# tell me not to get a ferret please



## sharpstrain (May 24, 2008)

went to a garden centre today and held a ferret - fell in love - how bloody cute and intelligent are they - thing is I have two dogs - lurcher and terrier, a cat, two chickens - loads of reps and I really shouldnt get another pet - please persuade me not to get one of these stinky, hard to keep expensive, aggressive monsters


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## Doodles (Aug 4, 2007)

they really really do stink. Would be cruel to buy it the lurcher would have it eventually!


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## Meko (Apr 29, 2007)

don't get one, they stink and are aggressive. Imagine having 2 mother in laws


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## fuzzielady (May 19, 2008)

Would be a bad idea with 2 dogs that would want to eat them. Ferrets need lots of human interaction to get them nice and soppy. They only stink if they are either entire hobs, during the breeding season, or are not cleaned out very often.


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## Llizardx (Jul 4, 2008)

*Ferrets*

Waist of money


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## daisyleo (Nov 23, 2006)

I disagree totally with the dog thing, if you are sensible then there is no reason whatsoever the dogs would ever have the chance to get the ferrets.

We have 19 ferrets and 4 dogs all terriers and we've had no problems, I wouldn't trust any of the dogs alone with the ferrets but they have met them and we've had no problems, 2 of our terriers are staffies my male is fine and would rather avoid them the female does snap at them if they are in my arms but if they are on the floor next to her she just sniffs at them.

Mom's two jack russells are more intrested in the ferrets but the little one who is the most trouble usually is great with them and our rats & hamsters, again he never gets left alone with them but it's how you react and treat the dog and what respect he has for you when you say NO that counts.

They do have an aroma even after neutering but depends on how sensitive you are to things I like the smell of NEUTERED ferrets, entire ones though do wreak!!!

They aren't aggressive they are lovely, they DO bite however but mostly in play or sometimes if they are new to you and don't trust you, they are also usually "wilder" if they are un-neutered as their hormones run wild & they also try and escape more I have found.

I won't try and put you off getting them as that really is down to you, I was put off buying them for years as everytime I mentioned them everyone would say they smell and they bite but when I finally met some in the flesh I couldn't get them quick enough then  and with near on 20 do you think I would buy that many if they were aggressive stinky animals?


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## Marinam2 (Sep 4, 2007)

These people are trying to go with what you think but i can honestly say it would have to be very very securely kept, it would kill your chickens and the dog would have to be watched very carefully.

They only stink if they are unneutered and in season. The only time they stink after that is when they "skunk" or open their anal glands and fart it hummmms and takes forever to go away but mine only do it about once a fortnight.

My three go through 3 packets of braising steaks a week and a couple of chicken wings and of course they have kibble as well. Neutering was £30 each of the boys and their cage in the house cost me £200.

Marina


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## fuzzielady (May 19, 2008)

Beware though if you do get one. They are highly addictive. Ferret maths usually kicks, there's always room for just one more


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## Meko (Apr 29, 2007)

daisyleo said:


> I disagree totally with the dog thing, if you are sensible then there is no reason whatsoever the dogs would ever have the chance to get the ferrets.
> 
> We have 19 ferrets and 4 dogs all terriers and we've had no problems, I wouldn't trust any of the dogs alone with the ferrets but they have met them and we've had no problems, 2 of our terriers are staffies my male is fine and would rather avoid them the female does snap at them if they are in my arms but if they are on the floor next to her she just sniffs at them.
> 
> ...


 
yeh but he WANTS to be put off buying one because he wants one but knows he shouldn't do it.


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## daisyleo (Nov 23, 2006)

Well OP needs some will power me thinks :lol2::bash:


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## Fixx (May 6, 2006)

You don't want a ferret Sharpman, you want European Polecats


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## daisyleo (Nov 23, 2006)

OH MY GOD!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! :flrt: are they yours Fixx? or have you bred them?


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## Fixx (May 6, 2006)

daisyleo said:


> OH MY GOD!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! :flrt: are they yours Fixx? or have you bred them?


They are ours, we collected them last weekend, two girls to keep Fidget, our male company when they are a bit bigger. We're hoping we to hear the little pitter-patter of baby Polecats next season.
These two were bred by a friend of Rich and Marie at Shropshire Exotics.


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## daisyleo (Nov 23, 2006)

Oh Marie sent me some pics of those a while back but I was offline when she sent the email through and thought they would be sold by the time I got back on :flrt: they are beautiful!!!!!!!!!!!


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## sharpstrain (May 24, 2008)

Fixx said:


> You don't want a ferret Sharpman, you want European Polecats


OMG - they are gorgeous 

Just had a long chat with my father in law - he has ferrets and reckons the lucher prob wouldnt be an issue - but the terrier might - reckons a ferret and lurcher can develop a good working relationship!!

Tell me about housing etc - is it complex, expensive - indoors or outdoors?


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## daisyleo (Nov 23, 2006)

That is totally up to you really, have you the space to have them as indoor pets? I have all mine in two sheds, the one is a 6x4 shed with a 6x6x6 run attached to the side and a catflap between the shed and run that I can lock at night to keep them in the shed, they then have a hutch with no door on some ramps and three shelves in the shed which is where they have their blankets and go to sleep, in the run they have all kinds of toys and dangling objects and beds etc.
The other shed is 7x7 and currently houses a furet tower, which is a great indoor cage if you google you will see it has two storeys and most ferret owners use the top storey as bed area with blankets hammocks etc. and the lower storey as poop area with food bowls and water etc.
Also I have two smaller cages one with two hob kits in and one with a lone hob that I am waiting for his princess to arrive next week 
It's down to how much you want to do for them, the biggest area you have for them and how much "out time" they can have with you each day.

Some people just stick them in a hutch in the garden and clean them out when they smell, I personally don't think this is any life for them?! 

Do a google for ferret cages, ferret nation is a good one I believe, also www.merciaferretwelfare.co.uk is a great ferret site for anything ferret related


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## Meko (Apr 29, 2007)

Fixx said:


> You don't want a ferret Sharpman, you want European Polecats


 
even i want a polecat now..


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## daisyleo (Nov 23, 2006)

Gorgeous aren't they :flrt: I really can't take on anymore . . . .can I? :lol2:


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## Gerry4292 (Apr 25, 2008)

Don't buy a ferret for gods sake,unless its one of my 4 week old babies :lol2:

They are addictive,they are really cute,and mine all live with 2 rotties,and a ridgeback x mastiff without any probs at all.The housing is as cheap or as you much as you can afford,mine all live in very large hutches.
They don't cost much to feed,love cuddles and playing,as well as being a good hunting partner for my hawk.If you need anymore reasons to get (sorry) not get one,just look at my babies on the ferret kits and rat pups thread i put up.The pics should put you off for life (NOT).:lol2:
atb,
Gerry.


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## Gerry4292 (Apr 25, 2008)

Fixx said:


> You don't want a ferret Sharpman, you want European Polecats


Stunning,
3 q's.
How much,
Where from,
Anymore.:flrt::flrt::flrt::flrt:


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## Fuzzball (May 16, 2007)

I have 2 parson (jack) russells, neither were bought up with ferrets as I took them on as adults and both are absolutely fine with the ferrets. My female mothers them and the male is scared of them but would never harm them.

Mine live outdoors in a cattery as I can provide more space outdoors then I can indoors. They have lots of toys to keep them amused during the day and get the evening to run around indoors. Ferrets are most active first thing in the morning and in the evening, they tend to sleep alot during the day.

They need access to dry food all the time, and I feed meat at least once, mostly twice a day.

I dont recommend 'pet shop' ferrets though, rescue or private breeder would be best (from my own experiences)


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## glidergirl (Nov 27, 2006)

We have 3 left, 2 males and a female they're £65 each :2thumb:. All have been handled and are friendly. Oooh, and with reference to the above post, these are NOT pet shop poleys, these are privately bred, they're not in the shop, BUT when people collect they collect from the shop


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## browner93 (Dec 17, 2007)

ferrets are amazing pets i have two and they do not smell any more cuz they have been done. i have to dogs who get along with them fine 2 german shepherds and 2 ferrets hmmm they are fine they love human contact you can not rili just keep them in a hutch but they are grate pets

but... dont get any!!!!:lol2:

Josh


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## browner93 (Dec 17, 2007)

ferrets are amazing pets i have two and they do not smell any more cuz they have been done. i have to dogs who get along with them fine 2 german shepherds and 2 ferrets hmmm they are fine they love human contact you can not rili just keep them in a hutch but they are grate pets

but... dont get any!!!!:lol2:

Josh


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## ferretmuppet (Jul 20, 2008)

European polecats should not be kept as pets, they are a wild animal

anyone who tells you they have a 100% pure wild polecat AND its tame is telling you a fib, you can call any wildlife expert who knows his stuff and he will tell you the same

I have helped to cut the claws and health check a 1 year old hand reared polecat and he is wicked, he was too tame for release so was kept at a wildlife centre and he is savage, he lives with ferrets and he is not the darkest colour i have ever seen 

this is a hybrid- 

1st as a kit- (notice no claws on her right paw- she was inbred just to get her colour and sadly died aged 8 months old)










2nd as an adult ( the top ones sister in her winter coat, they get a light area round their dark mask when its winter)










she sometimes forgets she should be a ferret and bites, but is as dark as any polecat, as wild polecats are not always black and contrary to popular rumours they dont work any better 

the thing with dark ferrets is people want them for showing :no1:


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## Fixx (May 6, 2006)

ferretmuppet said:


> European polecats should not be kept as pets, they are a wild animal
> 
> anyone who tells you they have a 100% pure wild polecat AND its tame is telling you a fib, you can call any wildlife expert who knows his stuff and he will tell you the same


We don't tell fibs, and neither does the owner and curator of a local zoo, both of us have tame, pure bred European Polecats, brothers in fact. Fidget, our male, is harness trained and regularly accompanies us when we walk the dog, he is extremely human orientated and can be as playful or cuddly as any ferret. 

As for they should not be kept as pets, why not? We also have five _Mephitis mephitis_, striped skunks, they live in the house as house pets...could they also not be classed as 'wild animals'?


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## lisa almond (Jul 17, 2008)

dont get one they smell yes and the cats and dogs would love it :mf_dribble:


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## ferretmuppet (Jul 20, 2008)

really, well any responsible zoo wouldnt advocate a per polecat imho

i dont suppose you breed either do you


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## glidergirl (Nov 27, 2006)

See, the thing is ALL animals that are in captivity were wild animals at some stage!! When animals breed in captivity the young become more tame down the generations, these ARE 100% Euro polecats and they are also tame! Also ... we never said they were wild! These came from captive bred parents!! :bash: 

These are NOT hybrids, they're NOT bred for showing and they're NOT used for working, they're pets.


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## Fixx (May 6, 2006)

Per polecat?

No, we don't breed them....yet. 

And if you think wild animals shouldn't be kept as pets?....Then I think you have come to the wrong forum :lol2:


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## ferretmuppet (Jul 20, 2008)

its a shame such practices are allowed, i find it appauling, are there not enough pets for you that you need to breed wild animals

dogs descended from wolves but i dont see you with a house full of wolves 

i am on the wrong forum, its a haven for people who want trophy pets


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## Esarosa (Jul 13, 2007)

ferretmuppet said:


> dogs descended from wolves but i dont see you with a house full of wolves
> 
> i am on the wrong forum, its a haven for people who want trophy pets


On the wolf front you would require a DWA License to keep them as pets. So no the majority of people don't have them, although some private keepers do keep them.

As for trophy pets, how are they trophy pets? Just because some people on this forum keep animals aside from domestic cats or dogs does not mean they have got them as a status symbol.


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## ferretmuppet (Jul 20, 2008)

so why keep a wild animal who should be roaming free? 

selfishness thats the only reason

a true wild polecat does not want to be sat in somones fromt room or used as a kit machine


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## Fixx (May 6, 2006)

ferretmuppet said:


> its a shame such practices are allowed, i find it appauling, are there not enough pets for you that you need to breed wild animals
> 
> dogs descended from wolves but i dont see you with a house full of wolves
> 
> i am on the wrong forum, its a haven for people who want trophy pets


I have a dog and wooluffs are just big mangy dogs and hold no appeal to me but there's a bloke up the road with some.

Fidget and the two young females in this thread are not wild animals, they were captive bred. If I were to release Fidget into the wild, apart from me breaking the Wildlife and Countryside Act, he'd either starve to death or run up to the nearest human in the hope of getting fed and having a cuddle.



ferretmuppet said:


> so why keep a wild animal who should be roaming free?
> 
> selfishness thats the only reason
> 
> a true wild polecat does not want to be sat in somones fromt room or used as a kit machine


None of our polecats are true wild polecats, they are pure blood polecats but they are not wild, they were born in captivity and I can assure you that Fidget likes nothing better than being in the living room, or anywhere else he is, especially as he loves human company. A wild or tame polecat jill needs to be bred in order to stimulate ovulation, without doing so will put her health, possibly life in jeapordy, so in a way nature has made them a 'kit machine'.


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## ferretmuppet (Jul 20, 2008)

Fixx said:


> I have a dog and wooluffs are just big mangy dogs and hold no appeal to me but there's a bloke up the road with some.
> 
> Fidget and the two young females in this thread are not wild animals, they were captive bred. If I were to release Fidget into the wild, apart from me breaking the Wildlife and Countryside Act, he'd either starve to death or run up to the nearest human in the hope of getting fed and having a cuddle.


 but if the person who bred the polecat captivley hadnt done so you wouldnt have a captive bred polecat : victory:


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## Fixx (May 6, 2006)

ferretmuppet said:


> but if the person who bred the polecat captivley hadnt done so you wouldnt have a captive bred polecat : victory:


And you wouldn't have ferrets : victory:


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## Marinam2 (Sep 4, 2007)

Where do you think ferrets came from???????????

DUH!!!!!


Marina


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## ferretmuppet (Jul 20, 2008)

DERRRRRRRthis is not an argument for this forum

do your homework on ferrets then come back with an answer

breeding wild polec at back into the lines is reversing all the out breeding so you could have a PET ferret

i bet you guys would love a mink or a weasle to breed from too :flrt:


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## glidergirl (Nov 27, 2006)

They're not wild animals!!! They're captive bred as are their parents!!!! They're also NOT trophy pets, heck if I wanted a trophy pet I'd have something a little more spectacular than a polecat (no offence to polecat keepers). 

Why would we want a mink or weasel? I don't, but at the end of the day, what business is it of yours what we keep or breed? 

Do you have pets?


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## ferretmuppet (Jul 20, 2008)

glidergirl said:


> They're not wild animals!!! They're captive bred as are their parents!!!! They're also NOT trophy pets, heck if I wanted a trophy pet I'd have something a little more spectacular than a polecat (no offence to polecat keepers).
> 
> Why would we want a mink or weasel? I don't, but at the end of the day, what business is it of yours what we keep or breed?
> 
> Do you have pets?


yeah i have pets - rescue ferrets, rescue hybrids, rescue dogs, cockatiels & fish

Its not my business but i thought this was a forum for discussions :Na_Na_Na_Na: :snake:


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## Fixx (May 6, 2006)

ferretmuppet said:


> DERRRRRRRthis is not an argument for this forum
> 
> do your homework on ferrets then come back with an answer
> 
> ...


Yeah, it hasn't been proven that ferrets descended from European Polecats, ferrets are supposed to have been around since at least the Egyptian Pharoahs..yada yada yada...

I don't want a pet ferret though and I'm not breeding Polecats to ferrets so I am not reversing anything, I'll be breeding pure polecat to pure polecat to give me pure polecat kits.

You can keep the Mink, but if you know anywhere I can get captive bred, legal, Weasels, Stoats, Pine Martins etc. from please let me know, I'm also on the lookout for Pygmy skunks as well. 

Oh and I'd need more than one Mink or Weasle to breed from...birds and the bees and all that


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## ferretmuppet (Jul 20, 2008)

yeah i know where there is a few pet weasles, over my dead body would i let a breeder get his paws on them :lol2:


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## stoaty (Jul 21, 2008)

Hello all. My first post on this forum and what a way to kick it off. I hang my head in shame, I am the breeder of the poles. :blush:
I can assure you that they aint ferrets. If you know ferrets then 30secs in their company will tell you this more than me going on for a week. They are livelier, quicker, more alert and boy are they harder to tame. I have had ferrets for over a dozen years but dont consider I know it all. I was offered the chance to look after the parents of the babes on here and i had heard all the tales and thought 'no way'. They are nasty, agressive, need to housed seperately and will never get on with me. Well how long can u b??? It took alot more than the usual handling to calm them down and even then the female can be a little bit stroppy. Saying that when she was with the kits I only got a couple of friendly little stay back nips. My friend stuck his hand in and wished he hadnt.


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## ferretmuppet (Jul 20, 2008)

:whistling2:i dunno how long can u be, you have hybrids, not polecats


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## loulou (Jan 18, 2006)

:lol2: @ ferretmuppet I wish I could tell what an animal is by my psychic abilities like you

have a nice day :bash:


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## glidergirl (Nov 27, 2006)

I think ferretMUPPET says it all! :lol2:

They're NOT hybrids, they're pure, like it or lump it they're pure, they're in captivity, we never put them here they were already here! Because they're in captivity and CAN'T be released it's OUR duty to care for them ... or maybe you are of the opinon 'better dead than bred'? Or maybe you think we should release the captive bred animals in to the wild?? Don't worry Ray, we'll find some stoats and weasels for you.


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## Ssthisto (Aug 31, 2006)

ferretmuppet said:


> yeah i know where there is a few pet weasles, over my dead body would i let a breeder get his paws on them :lol2:


So.... it's OK to keep a pet weasel (even a female that will DIE of anaemia if not bred when in season) on its own, but it's not OK to breed them?

That, pardon my bluntness, is stupid. Why not perpetuate the animals in captivity? If one person makes a suitable weasel owner, how can you say someone who might breed them and find other suitable owners isn't one?

I believe it was Fidget we met when we went to Shropshire Exotics weekend before last - and he was GORGEOUS. Friendly to complete strangers, and very definitely NOT a ferret in any way, shape or form. I kept ferrets when I lived in the States and my mum and I rescued a couple from bad conditions as well; the polecat we met, although similar, was definitely not the same thing. 

Ferretmuppet, I think jumping on the "better dead than in captivity" wagon is probably a bad move for you... you do realise that refers to domestic animals too? Yes, things like a WILD-CAUGHT polecat are wild animals. But the legal definition of "Wild" as per DEFRA and Natural England is:

"Has ever lived in the wild".

Fidget is a house pet. He's been a house pet all his life. He was born in captivity... he has NEVER lived in the wild. He's not a WILD animal. He may not be a DOMESTICATED animal, but he's not a wild animal either. He's an "Exotic" pet - the same as a hamster, budgie, tortoise, snake, lizard, frog, salamander or tarantula.

Oh, and if I wanted a "trophy" mustelid pet... gotta be a Giant Otter.

No plans there, though... I want a Genet and/or a Gambian Pouched Rat. Not until our cats pass on, though - may that be another decade away.


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## glidergirl (Nov 27, 2006)

You came to SE Ssthisto? Hmmmmm, I would've been there too ... I think I remember an American coming to the shop, but I have slept since then! :blush:


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## loulou (Jan 18, 2006)

Fidget thanks you :lol2:

ohhhhhhh would you be the person talking to Mike while he was spoiling fidget and letting him cause havoc


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## Ssthisto (Aug 31, 2006)

glidergirl said:


> You came to SE Ssthisto? Hmmmmm, I would've been there too ... I think I remember an American coming to the shop, but I have slept since then! :blush:


Yup, I've been twice now. First time is while the Egyptian Cobra was shedding, a couple of months back, with my partner (bearded guy) and his sister. I'm never very good with faces, so even if I've seen a photo of you at some point I don't think I'd have recognised you from it  

This time though I was with my partner and two of his sisters, both of whom appreciate the fuzzy things much more than the scaly ones. I just wish they hadn't missed noticing a little chocolate skunky-nose sticking out from under the shelves!

First time I've seen a skunk since hiking in the mountains in New Mexico and having to walk very slowly down a canyon to get back because there was a skunk in front of us and we didn't want to scare him into spraying. That one, for some reason, looked a lot bigger than whoever-it-was under the furnishings.



loulou said:


> Fidget thanks you
> 
> ohhhhhhh would you be the person talking to Mike while he was spoiling fidget and letting him cause havoc


We could well have been, LouLou... and thank you for giving me Mike's name  Yeah, I was chatting to him about the Radiated ratsnakes and fussing Fidget. I do rather miss having ferret-like critters around the house, although I really do have my heart set on a genet if I'm going to get an exotic carnivore.


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## glidergirl (Nov 27, 2006)

Toby is the chocolate skunk, he's such a sweetheart! :flrt:

Mike's the one that talks for England, I think half the time people only buy something to shut him up! :lol2:.


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## Ssthisto (Aug 31, 2006)

Toby did seem like a sweetie, even if we were total strangers and thus to be reasonably cautiously regarded. If we hadn't had a fairly solid time limit, I'd have sat down on the floor to have a proper chat with him, too. Maybe someday we'll have a car and can drive ourselves there - so that we're the only ones we have to be accountable to for time.

And as for talking, I'm a bad customer. We don't buy stuff to shut people up, we go to buy stuff because we want to talk to people  Talking to good shop owners and workers gives us a good perspective on what, if we ever did open up a shop, we'd need to be doing, keeping in mind and how to get started. In my ever-flexible method of rating shops, "willingness of staff/owners to have a chat or show me interesting things when it does not interfere with business" is a pretty important thing.


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## Emmaj (Dec 3, 2007)

ferretmuppet said:


> its a shame such practices are allowed, i find it appauling, are there not enough pets for you that you need to breed wild animals
> 
> dogs descended from wolves but i dont see you with a house full of wolves
> 
> i am on the wrong forum, its a haven for people who want trophy pets


Hmmm did you know that the wild animals that are bred and kept in captivity actually live longer than those in the wild :whistling2:

so i think thats one good reason for breeding wild animals in captivity 

Also we dont all have certain animals for trophy pets some of us have them because we love animals 

Oh and i keep getting told i have a pack of wolves as alot of people mistake 3 of my dogs for wolves and 1 as a fox :lol2:


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