Ongar
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ONGAR: Ferrets 'most popular pets'
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| Reporter Isabel Jensen makes a new friend |
THEY are smelly, illegal in California and everyone remembers that eye-watering moment when Richard Whiteley was savaged by one live on television.
So why are ferrets set to become the most popular pets of 2008?
Ferret keeping is nothing new. The Romans used to keep ferrets as hunting animals, their natural aggression giving rise to their name, meaning "little thief" in Latin.
But what is it about the fearsome little mammals that makes Wendy Brett, chairwoman of the Essex Ferret Welfare Society, so excited?
She said: "They're brilliant animals, full of enthusiasm and curiosity, they're easy to entertain and make rewarding and affectionate pets."
She has been keeping ferrets at her home in Moreton Road, Ongar, which also doubles as a rescue home for dogs and cats, since 1986.
And unlike most rescue owners, Wendy does not name any of the 35 ferrets that she keeps, preferring to keep them in a more traditional way, which includes taking them out hunting for small mammals.
"They're pure carnivores," she explains, while handling three or four wriggling ferrets effortlessly.
"We like to take them out hunting occasionally, some of them enjoy it more than others, each one of them has a distinct personality."
The reason that pet ferrets have boomed is, according to Wendy, because they are crepuscular, meaning they are most active during dawn and dusk, which makes them perfect for people who work full-time.
But she added people should think "long and hard" before taking on a ferret.
"They actually live for eight or nine years, so it's the same commitment as taking on a cat."
To keep a ferret happy it should be spayed and electronically chipped or else, as Wendy put it: "they'll be gone in minutes, and I mean gone from the street, not just their cages".
According to latest figures from the British Veterinary Association (BVA), the numbers being kept as domestic pets have risen sharply over the past couple of years.
Carl Paget, chairman of the trustees for the BVA, said: "There aren't any complete figures for ferret numbers in the UK, but we're hearing from vets that they've seen a massive increase in numbers."
He added that ferrets had a bad reputation, which they did not deserve.
He said: "They do get a lot of flack because of that Richard Whiteley clip, but that was out of context. People find that they make very good and exciting pets."
If you can offer a ferret a home, call Wendy Brett on
01277 364115.
5:05pm Monday 10th March 2008
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CommentPosted by: mr khalid, walthamstone on 1:10pm Fri 21 Mar 08
this anmal like rat and no good for hose i thing as mybe having the garms and deseseded
this anmal like rat and no good for hose i thing as mybe having the garms and deseseded
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