FTA "ferret activist"

giggity

Richard Gere have anything to do with this?

Farkin' tube rats.

The government should stay out of ferret business.

I was a libertarian until I saw that the libertarian candidate for State Treasurer was running on a ferret legalization platform.

First thought
[img]http://28.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lb6eykrZZU1qzaqc9o1_r1_500.jpg [ /imf]

No big lebowski?

Oh, what are you a farking park ranger now, Subby?

Why yes, I used to sell ferret supplies.

I love ferrets. They're like land otters. And adorable. One day, when I'm in a position to take care of a pet, I will obtain a pair of ferrets.

/Californian, so getting a kick
//Huh. Mimi Walters owes me a favor...

Ferrets are dangerous wild animals because (despite being domesticated for thousands of years and pretty much just dying immediately if they ever escape and being required by law to be sterilized for private owners) if even a single one got loose it could rapidly overtake the native wildlife and possibly wipe out agriculture in the state forever. This has never happened anywhere, ever. But you know, it could. Probably.

Cats and dogs, which are pretty much entirely unregulated, actually kill people, and breed in the wild in such prolific numbers that there are entire organizations dedicated to controlling their populations, are however still fine and represent no real concern to the native ecology or livestock.

AcneVulgaris: I was a libertarian until I saw that the libertarian candidate for State Treasurer was running on a ferret legalization platform.

Funny, I think the first libertarian candidate i ever voted for was running on a ferret legalization platform.

Endive Wombat: Well, from what I understand, they do not have to worry about them breeding...IIRC the females need to be fixed by a certain age (before they go into heat for the first time), because if they do not breed at that point, they die...can anyone back up what I am saying here?

I saw that in Jurrasic Park, it did not turn out well

Came for Craig Fergusson. Leaving with an ocelot down my trousers.

just reading the word ferret made me lift my feet up off the floor so my ankles wouldn't get bitten. friend had one, most annoying little pet ever. would steal remotes and hide them behind the tv., bite ankles, and feet and toes and just generally annoy the living sh*t out of everyone and everything.

but all that said, banning them is dumb.

I got stuck taking care of a ferret when my girlfriend at the time couldn't keep it at her place. I never screamed "Don't you dare back into that corner!" so much in my life.

Pants full of macaroni!!: [images2.fanpop.com image 236x246]

Approves.

Came for the Frank Burns reference. Leaving satisfied.

watson.t.hamster: Ferrets are dangerous wild animals because (despite being domesticated for thousands of years and pretty much just dying immediately if they ever escape and being required by law to be sterilized for private owners) if even a single one got loose it could rapidly overtake the native wildlife and possibly wipe out agriculture in the state forever. This has never happened anywhere, ever. But you know, it could. Probably.

Cats and dogs, which are pretty much entirely unregulated, actually kill people, and breed in the wild in such prolific numbers that there are entire organizations dedicated to controlling their populations, are however still fine and represent no real concern to the native ecology or livestock.

This. If mass numbers of stray ferrets really did start breeding uncontrollably (instead of dying pathetically as they usually do when left to their own devices), the worst thing that would happen is that thousands of people would discover their socks, mints, keychains, and other ferret-deemed treasures stolen and stashed in hidey-holes around their backyards.

Why would you want one of those? They don't do much. Might as well get a platypus.

Is that like putting squirrels down your pants for gambling reasons?

Magorn: Sybarite: [i522.photobucket.com image 500x332]

My son really wanted a pair of ferrets (apparently you are supposed to get two) but I always worried about how they'd interact with our already resident cat, specifically whether they would get classifed as "prey species" in her mental rolodex

I've heard of ferret owners adding a kitten to the mix, and most of the time it grows up to be absolutely terrified of the weasels.

I'm sure a lot of the outcome depends on the cat. But generally the ferrets dominate, even if the cat was the original pet.

Two Hearted


I got stuck taking care of a ferret when my girlfriend at the time couldn't keep it at her place. I never screamed "Don't you dare back into that corner!" so much in my life.


ha yeah, that reminds when we would finally find the remotes behind the tv the ferret would be back there as well and when you reached for the remote it would jump and snip at your hand but you could tell he was trying to play a game. the worst game ever. those things suck out loud.

Not a nice marmot after all.

There's your farking Lebowski reference.

Also, let's not forget - that keeping wildlife, an amphibious rodent, for uh, domestic, you know, within the city - that aint legal either.

busy chillin': just reading the word ferret made me lift my feet up off the floor so my ankles wouldn't get bitten. friend had one, most annoying little pet ever.

Must have been personal. My ferret was nice to everyone but my sister, and would always bite her feet. She was scared of him in the first place, so she'd always try to run away, and he'd get super excited because he got to play chase.

He'd jump on my feet or lick my toes if he wanted me to pay attention, but that was it.

Two Hearted: I got stuck taking care of a ferret when my girlfriend at the time couldn't keep it at her place. I never screamed "Don't you dare back into that corner!" so much in my life.

Triangular litter boxes.

The smell. Oh god, the smell. I don't know why anyone would want one of those stinkrats.

Nihilist: We'll cut off your johnson!
Nihilist #2: Just think about that, Lebowski.
Nihilist: Yeah, your wiggly penis, Lebowski.
Nihilist #3: Yeah and maybe we stomp on it and squoosh it, Lebowski.

precia



Must have been personal

hmmm, no this particular ferret sucked to everybody...snipped at everybody and everything, even his owner. just thinking about that little f*cker is making me jumpy.

FuturePastNow: The smell. Oh god, the smell. I don't know why anyone would want one of those stinkrats.

Yeah, I've noticed that.

Doesn't NYCity ban them, too?

We have 5 of the carpet sharks right now. At one point we had 14. Great pets, but as someone else said, they DO require a lot of attention.

not-so-CSB time: About 10 years ago I e-mailed the California Department of Fish and Game to ask why they had this ban in place. I did not tell them where I was located at, so I am guessing they thought I was a Californian.

I received a reply that said - in part - "There is a colony of feral ferrets located at Mirror Lake, Alaska. This colony was started by escaped domestic ferrets and have devastated the bird and small game populations in the area."

I wrote back and asked if they could tell me which side of Mirror Lake that was, since I drive past it EVERY DAY and would be very surprised if it was ferrets destroying the ecology and not the million dollar homes (each one with a float plane dock), the massive crowds of people that flock to the park each summer, or the constant presence of unrestrained/unsupervised dogs that run around the whole perimeter of the lake.

They never replied.

Ferrets are like cats. We domesticated them for rodent control activities. The issues are we went too far and now they're really domestic and helpless (except in a few rare cases where they managed to find a niche in the wild). They have shiat immune systems and also smell like ass.

I owned a couple in the past and love their nature, but I didn't really find them to be good housepets. I wish they were hardy enough to live as like a "barn ferret" because they'd be much cooler than the various semi-feral cats I've had on my property for rodent control.

/Note: I do not release cats to become feral. I am merely welcoming of them if they show up. Although they do get humane trapped and fixed as a term of hanging out in my barns.

Kuta: The government should stay out of ferret business.

eltejon: A marmot?

/Norv... I was simulposting, then fat fingered my submission. Otherwise this would not have been nearly as giggity sounding.

Maybe I liked it?

/giggity

Mixed feelings about this. Ferrets are great & absolutely no threat to California wildlife (no feral ferret populations anywhere in North America, can't interbreed with other species, etc. etc. etc.).

But ferrets are not for everybody, and if they're legal you can bet that even more people buy them & figure out they can't deal with the smell, the litter box habits, and all they other peculiarities & hand them over to ferret rescue groups. Problem is, those are overwhelmed today - even though ferrets aren't even legally for sale in the state.

Hate to say it, but the best thing for the ferrets is for them to stay 'illegal' - keeping the impulse pet buyers out of the mix - so that only serious devotees can have them. If California Fish & Game then chooses not to actively enforce (basically leaving the owners and rescue people alone), then it's win-win.