Ferrets - Outlawed in Parts of the Country

According to the American Pet Products Manufacturers Associated, about 500,000 people own 2 million ferrets across the country. In some states, it is illegal to own the furry critters and this post today is going to give you a glimpse inside the world of a ferret owner, and how far they are willing to go to own a ferret.

Ferrets are cousins of minks, badgers, and weasels. Currently they are banned in the following places: New York, Salt Lake City, the states of California, Hawaii, and Puerto Rico. If there are so many pet ferrets, why are they being banned? Lawmakers believe the animals are wild and to allow them to be domesticated would jeopardize other wildlife. Ferret owners and The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals oppose the bans and owners continue to fight the 1999 New York bans to this day.

An unidentified female currently owns 3 ferrets in New York and she is well aware that she is breaking the law. She worries not about getting a fine from the Health Department, but that her ferrets would be taken from her and put to sleep if they were discovered.

As most of you probably already know, ferrets are incredibly sneaky, and they are known for their sticky fingers. A common misconception about ferrets is their smell - most people believe ferrets are stinky. Most ferrets have their anal scent glands removed before they are sold and as long as owners wash the ferret's bedding, bathe their ferret, and clean the wax out of their ears, the smell will be kept to a minimum.

Bans throughout the country are slowly being lifted, but for many states, the laws remain unchanged. It is so bad in California, an underground ferret railroad was developed to help owners get back state checkpoints where checks by the Department of Fish and Game could result in the ferret being confiscated. Coming up on August 23, the annual Ferret Buckeye Bash will be held in Columbus, Ohio where ferrets can compete without prejudice against each other.