Whisper is a cold blooded murderer - Best friends Kelly and Maria rescue ferrets and can always find a space in their heart for the abandoned or unwanted furry creatures. They have even put up with severe bloody bites from the fiendish foe. However since Whisper tore the throat out of Maria’s pet hen, she’s found it increasingly difficult to deal with him. As a ferret polecat hybrid, Whisper is genetically more likely to be aggressive and this isn’t helped by the fact that he is fed on a diet of rich meaty prey.
This is something Marc is keen to address back at the Pet Shame Clinic and suggests that Whisper is fed on a complete dry ferret food in order to try and discourage his taste for flesh and bone. Marc also suggests they keep Whisper’s bowl constantly full so that he never goes hungry. When taken home Kelly and Maria work with a friend of theirs to socialise Whisper and also alter his diet as per Marc’s advice. It doesn’t take long for Whisper to calm down and he even allows their friend Dave to handle him without bearing his killer canines.
They all invest time and effort in helping Whisper be calmer when held and before long it’s a picture of tranquillity as he falls asleep in Dave’s arms. Maria is overcome by the transformation and is even moved enough to enter Whisper into a show.
PDSA Senior Vet, Sean Wensley, says: “Despite being domesticated, the animals that we keep as pets still share many of the instincts of their wild ancestors. Although they have been born in captivity, ferrets still want to behave like ferrets, rabbits like rabbits, rats like rats, and so on. This is why, when providing our pets with a suitable home, we should not only give them lots of space, but appropriate objects and toys to keep them occupied as well. If problem behaviour develops, owners should speak to their vet for advice.” For more information on caring for ferrets, visit www.pdsa.org.uk/ferrets.
