean teeth.
Keep litter boxes handy, and I will learn to use them.
Take me along as a dog, but with a leash or carrier so I do not get lost
Do not leave me outdoors, I have no wild survival instincts.
Confine or watch me like a small child, because I am curious and like to get into things.
Discipline when needed with words and soft actions, because sudden force causes me to defend myself. I am a little thief, give me soft socks to steal and hide, instead of rubber toys to chew and swallow.
Let me visit the doctor as you would any family member, for a health check and vaccinations yearly.
Have me spayed or neutered; I have no need to reproduce to add to the pet overpopulation.
Handle me daily, and I will be your loyal friend for many, many years.
I am fearless and friendly. I have personality. I seek companionship.
If you cannot give me that, then please pass me by.

My pets, Kitty (cat), Abby (white albino ferret), and Little Boy (sable ferret)

My blog about ferrets as pets, my observations, opinions, rants and raves.