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Ferrets and Children

© Pam McInnis

That time of year is rolling around again. The nights are crisp and chilly, and holiday lights twinkle across suburbia. We're digging holiday decorations out of the attic and thinking ahead to the celebration season.

As we begin planning parties, poring over recipes and gift shopping, we can't forget the little furballs who share our homes. With the holidays comes the joy of more visitors, and many of our houseguests may be toddlers or small children.

Ferret owners who have children have already been through the careful but wonderful process of helping their sons and daughters and their weasely friends learn to interact and share love and playtime without hurting each other. But as the busier season approaches us, it can be easy to forget that other youngsters may not have had the chance to interact with a ferret.

Whether you are integrating a new furball into your family, helping your child's new friend get to know your weasel, or preparing for a houseful of visitors, now is a good time to think about keeping your ferret and the children in your home safe.

My four-year-old niece often comes to visit my five ferrets. Her household has always included larger dogs, and these fur friends have provided her main exposure to four-legged companions. But the rough-and-tumble, "big hug" relationship she has with her golden retriever is quite different from the way a child should interact with a smaller animal, including a ferret. So the first few times she came over for "weasel play time," we had a bit of ground work to do.

Knowing Their Own Strength Children and ferrets are a lot alike in that neither always knows their own strength. Children may not understand that their small hands can hurt a little animal if they squeeze or hold on too tight. A ferret who is used to climbing up your leg or back doesn't know that the same behavior might frighten or hurt a child. And a mischievous weasel who occasionally nips at his ferret buddies in play may not understand that the same activity isn't appropriate for other kinds of playmates. Here are a few tips for letting children and your ferrets enjoy interacting without harming each other.

1. Do not let the child hold your ferret right away, but instead let them get to know each other first. Start interactions by letting the child pet the ferret while you hold it, and perhaps allowing her to give the ferret a treat.