Who was it who decided ferrets are so bad?? They feed dead ferrets to Buckbeak, turn Draco into one for punishment...What's the deal?? Is it something in the UK?

I will admit that when my 20 year old daughter brought home a baby ferret I said, "Ugh...a rat!", but it took about 2 days to turn me completely around! He's getting older now and not quite so active, but for the 1st 4-5 years he kept those living in my home in stitches! Ferrets are so adorable, lovable, and really amusing to watch and easy to care for that I can't imagine life without him! In fact, when my daughter left home a year after she got him she left him with me because she wasn't ready to take care of him on her own and I was so happy!!!

So, think twice, maybe do an internet search and read up about ferrets and let's stop picking on the poor little, lovable guys!!

My other pets are: A chocolate labrador named Duke who will be 9 this fall, and 2 cats, both queens, one is an all black, dsh, named Shadow who is 12, and her baby, a dlh tortie named, Dyna who is 11!

Mod Edit: I'm changing the title to something a bit more general. I don't think a thread solely about ferrets will generate much conversation. I'm also moving it to the JGAFL Forum.

I think ferrets are okay, but the only reason I don't really like them is that I don't like little animals that move unexpectedly such as Rats, mice, hamsters, gerbils, guinea pigs, squirrels, ferrets and anything else like that. It scares me to go near them, but I don't hate them. I think Ferrets a quite cute from far away.

I love dogs and cats. My aunt has a Cat (forgot what breed it was) and my dad used to have a Alsation police dog and lots of different types of birds and parrots. I have 15 fishes. They're 3 tiger fish, 1 rainbow shark and 11 other different tropical fish.

Cheers

Namra

I dont really have anything to say about ferrets. Sorry!

I have two dogs. One is a fox red lab named Razzy, she is a retriever/pointer and she is almost three. My other dog is Bailety and she is a yellow lab, she is a retriever and she is 11ish.

I also have three cats. My favorite cat is Kelly, she is a tuxedo cat and she is easily the mellowest cat I have ever seen. Patty is grey with orange streaks and she is scared easily. My last cat is Baby and she is gray and she is a stray we took in.

Other pets I have had but they died.

My dog Chip was a chocolate lab and she was around 13 when she died. Everytime we went on vacation she somehow got sick until she had a stroke and became paralyzed when we were on vacation a couple years ago. We had to put her to sleep and that is the only time I have ever seen every single person in my family crying at the same time.

We also used to have an iguana named Ziggy. He would always climb up our Christmas trees but I don't remember how he died.

Well I've never seen a ferret other than the wild ones down the road so I don't really have an opinion on them.

At the moment I have one dog (and she's currently sleeping on my lap). She's a Shih Tzu, which is a really small Chinese breed of dog and her name is Hannah. She's also the runt of her litter and the only reason we got her is because she was too small to be a show dog like her siblings. She's a really good tempered dog and hardly barks at all like many small breeds. She 2 at the moment and she's a lot smaller than other dogs in her breed. She's really cute, but that's just my opinion. This is her, sleeping as usual.

I had another dog a few years ago named Scooter. He was a mixed breed, a Heinz 57 as we say. My parents got him before I was born and he died at the long age of around 17 when I was 8 or 9 years old. My parents didn't know his exact age because they got him from the dog pound. He had been abused and we think he used to get beat with newspapers because he was never able to be around them. He'd jump and run away.

As you can see, I'm a dog person.

--x Lauren

I've actually never seen a ferret besides Malfoy, so I don't really have an opinion on them, but I'd imagine, since they were able to train one for HP, they're not bad.

Right now I have a golden retriever dog named Cookie. She has a bad habit of running away, and no car sense. It's also embarassing to run though the neighborhood shouting "Cookie! Cookie!" She has arthritis and limes disease, and yet she still won't swim, but wades in mud and steals food off the counter. She also barkes. And barks. And barks some more. She is 11 years old. (people years)

I have a turtle named Mr. Turtle, who is about 2 inches long. He loves to swim in the kiddie pool we have, and he loves to eat.

I also have a cat named Nan. She is both outdoors and indoors, so she goes outside, eats a couplke mice and snakes, (sometimes frogs or rabbits) then comes in and acts all innocent. Oh, and several times I have found her with her paws in the pool where the turtle is. If she wants to go out at 3:00 in the morning, she comes into my room and howls.Her food is in the basement, but to save a trip down the stairs, she howls until I go down the stairs to make sure she has enough food, which she usually does have enough for about 3 bites. Then she comes up, and howls to go outside. She has also used up about 19 of her 9 lives. She has had: a thorn in her eye, a tear in her ear, a huge bite on her foot, a tooth pulled out, etc.

Okay, I have been talking long enough. Bye!

I have two cats myself. Minnie and Skittles. But I love all animals. Including cute little ferrets. Minnie is the youngest and is part Maine Coon. At least I think she is. Skittles is my baby. I've had her since she was two weeks old. She is such a sook. But she'll hide when someone comes into the house though. Minnie does the same thing. But when the company leaves, then they come out of hiding. Most times they're under my blankets in my room. They feel safe there. But I've had dogs, mouse, hamsters, fish. Let's just say that I've had my share of critters.

I'm going to rain on everyone's parade. I don't have any pets and I don't think I ever will. I think some animals are the cutest things and I certainly agree that they shouldn't be abused but I have no want or need of them in my home. Sometimes I get upset when I see the commercials on T.V. about saving the dogs, cats, etc when there are children in our own countries who need saving. Sometimes I think really hard about what others find so appealing in animals and whether or not I could live with one- I always come to the same answer.

Does anyone else share these sentiments?

I love animals As for ferrets I've never seen one, but the one in that Jeniffer Aniston film... what's it called.. Along Came Polly! The one in that was so cute and after seeing that I always thought better of them.

I myself have two cats. We've always had cats as a family. When I was born we already had two cats, Herbie and Sassy. Herbie was a tabby cat and when he was older he was so fat and cuddly! Sassy was a tortoiseshell and really pretty. Sadly Sassy died when I was about two =[ She got her collar caught around a branch and... yeah... after that we've never given our cats collars.
So for a while then it was only Herbie.
When Herbie died about 9 or so years ago (he was very old and very ill bless him =[) we got two more cats, called Chip and Dale. Their mother was a tortoiseshell and it's quite funny because Dale got the ginger and white part of his mother and Chip got the black and white. It was almost as if their mum had just shared her colours between them!
We moved house almost 3 years ago and shortly after we moved Dale dissapeared We moved to a place near a lot of fields so we think it's likely he was killed by a fox or a badger or some other kind of animal. Anyway so we still have chip and not long after we lost Dale we got the most annoying, most playful, most stupid cat in the world who I love with all my heart! His name's Oswald and he's the spitting image of the Felix cat!

So yeah, we're defnitely a huge cat family. Other than cats we've only ever had fish as other pets.

Kelly
x

I used to volunteer at a pet store around 5 years ago. Anyway, I'd always walk around with one of the ferrets in my pocket (if they were little enough) or on my shoulder. I asked my dad about buying them, but he said no . I loved those ferrets.

I used to have a Rabbit named Oreo, but unfortunately he got sick and had to be put to sleep...

However, I've just gotten a puppy. I named him Midnight (after the Allman Brothers Band song Midnight Rider haha). He's a mutt.. a mix between a poodle and a golden retriever. Though, he's all black he looks mainly like a retriever. And he certainly has they're personality haha. I love my puppy, he's actually asleep on my bed right now . He's about 7 or 8 months old now. He really is very smart, we've only had one session with a professional trainer and I've already taught him to sit, lay down, shake hands, stay, come, all the fun stuff .

I love animals - studying to become a Veterinary Technician!

I personally don't have any problems with ferrets - my 7th grade Biology teacher used to keep two in his classroom. They escaped into the hallway once. We had to chase them down before the class ended.

I currently have four dogs at the moment.
- Cocker Spaniel named Lucy
- Maltese/Bichon named Emily
- Rat Terrier named Precious
- Mastiff/Retriever/Collie mix named Sage

In my life I've had over 10 dogs, 3 cats, 2 hamsters, 1 bird, and many goldfish.

I have a Chinchilla named Turk. I call him Turkey. We have 2 faimly dogs in the house, but I don't like dogs. A rottweiler(sp?) and a puggle(pug-beagle mix)
I have a cat named Jonas that I share with my sister. But, the chinchilla is mine. He's my best-bud

I also have a fish named Nick. A blue betta fish, actually. But, that's all I have. I wish I had a bird though. I've always wanted a bird. But, anyways, I'm getting into a whole different discussion. That's the pets I have.

Hello, what a sweet idea for a topic
~
Mysticnovelist ~
Four dog's and training
to be a veterinary technician?
That is great!
~
We have two doggies,
their name's are Scabbers & Draco
And a kitty named Smokey
(We got her before harry potter
came along). They are the most lovliest
wee thing's
~
Have nice day's everyone,
and remember to be carefull of mutinous carpet's stealing all of you're marmalade.
Peace xoxo

In reply to the original poster, Jo actually likes ferrets. I remember reading somewhere on her website that she grew up with them and is fond of them. So she wasn't villifying them.
Personally ferrets aren't my favourite since they are cheeky wee things that can be incredibly dangerous to my favourite animals. I worked with ferrets at the SSPCA and they can be really sweet wee things though.
Personally I love rabbits and have long experience keeping them. I've had up to 10 at one time and really love them.
When you really care for a rabbit you see that it isn't just a fluffy wee thing that sits in a hutch all day long. They have personalities and can make wonderful friends if you treat them right. One of my bunnies used to come in and eat breakfast with me every Saturday morning. They only bite and scratch if provoked and be warned! when they get angry they get very angry.
Contrary to popular belief rabbits are not childrens pets. They have complex needs and cannot be left in a hutch at the bottom of the garden all day long.

I love all animals and have kept injured pidgeons and frogs before with my sister who trained as a vet nurse. I'd give a home to any animal in need so long as I have the means to look after it.

I love animals. I'm not crazy about them, in the way of feeding them with everything you have in your hand, or letting them to sleep with me or anything like that; I respect them and I understand they are animals and they don't have the same needs as humans.
When my sister and I were younger, my dad didn't want dogs because he wasn't fond of them and he had never had one, so we've had budgies, lots of fishes, a hamster (who died, my dear ) and two turtles, but not all at the same time. I think my first pet was a turtle, called Manuelita (because of a popular tale here; every kid name his turtle Manuelita ), but she ran escaped and we believe our neighbours stole it. Then I've had orange fishes in a tank in the backyard, but they were dying, and then my grandmother got us a fish tank and since then we've had fishes, currently we have two of them. My other grandmother got us two budgies, but my mom felt pity for them, because she didn't like to see them locked in a cage. I don't remember whether one of died and my mom released the other one or they flew away; I don't know. They were called, I think, like my cousin and me, because we were the elder grandaughters Then one of my granmodm's got me a hamster, but it wasn't a cub so it was pretty ... vicious and bit my finger. He died in winter we still don't know why, but it's a funny story.
And finally, one day, we got a dog! She's a street-breed called Milú, and now like 6 years old. I don't have any patient with her and that sometimes makes me feel guilty, but she's a complete rebel and gets me mad!
A while later, we got a Yorkshire and we named her Lulu, tell me if she's not a cuty! She's like 3 years old now, but looks like a puppy.

When I was a kid, I wanted to be a vet! And my grandmom liked the idea because the university is in their town, so I'll have to live there. And now, not so long ago, when I still wasn't sure about my career, I considered it, but --- I wouldn't do surgery to anybody or anything, so I forgot it!

Recently we had to put down our yellow lab and one of our cats. However, as soon as we got home from our vacation in Hawaii my parents took off for Minnesota (leaving me home alone, fresh off getting my license ... bad move haha) to go pick up a black lab pup. We named her Roxanne and she is a purebred... with a really good pedigree about 4 show dogs and 4 competition hunting dogs in her line. She is simply adorable! However, she is a puppy and a big trouble maker... within the last 5 minutes I've had to pull socks, a mini contact solution bottle, a gum wrapper, and a pen out of her mouth

I have a puppy named Daisy. She is a white Maltese/Poodle. She is really smart and barley ever barks. I had fish before i got her and they were in my brothers room so he was supposed to feed them but he never remembered so the fish started to die. My goldfish started to eat the other ones because it was the biggest one then it got eaten. It was really disgusting that the fish were eating each other. As you can tell my brother isn't all that responsible.

I have a cat named Leia. She's a joy to have around the house. Very playful and she listens and looks me straight in the eye when I tell her something. I also have a dog named Adrian who is due to have puppies by August 16. My animals are my children for the time being.

i have a dog named sadie who is a security dog.
so don't come knocking on my door, that wouldn't be the wisest thing to do.i also have a very playful kitten named lybica we call her lybi though. it is said libby. we also have a very fat cat named Keesh/keeshie because she looks like the weird food keesh, which I don't even know what that looks like. We have like 50 fish in our huge pond in out huge backyard. we have frogs in out huge pond in our huge backyard.

I have one European Shorthair kitten... Her name's Sugar... because she's sweet
She looks just like this... sorry couldn't find another precise pic...
She's veeeery playful and reeeally cute I love her fur the most, it's really soft and fluffy

Oh, and we have 4 goldfish but they're well away from the kitten so it's okay.

I have a dog. She's a mutt. We got her from a dog shelter almost 10 years ago. She had been picked up off the side of the road where somebody had dumped her. I totally fell for her when I saw her at the shelter. I just told my parents, that one, and we all agreed. She's really sweet and fun, despite her age. She does a great deal of lounging around, but likes to play ball outside. The only problem we have with her is that she will wander away if nobody watches her and she doesn't have any sense about cars. I love her though! She's my little sweet!

I did have a duck at one point, but that's a long story. And over the years we've temporarily taken in a bunch of animals; like we found a baby bunny recently which I named Lawrence (Laurie). His mother had left and I didn't want to leave him out to die, so I took care of him for a few days. I fed him, and tried as hard as I could, but apparently, bunnies just have trouble living without their mothers and he didn't make it. I wasn't going to keep him forever, just until he was old enough to take care of himself. But he was a sweet little thing. He didn't even have his eyes open. So I don't consider him a pet, just a temporary edition to the family.

Yes, I have two lovely dogs! One girl, she's called Nusi (pronounced like Nushy) and a boy, Rekkó (like Recko) Rekkó is the younger, he's three years old, he was previously our neighbour's dog, but they become such a good friends with Nusi, that he remained here.
Well, I'm sure people could learn from their relationship, the best was that Nusi broke up with her previous friends, with those whom Rekkó didn't like!! Have you ever seen like that with people? I haven't, and this shows really their harmony anyway. I couldn't imagine my life without them

I've got a dog (basenji) named Ramses. He's the only pet I've got with me here, but back at my fathers house I've got a HUGE black cat named Osiris, a snake named Medusa (yeah, original, I know...) and a pretty little white bird. I don't know what breed the bird is, but it looks sort of like a tiny dove. It was my mothers, before she died, so it's like a memory personified.

I have two dachshunds (wiener dogs) Kady (Kay-Dee) and Cooper. They're very opposite but they get along. We got Kady from a breeder and Cooper from a shelter. Kady is very loud and pushy, while Cooper is more friendly and submissive. Details are sketchy about Cooper's old home, but he is afraid of guns and loud noises, so it's possible he saw one in action. He also doesn't like male children for reasons unknown. Kady is going to be 8 years old and Cooper is somewhere between 4-6 years.
It was kind of funny; a couple years ago, new people moved into the house next to my grandmother's, and they had a dog that looked just like Kady! Only he was a male. Due to their uncanny resemblance, we eventually brought out their papers, which revealed that they are brother and sister! Weird coincedences happen.
We also have two parakeets, Sprite and Kabob.

I have two pets. One is a little black Schnauzer. Her name is Sammie. She is such a crazy dog! The other pet is a kitty. We don't know what breed or how old she is. She found us. Her name is Mariko... It is pronounced just like it is spelled. I don't know where we got that name.

I had a budgie that lived for 8 years. Apparently they're only meant to live for 3 years, so I guess that's the equivalent of a human living till they're about 215 years old? Maybe he was secretly an animagus Loved him though shame when he died he was a part of the house. Kept him in my room till he started to smell and then decided to give him a diginified burial.
R.I.P Sammy

Aww poor sammy.

I have a dog and he is my life. I love him so much I don't think I'll be able to bear it when he dies. He is really tiny but not one of those handbag dogs he used to be really loud and bouncy but now he is just kinda loud and not so bouncy cause he is getting old. He is eight and he's meant to live until he is about 12 so he still has a few years left in him.

I have quiet a few pets...most I've rescued and I'm to attached and wary of others to give them away...I think it's best to just go down the list!

Shall we...

Mocha...Dog
Dasher...Dog

Skyler...Cat
Cali...Cat
Lily...Cat
Peanut...Cat
Munchkin...Cat
Smokey...Cat
Wobbles...Cat
Titi...Cat
Snickers...Cat
KitKat...Cat

Cleatus...Fish
Captain...Fish

Jaque...Shrimp

So there's the family...and NO I'm not a cat lover...I'm an animal lover. And like I said most of the family are rescues.

My cat, Zera, died a few years ago and I still miss him sooo much. Sometimes, I think I catch a glimpse of him running round the corner in the hall. The thing is that when he was alive I threatened to kill him, cook him and serve him as dinner every other day but when he died I was devastated...
As much as I love cats I will not get a new cat because I still want Zera and comparing would be unfair to any kitten.
So, now I have a pair of birds. I don't know the name in English but they are really cute. The make funny noises like squicking toys and they love to bathe!
Oh, I almost forgot Rudy. He was a golden retriever I used to have for a while but had to give him away because he insisted on licking Zera...which he found very disgusting!

I have quite alot of pets.

Three labradors, one of each colour. Their names are Cara, George and Daisy.
Two cats - Yumyum and Sookey.
Four horses - Eddy, Astana, Star and Oliver.
Two sheep - Blackie and Whitie (yes, yes. very orginal names! )

And, my beloved cat Koko died a few months ago. That was heart breaking