Ferrets As Pets Nz

Ferrets were once used to control the wild rabbit population in new zealand resulting in the development of feral ferret colonies.

Ferrets as pets nz. As of 1999 ferrets are legal to keep as pets in new york city. The other club the new zealand ferret protection. Ferrets in new zealand. Ferrets have reduced rabbit numbers in wetter lowland parts of new zealand through predation on juveniles.

There are only a few people in new zealand who have a special permit which allows them to keep pet ferrets for hunting rabbits. Ferrets were introduced to new zealand from europe in the 1880s along with stoats and weasels to control rabbits that were breeding out of control. Ferrets are not recommended for a household with. The child must be able to recognize that a ferret behaves differently from a dog cat or other pet.

Ferrets are what many consider to be a domesticated subspecies of the european polecat a member of the family of mustelids this group includes animals like weasels wolverines otters badgers martens and others. The main food of ferrets is rabbits and. Ferrets used to be kept as pets in new zealand but in 2002 a new law was passed banning the sale distribution and breeding of ferrets. Ferrets were introduced into new zealand as a natural enemy of rabbits and therefore were expected to provide a benefit to the agriculture industry.

Ferrets history of ferrets in new zealand. Even though ferrets are genetically very similar to the european polecat the actual origin of the domestic ferrets cannot be determined accurately since the exact species we find. The ferret is the largest mustelid in new zealand with a body length of 320 mm 460 mm and a tail. Aha pet ferret owners will say pouncing on the imagery claws teeth destruction you are talking about a different kettle of ferrets.

For this reason ferrets were made illegal to own breed and sell. By 1900 ferrets were well established in the wild and played a role in the decline of native birds like the kiwi weka and blue duck and the extinction of kakapo on the mainland.