Ferret Misconception on TV

Disclaimer: I do not watch Two and Half Men and have not seen the episode so can only comment on the article on Examiner.com

When I first saw this post in the examiner I was curious as to how the show had angered the ferret community. I don’t watch the show as it has never appealed to me but now I am outraged at the fact that this show has gone out of its way to bring the ferret into the public’s eye in the most misleading way.

The more I read through the article the more concern I got about how much of the misconceptions were seen as truth to those that have no knowledge about ferret ownership.

This isn’t the first time the media has put bad lighting on the ferret but it needs to be balanced with the truth so that people can make the distinction between falsehoods used to make a show seem funny.

The first thing I want to point out is that it is illegal to own a ferret in California unless you have a wildlife permit. This is due to the California Wildlife and Game office that placed the ferret on their wildlife list in 1932 and has refused to remove it from the list by stating that if a ferret was to get loose and breed it would be a threat to the California bird population.

The fact is if an intact ferret did get loose in California, it is highly unlikely that it would find another ferret to breed with. Ferrets also do not do well in temperatures over 72 degrees and California is known for its high temperatures in the summer.

While ferrets are related to the mink and weasel, they don’t have the hunting knowledge that these two do and would become a larger animal’s meal.

Ferrets can get up to five pounds but do not maul people as shown in the show. The average weight for a ferret is between 2-3 pounds and is easily defended against.

I won’t say they don’t bite because ferrets do bite for many different reasons.

1. From being abused

2. From being Frightened

3. From trying to taste what they smell on your hands

4. Trying to get you to play

5. Because they are tired

6. Because they are sick

7. They are still learning what is acceptable

I travel with my ferrets and I am overly cautious about who gets near my ferrets. I make sure their vaccinations are up to date which include rabies and distemper.

I must point out that there have only been 14 cases of rabies reported from a ferret in the last 52 years. Rabies is fatal to ferrets as they often die from the virus before it can be spread to another pet or human.

While ferrets can be trained to come to a squeaky toy or a clicker, they can’t be trained to attack. As stated above I did not see the episode mentioned so I can’t tell you how they would have created the illusion that the ferrets were attacking.

I can tell you from experience that ferrets will jump at you with all four paws spread out in an attempt to get you play and they will climb up your pant legs because to them it is a tunnel that needs to be explored.

My other complaint is that one of the scenes has Rose placing the ferrets in a car. Talk about bad publicity for leaving a pet in a car with the windows rolled up.

Also, a ferret wouldn’t just lay around waiting for someone to open the door they would find a way into the dashboard and into the engine compartment and finally the ground.

As I have said before I travel with my ferrets and I educate people about ferrets wherever I go. In the three years that I have been attending Blog Paws, Bark World, and other pet events I have been able to dispel many of the misconceptions of ferrets along with showing people that ferrets can be an entertaining pet.

In fact, I was told by one attendee at the 2011 Blog Paws that they had been afraid of ferrets because of all the bad press they had seen but now wasn’t afraid of ferrets because of the time spent with my two boys and talking to me about them.

If Chuck Lorre wrote this episode and is connected to social media, I can only hope that he will realize how much harm the episode could have done to the ferret.

While I’ve never watched the show, I might have given it a try had he not put the ferret in such an evil light.

What I can say to the writers of Two and Half Men think about how much viewers believe from television before writing another script that places another animal species in the wrong light.

Have a Chittering Good Day,

Jo

35th Annual Walk for the Animals: Now with Ferrets

We all had a blast at the 35^th annual walk for the animals event in Reading, PA. It was a nice road trip from western PA to the east side of the state.

Friday evening the ferret chariot was loaded up with Manny, Marcuz, and Marylin in their mini chariot on the front seat Sleeping bag and a heavy blanket for me. Since I planned to stop and get some rest before continuing on to First Energy Stadium. I really don’t like driving at night but this event was worth it as I was going to meet up with Kelly Hoffman who is owned by Boris Kitty and is a volunteer check out some of her pictures.

After driving for four hours, we stopped at a rest stop on Interstate 80 and set the alarm for 6 am. To give us plenty of time to get there I am really glad I did. After getting off 80 and onto 81 to 309 the directions didn’t make a lot of sense and I never did find the route but I looked at the map I always keep in the chariot and found a more direct way to hwy 61. We made it with time to spare.

We watched them set up and just kind of wandered around looking for the registration table that was on the opposite side of where we had parked. I got a cool shirt and the kids started getting the attention they always seem to draw.

Most of the dog owners were worried about how their dog would react to them but most of them took a sniff and that was all they wanted to do with them. I did feel bad for the K9 that wanted to meet them but his dad told him no. He kept whining even when told no and to hush.

This walk was the 5^th year that the Berks County Human Society raised over 100 thousand dollars. We were not the only strange pet to participate in the walk the other one was a pet skunk. But unlike my ferrets, which are leashed trained, the skunk was carried.

Little Marylin wore herself out before the walk even began so she slept in their backpack   while Marcuz made it almost half a block before demanding that he get in the backpack with his sister.

Manny would walk for a ways then stop and look at me to pick him up and carry him for a bit before he demanded to be put back down to walk some more.

We were the last to complete the walk but it was worth the time as we talked to people and corrected misinformation that still surrounds ferrets. Even other ferret owners may have the wrong information as we found out on Saturday as one of the volunteers informed us that ferrets are related to the cat family. They were told this by the person selling them their ferret. I believe the person believed this to be true because of the feline like teeth ferrets have.

Ferrets belong to the Mustelidae family that includes weasels, minks, and otters.

We left before the event wound down to the last few people in hopes to get home before dark. Only I got lost not once but twice as the signs were not very clear at some of the intersections. Once it got dark, I pushed myself to get home but between the high winds and the rain. I made the decision to pull over at a rest stop and sleep until morning, which, I am glad I did, as there was a power outage during the night that lasted for four hours. When we got home, the ferrets were glad to be in their room and bounced all over the place and I was still a bit tired and took a nap.

The only bad part of the trip is the cold I picked up along the way. However, even if I knew I would get sick I would have gone to this event and we will be there again next year.

 

Have a Chittering Good Day,

Jo

“I’ve Never Seen…”

 

Most people finish that sentence with “Ferrets walking on a leash.” or “I didn’t know you could train them to do that.”

I believe if more ferret owners did take their beloved ferrets out in public more than a more people would have the opportunity to be introduced to the world of ferrets.

I am big on educating people about ferrets and the fact they aren’t for everyone. Those cute little balls of fur they see in the pet store grow up and required a lot of care.

Some myths are:

They are smelly.  While unfixed ferrets have a very distinct musky odor. those that have been descented and fixed have less of an odor but if bathed too much the skin replaces the oil that has been washed away with more oil which can lead to a smelly ferret. As can an unclean litter box.

They are cage only animals. This is one myth that makes me roll my eyes at the person telling me this. Ferrets are active critters that love being able to explore their surroundings and need at the very minimum 2 hours a day out of the cage to play.

They can’t be trained. Ferrets can be trained to use the litter box and with a lot of patience and rewards can learn to do some simple tricks. They can also be taught to walk with a leash and harness.

They are rodents. This one gets me really worked up. Ferrets are not rodents they were domesticated over three thousand years ago to hunt rodents. They belong to the same family as the weasel, mink, and otter.

They are great pets for children. I personally don’t think they are good pets for any child under the age of 10 and don’t believe they should be introduced to a family with a baby.  I am sure there will be others that disagree with me.

 

What other myths have you heard about ferrets?

 

Have a Chittering Good Day,

Jo