Legalize the Ferret

Outside of the normal pets that people have such as dogs and cats, there are many more animals that can be kept as pets. Obviously not the ones that should be illegal like alligators and lions, but instead much smaller, friendlier, domesticated animals. Ferrets are not legal in California or Hawaii, but are legal in every other state. Wouldn’t you want to have a chance to interact with some small, friendly animals?

According to Ferrets Are Fun: Why Aren't they Legalized in California? September 17, 2013, California has the largest known ferret population due to the fact that they are small, playful household pets and so far it doesn’t seem like they are causing any problems with the ecosystem nor with people, so why shouldn’t they be legalized in this state?

Ferret Characteristics

There are many exotic species that can legally be kept in this country and one of the most popular is the domesticated ferret because they make great pets!

To many, the domesticated ferret is a two-in-one animal. According to The American Ferret Association November 30, 2014, ferrets are like a combination of cats and dogs. They combine the small and quiet characteristics of cats and the playful and loving characteristics of a dog. Aside the personality characteristics, they are also very intelligent animals who can recognize their names, be taught tricks, can be litter trained, and are family friendly.

These little guys are very playful. Although they are only awake for about 4-6 hours a day, they spend their time being as playful as possible! They do a little dance called the Ferret War Dance when they’re excited. According to Gabrielle Martinez, December 3, 2014, “When I was roughly in elementary school, the ferret would run around in our apartment, just playfully playing with all of us. Me and my sisters were all little kids and it would just play with us, it wouldn't bite us.” From Gabrielle's personal experience with a ferret when she was younger, we can see that they are playful little creatures that get along with little kids and are family friendly.

No Threat if they Escape

Ferrets are not illegal because they are a dangerous creature that can terrorize a city and kill many, but instead because California Fish & Game Commission thinks that they might cause a drastic change in our ecosystem. If ferrets are to escape, they are not likely to survive, nor become a threat to people.

Due to thousands of years of domestication, ferrets have come to rely on people for food and shelter. According to the History of the Ferret December 2, 2014, the ferret was originally domesticated to hunt rabbits, rats, and other problematic animals that could possibly ruin crops. But soon they became companion animals due to their friendly nature and started losing their natural hunting instincts. However, they will manage to survive if they were taught to hunt while in captivity, but that is highly unlikely. According to Angelica Evangelista, December 1, 2014, when she found her ferret in her front yard, “It was very thin, its hair was falling off, and it had a syndrome where its back legs couldn’t move because it was malnourished.” “After bringing it back to health, I tried changing his food because I couldn’t find his original food anymore. The quick change made him stop eating, and I had to mix his new food with the old food to get him to eat it.” As we can see from Angelica’s personal experience, we can see that an escaped ferret is not likely to be able to hunt, and they are very picky eaters. Ferrets in the Wild December 1, 2014, states that ferrets have a short digestive tracts and must eat every few hours. If they are to escape, they will face other problems than just starvation and are not likely to survive.

According to Ferrets Are Fun: Why Aren't they Legalized in California? September 17, 2013, almost 99% of all ferrets are either neutered or spayed because having them fixed makes them calmer. If they are to escape, they will not be able to reproduce eliminating the probability of a feral ferret population from developing.

There is also a very common, legal, domesticated animal that has caused many more problems than a ferret. That animal being the common house cat! According to Feral Cats December 1, 2014, there are an estimated number of 30 to 40 million homeless cats living in the U.S., feral cats have contagious, feline only, diseases, such as herpes viral conjunctivitis, feline AIDS, leukemia, and infectious peritonitis, and free-roaming cats kill millions of birds and small mammals in the U.S. every year, including endangered species. Cats don’t even have to be feral to do this. They just have to be outside.

Comparing the domesticated ferret to the “domesticated” cat, does it really seem reasonable that we are able to keep cats but not ferrets? That we are able to keep an animal that has had a greater negative impact on the ecosystem? It’s a surprise cats are still legal pets!

Law Reformation

I understand that the laws are established for meaningful purposes, and that not everything can be changed at once. However I have a proposition, along with what many others think, as to how the law should be reformed: If one is to purchase a ferret, and they are not licensed to breed this species, it must be neutered or spayed; this will keep the ferret from reproducing if it escapes. The person must have an escape proof ferret cage, and the ferret has to have a microchip.

If the California Fish & Game Commission sees that ferrets will not harm the ecosystem and that people will be responsible of their pet, they may decide to legalize them. You can join the 3000 Club Member to help support and bring attention to this cause.

There are many domesticated animals that cause way more problems than ferrets. In the states where they are legal, there are hardly any reports of ferrets causing problems, so why shouldn’t they be legalized here?

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