Ferrets and the Classroom

Because of the way I trained my ferrets, I do not have to be afraid of them biting anyone, and everyone who meets them seems to love them, so I love bringing them to meet people. My mother is a preschool teacher, and I was so excited when she said I could bring Lilly and Jake to her classroom a few years ago.

They were so good with the kids, even when they were excitedly screaming and reaching for the ferrets. Neither Lilly nor Jake bit any of them, they even licked the braver kids on their noses, gave them kisses and licked their arms, hands, legs or sniffed their ears happily. They were a great hit with all of the kids, with varying excitement as is usually the case with animals kids meet for the first time. I think only one kid, in my 3 years of bringing them into the school had ever seen a ferret before meeting Lilly and Jake, but I do know that all of them now have a fascination and better understanding of ferrets after seeing them.

Even though ferrets can be great to bring into a school for a visit, I think they should not be kept as a classroom pet. Ferrets need much more attention and time than can be given to them in a classroom, and they need to be taken out of their cage at least once a day, for a few hours a day, so that they can run around and play. Even though ferrets sleep up to 20 hours a day, when they are awake, they have lots of energy. This probably comes from sleeping so long, but they really need more time, attention, and being kept in a classroom probably cannot provide adequate care for a ferret.

One website that I have found, Ferret Central, is a great quick reference with frequently asked questions and concerns about ferrets. If anyone has any questions about ferrets, Ferret Central FAQ is a good place to start your education about them.

Another good website with even more about ferrets is Ferret Universe, which has more in depth information about all aspects of ferret life and upkeep.

I want to make sure people have a clear idea about the reality of ferrets because they are wonderful animals that need to be better understood in order to be more well liked and less stereotyped. The misconceptions about ferrets are probably more well known than the truths, and the variety of ferrets and ferret owners are as wide as any other animal or person.

I am an obvious fan of ferrets, and so are everyone who meets Lilly and Jake, but I am always adamant that people know the truth about ferrets. This includes knowing the negative as well as the positive parts of having or knowing ferrets as pets. They are great animals and deserve all the love they can get because they are so wonderful at giving it right back!