Science / Brief : Ferrets Called ‘Mean, Vicious’
Even though ferrets are the latest fad in pets, they are “mean, vicious little animals” that attack infants without provocation and cannot be effectively vaccinated for rabies, animal and medical experts warn.
“Until an effective rabies vaccine is available and more data regarding ferret bites are collected, we believe that health professionals should support legislation restricting the sale of pet ferrets,” Dr. John Paisley and Dr. Brian Lauer wrote in the current issue of the Journal of the American Medical Assn.
The Anti-Cruelty Society concurred. “We don’t recommend people keep them as pets,” said Jane Alvaro, a society spokeswoman. “They are not trainable animals, they do have a horrible odor and it’s really not possible to housebreak them.”
Nevertheless, the popularity of pet ferrets is soaring, with an estimated 1 million now in homes and 50,000 sold annually. California, Georgia, New Hampshire, New York City and Washington, D.C., have prohibited the sale of ferrets as pets.
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