Pets: Ferret can be furry friend

WHY is it that some animals are seen as cute while others seem to suffer a bit of an image problem? For instance, rabbits and hamsters are seen as appealing, while ferrets, which share both the fluffy fur and the sharp teeth, just aren't.

The reason is probably that for many years ferrets were kept to hunt rabbits and so weren't regarded as affectionately as cats or guinea pigs. That, however, is changing.

Kevin Eatwell, lecturer in zoo and wildlife medicine at the Royal (Dick) School of Veterinary Studies, explains: "Historically, ferrets have very much been a working animal, but now more and more people are keeping them as pets.

"They are now family members rather than something that lives in a hutch at the bottom of the garden."

Natural predators and related to the polecat, ferrets have been domesticated by man for around 2,500 years for hunting, although in more recent years they have been kept mainly as pets. "And they do make very, very good pets," says Kevin.

To mark National Ferret Day on 5 May, the Exotic Animal and Wildlife Service of the Royal Dick is holding a week of events, starting on 3 May for ferrets and their owners.

Free ferret health checks will be available throughout the week, which is being promoted by the Ferret Research and Education Trust, conducted by exotic animal veterinarians.

The week will include a free evening meeting on 5 May at the Hospital for Small Animals. Lectures will be given by Kevin, who also acts as an advisor to the ferret trust covering reproduction in ferrets and methods of control. New evidence has come to light, that all ferret owners need to be aware of regarding surgical neutering.

And Joanna Hedley, resident in zoological medicine, will be covering preventative medicine in ferrets and detail how best to keep them long-lived and healthy.

Free advice and care sheets will be available during the week and the evening meeting.

Kevin says it is important that ferret owners are aware of how to keep their pets healthy. "They are relatively simple to care for – for instance you can now get food formulated for their diets. But they do need to be vaccinated as they are susceptible to some of the same diseases we see in cats and dogs, such as distemper – we recommend annual vaccinations for distemper."

Ferrets should either be bought, through a reputable dealer, when young – around 16 weeks or less, after they have been weaned – so that they can get used to being handled before they get too old, or already domesticated animals can be acquired from animal rescue centres.

Kevin says they are probably not suitable for those with young children but are ideal for people who are out at work.

"They spend a lot of time asleep during the day but when they are awake they are extremely interactive with their owners – they run around the house, they will chase and play, you can pick them up and cuddle them, they are completely different to other small mammals."

Ferrets do need a cage or suitable place to sleep – and they will enjoy going through tunnels as that is part of their natural behaviour. "You can set up quite varied areas for them to play," says Kevin.

And while numbers of ferrets being kept by people is static – there are believed to be between 1.5 million and two million in Britain – because fewer of them are being used as working animals, more are being welcomed into homes as pets. "I think people's perception of these animals is changing," says Kevin.

To book a free appointment for a health check or a place at the evening meeting call 0131 650 7650. For more information, visit www.dickvetexotics.com. For more information on the Ferret Research and Education Trust visit www.ferrettrust.org