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  Discussion on Ferrets in the Barnyard
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Member:
martina

Posted on Sunday, Jul 1, 2007 - 5:11 pm:

Just noticed a mom and 2 baby ferrets in our barnyard today. Someone must have decided that our farm was "perfect" for their pets. Now what do I do? The barn cats are afraid of them! I've never owned a ferret, so what am I in for? Should I try to trap them or can they live harmoniously with horses and donkeys (and cats)?
Member:
canter

Posted on Sunday, Jul 1, 2007 - 6:36 pm:

Tina,
My guess is that if these poor little guys are dumped/escaped pets, they don't have the skills to survive for long on their own unless you're willing to tolerate them and put food out for them. If you have hawks and owls, that may put an end to your problem as well. I don't know a whole lot about them but I did enquire once as to what they would be like as pets (so darn cute!) Once I found out that they are known to be escape artists, that put an end to wanting one. But I do know that they need to eat frequently and they are exceptionally clever critters so you may find them getting into the feeds you keep for your horses and other pets.

My advice is to try to trap them and either adopt them out or bring them over to your local humane society or nature center. Or, who knows? Run an ad in the Lost/Found Pet Section - someone may claim them if they did escape and are missed.
Member:
mrose

Posted on Sunday, Jul 1, 2007 - 7:24 pm:

We had pet ferrets for quite a few years, until they died of natural causes. The are natural clowns with a mischevious sense of humor. They have lots of energy and run around like crazy keeping very busy, then crash in a pile of fur and sleep. Our ferrets played with the cats and tormented the dog. They stole dog kibble and hid it under the sofa and living room chairs and anywhere else they could squeeze into. Although our ferrets were allowed to run around the house during "play time" we had to keep a close watch on them. They will try and dig under doors and low furniture. Our ferrets had a big cage that Lonnie built for them. It had two floors and a basement. Sleeping quarters were on the top with some old blanket material and a couple of ferret sized hammocks. The middle floor had their food and water and toys, and the bottom was a box filled with potting soil so they could dig to their hearts' content.

Although one once escaped and got outside, she came home on her own when we left a can of catfood out on the porch. We could see where she had dug under the roots of a tree for shelter from the snow, so her instincts were pretty good, but I doubt that she could have hunted and fed herself after being domestic animals for so long.

Ferrets can be very fierce hunters/fighters. Like a bulldog, they tend to hang on when they bite. I've read that people train them to hunt mice and other rodents. Ours were very sweet with our family and never bit anyone.

The ones in your barn could most probably live there if they had food and water; however I would think they'd be a lot happier as someone's pets.
Member:
tasia

Posted on Sunday, Jul 1, 2007 - 8:49 pm:

Tina:

You could call a local ferret rescue and they would probably help you trap them. That way, they won't come to harm in your barnyard and your cats lives can get back to normal. If they were someone's pets and they were dumped, the rescue will see to it they get a good home.
Member:
amara

Posted on Sunday, Jul 1, 2007 - 9:18 pm:

are you sure they are domestic ferrets and not small wild weasels that have moved in? we had a "ferret" show up in our barn many years ago... we called the ferret rescue and said they may look alike.. she had us put cat food out and water and a little blankie in a secluded area for his use if he wanted...we had several dogs, owls, hawks, coyotes, etc... we also had a MAJOR bad rat problem.. turned out he had moved in just for the easy meals.. he could get to the underground rat tunnels very easily..
he stuck around for a little while, occasionally stopping over to DrOp a rat carcass at our feet as an offering, and then once the rat population was cleaned out he packed up his suitcase and moved on.. (didnt take the blankie)..
you might have the same thing..
Member:
frances

Posted on Monday, Jul 2, 2007 - 4:10 am:

Yes, wild ferrets are great for decimating the rat population. I agree with Melissa that if you can be bothered to arrange a little place they can call home as long as they need it, it might be an excellent arrangement all round. (At the same time you could make enquiries as to whether anyone's lost a tame ferret, and keep an eye on their conditiion in case they're not proving to be successful hunters after all.)
Member:
paardex

Posted on Monday, Jul 2, 2007 - 6:55 am:

I had a friend with ferrets on her farm and they are everything Sara said. I loved them they got along well with all kinds of dogs cats etc. The only animals that got into trouble were[small] rabbits] and bantams or young chickens, they were considered prey/meal.
Have fun I am [almost] jealous!
Jos
Moderator:
DrO

Posted on Monday, Jul 2, 2007 - 9:39 am:

Hello All,
We have had ferrets all our lives, including barn ferrets that patrolled "their" barn at will but always returned to their cage to sleep.

They can be wonderfully playful beasts as household pets but they are not for everybody. At best mouthy with sharp teeth and slightly odorous even when descented some individuals will give you a sharp bite. The more you worry about getting bit the more likely you are to get bit and they may take to chasing such an individual just to bite them.

Reading the above there are different suggestions each of which has its strength and weaknesses but the one thing that needs to be considered is the rabies risk they represent. If you do decide to allow them the run of the yard and you have a significant rabies risk in your area, trap and vaccinate, then keep the vaccines up.
DrO
Member:
paardex

Posted on Monday, Jul 2, 2007 - 1:26 pm:

Wish I had seen someone chased by a ferret. I DID however see someone getting chased by the two turkeys he had rescued from Christmas dinner
Jos
Member:
martina

Posted on Monday, Jul 2, 2007 - 9:13 pm:

Thanks everyone for your suggestions! These could be weasels, but my first thought was "ferrets." The mother was not afraid of me, but she clearly wanted to keep the babies away from me. The babies were old enough to hiss and growl and not let me get close. As long as we can all live together harmoniously, I have no problem with them being here. We've adopted many feral cats, so there is plenty of shelter, field mice, and cat food around, so I'm pretty sure they'll be fine. I worry about destruction should they get into the barn (we had raccoons in the barn and what a mess that was!) But they are comical to watch and it's impossible not to laugh at their antics. Part of me hopes they decide to stay.
Member:
amara

Posted on Monday, Jul 2, 2007 - 9:25 pm:

never seen baby ferrets-or weasels!!
we thought ours was a ferret too at first... and maybe he was, but he sure acted wild...he'd come fairly close, but never let us pet him...

we did however, have absolutely no problem with him as far as him messing with any of our stuff... i think he had one purpose only for being at our barn, and that was rat killing.. he had access to all sorts of things that he could have damaged or carried off, but he never did... maybe "wally the weasel" (as we affectionately called him) was just one polite ferret (weasel?)
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