Domesticated Ferret in Wild?

sadie06

Hello all,

I heard a distressing story today that I can't put out of my mind. A young girl I know well told me that she got a new pet a week ago (a ferret her mother got off Done Deal) but that it was now gone and she was very sad.

She said it bit her little sister on the leg the night before, so her mother put it on their front step and it ran away. She spent all night looking for it (in a large estate) but to no avail.

What are the chances of this poor little guy fending for himself? If he was bought recently I presume he was young also. It's such a cruel act, firstly to buy an animal you clearly know nothing about off some dope on Done Deal, and then to basically throw it way when you realise you have made a mistake. :mad:

ShaShaBear

I don't know much about ferrets but I do know that domesticated rats have zilch chance of fending on their own in the wild because it has been bred into them to expect their food and they do not have the same coping mechanisms or learned skills to ward off predators. They also don't know to be wary of any foods - I used to exercise my two in the garden during the Summer before I had my baby, and I had to fence off a pre-scouted area to make sure they couldn't eat anything that might make them sick!

But you are right, it's an awful shame that there are people so stupid and naive. And a ferret isn't exactly a go-to beginner pet, even bought from a reputable breeder!

doubter

Whilst my blood boils at this, a ferret is never domesticated fully. Given the fact that he/she has bitten, he/she was probably blooded and will know - or learn fast- how to hunt.Still, their natural prey are rats,mice, birds, hamsters, rabbits. Except for rats and mice, not really something they will find in an urban area. So, unless he adapts quickly to urban life-which i doubt - or finds his way into the country side, chances of survival are slim. :mad:

sadie06

Thanks for the replies. Just as I thought. It makes me sad.