A wild ferret...?

[Gemma]

My coworker came in this morning telling me she found a ferret in her basement and her husband will take care of it. She never went up to it, so it could possibly be tame. She lives in queens, so maybe someone let it out loose due to possibly getting in trouble. I'm not sure, but they are illegal as she says in NY (I live in NJ).

She asked me if I want it.. do you think it is dangerous to try to capture and take care of a ferret that could be wild/untamed? Does anyone have any tips on how I can go about this?

I know they can be feisty.. or should I leave it to animal control? Being their illegal here, I'm worried about its fate.

 

[Airyn]

I thought ferrets were strictly domestic animals, so my guess would be that it escaped from it's owner. I'm not sure that I'd trust an animal that had been loose in Queens for god knows how long, but you may have different thresholds for such things. If you have your heart set on it, you could always meet him, keep your fingers and chins away from him and take him to the vet to get him checked out.

From what I found online, it looks like you can apply for a permit to own a ferret in NJ for about $10. I was surprised to see chins on that list as well. If you just wanted to get him somewhere safer, you could research no-kill shelters or ferret rescues in PA to drop him off at since they're legal over here.

Keep in mind that since he's a mammal, rabies is always a possibility, especially since his origin is unknown. That would be the worst case scenario, of course. Just something to be mindful of.

Good luck!

 

[Gemma]

Unfortunately her husband called in Animal Control.
But thank you. I know their legal with a permit in NJ, however in NY ferrets are completely illegal. So, I guess all I can do is hope the ferrets okay :/

 

[Spoof]

Probably a good thing, there's a high chance it could've been a mink. They are native to New York and look just like ferrets except dark brown. We've got them here too. Both are extremely unfriendly when cornered. )

 

[Airyn]

I've never seen a mink. THAT would be both fascinating and terrifying! *lol* Whatever he is, I hope the little guy ends up okay!

 

[Gemma]

A mink? *googles*

Oh yes, that definately can be mistaken for a ferret!

 

[Vyxxin]

While not as popular in NY or NJ...ranch mink look VERY much like ferrets. Especially the mutation colors such as sapphire and blue iris...so much so that we accidentally captured a local ranch escapee thinking it was the neighbors mischevious ferret! did not take long to figure out it was a ranch MINK, not a ferret...very very MEAN and it musked ALL over the place!

 

[CTChin]

That is what I was thinking...you would not be able to get near a wild mink without it growling and striking out when cornered. An escaped ferret would be a lot easier to handle.