Why a ferret could be your next perfect pet – In Your Area

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Forget cats and dogs, Danielle Sherratt loves her ferrets, believing them to be the perfect pet
FLUFFY FRIEND: Danielle Sherratt has been a ferret owner for 14 years and is completely besotted with them
As the cost of living bites, many people are having to make the heart-breaking decision to give up their cherished pets.
But don’t assume it’s just cats and dogs that are being left homeless – recently the RSPCA sent out an appeal as part of its Adoptober campaign for people to take on pre-loved ferrets. And if you thought ferrets were far from the ideal pet, being sneaky, unpredictable, mischievous and smelly, think again.
Danielle Sherratt, a 24-year-old proud ferret owner of 14 years standing from Stoke-on-Trent, tells us why this fuzzy little creature should be your next four-legged companion. “I remember my first ferret was called Whitney (Whitney the witty ferret – I thought it was clever at age 10),” she recalls. “I grew up on a farm and it was common that I would visit auctions with my dad – and that’s where I met Whitney.”
Danielle describes first setting eyes on the little white albino ferret. “She was curled up, looking scared,” she said. “She looked at me curiously and I could see that all she wanted was a home where she would feel loved.”
Almost straight away the pair formed an unbreakable bond, with Danielle learning the responsibilities of owning a pet and understanding how to keep Whitney happy, healthy and safe. “Most important of all, I gained a friend,” she said.
As she got to know her new friend, Danielle was learning about ferrets’ behaviour, particularly ‘dooking’.
“When a ferret is happy, they do this thing called dooking,” she explained. “They jump chaotically, making this “eeking” noise. Their tails can also spike up like a toilet brush to show their excitement and every time we played together, Whitney did just that.”
As time went by, Danielle bought books about ferrets and spoke to other ferret owners, researching their needs. “Their health, dietary requirements and mannerisms all form a part of important aspects to maintain a happy, healthy ferret,” she said.
*Danielle’s five reasons to have a pet ferret
You can form a bond with ferrets. They are very clever mammals and have been known to also be used as therapy pets
Funny – Ferrets are very playful and love to dook around
Can be trained- A lot like dogs and cats, they can be litter trained and also be trained to do tricks
Need to be more mainstream. Ferrets aren’t a commonly known pet but that makes them more exciting and "one of a kind" pet
Loyalty – with building a bond comes a lot of loyalty. Ferrets are known to come to their name and to also follow their owner around as they trust them.*
“I was absolutely heart broken when Whitney passed away. All of our happy memories remained, but I can honestly say the only bad experience was the utter heartache I felt as a young child after her passing.”
But losing Whitney didn’t put her off owning more ferrets, and at one point she even had four. Loki is another ferret with whom Danielle formed a strong bond. “I rescued Loki about seven years ago,” she said.
“When I first brought him home, he was skinny, scared and very young. After a lot of care, home-made remedies and research, I managed to build up Loki’s health, ensuring that he gained a healthier weight. Eventually he started dooking and playing around with my other ferret Dexy.”
As he became more confident and happy, Loki turned into a very well trained pet. “He would follow me everywhere I went, especially if he knew it was his teatime. He would never bite, not even strangers. Loki was a very relaxed ferret who enjoyed others’ company. His favourite thing would be to be picked up and cradled in someone’s arms until he fell asleep, ” she said.

And it wasn’t just Danielle who had a special relationship with Loki. The family sheepdog, Shadow, also formed a bond with him, allowing Loki to run all over him as he lazed around.
“He would also jump around with the ferrets and boop them with his paw,” she laughed. “Ferrets never fail to amaze me!” Danielle started following other ferret pages on social media, saying: “This way, I managed to connect with other ferrents (ferret parents) to hear their stories.
“I started following the stories of My name is Musky and Adventures with Bandit. Through this, I met Matty Giuliano – a retired animal cruelty officer at SPCA, New Jersey and also writer of My name is Musky,” she said.
“Matty describes ferrets as having the best characteristics of both a dog and a cat, in a much smaller form. When discussing the increased need for ferret foster homes, Matty explained “ferrets are nobody’s mascot and need to become more mainstream”.”
Danielle said Matty’s favourite quote from the film Braveheart, really resonated with her. “Every man dies, but not every man really lives”.
“In the same respect, all ferrets die but not all of them live their best life to its full potential,” she said. “So if you’re looking for a pet that will give you plenty of love, affection and form an unbreakable bond, I can’t recommend ferrets highly enough.”
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