evans@mhuxt.UUCP (crandall) (03/21/85)
My wife and I have lived in a very small apt. (<500 sq. ft.) with a ferret for a few years now and don't have any real problems. Our main reason for going with a ferret was that they are small (easy to hide), quiet, and reasonably non-smelly (assuming you have a descented female). If you want one for an apt try going with a female. They're about 50% the size of a male and about half as destructive (eg - our ferret loves pushing books out of bookcases - a large male we know loves pushing over bookcases). Personality varies considerably from ones that won't nip even in hard play to "sinkers" that believe in humans with < 10 fingers. For further reading try a book by Wendy Winsted (I think its title is someting clever like "Ferrets"...). It is probably necessary to have the beast descented - a task that isn't cheap ($75 is almost a standard fee - probably most of it is hazardous duty money for the vet) and neutered (much cheaper on males than on females). Some pet stores will sell you pre-fixed animals. Unless you intend to breed a female GET HER FIXED - they can only be brought out of heat hormonally meaning little ferret bc pills or death afther a few months of heat. a NJ house-weaseler Steve Crandall ihnp4!mhuxt!evans