My Ex's Nephew keeps several ferrets as pets, and goes 'rabbiting' with them. They are the largest, and only domesticated of the 3. Size/weight-wise next comes the stoat with a black tail end, then the weasel - although large weasels can be bigger than small stoats.
Ferrets can be very affectionate, especially with their owner if handled regularly. They are cheeky and playful if a bit bitey. Not suitable for children - these ARE predators. One thing that sticks in my mind is that the female must be mated every time she comes into heat or she is likely to die of shock of some sort. Keepers usually have neutered males for this mating - it's the act, not resultant pregnancy that saves the female's life!

Dave.

Oh, that is truly weird... I'll keep my comments to myself! ;)

All said and done - I wouldn't keep them, they stink of musk something rotten :D
And now the little ones have gone airborne :eek:

Dave.

How 'bitey' are ferrets? Here's a classic case, respected Presenter Richard Whiteley gets a lesson.

TV Outtakes - Richard Whiteley and the Ferret:
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Dave.

The mustild family all have delayed
Implantation of the fertilized ova. They live in northerly climates
And mate in summer and have the kits next spring.

I think the biting is part of the constant urge to kill.

Our feral kitty Maya will watch the birds outside or play
Rough with Weezie then do a shredding on a paper bag
To vent her hunting needs. She is very sweet with us
And never bites us but this shredding thing is intense
For her. We've never had a cat do this, so we have to keep a
Paper shopping bag out for her. She throws the bits up in the air too.
Like plucking feathers!

I miss my cats as much as my dogs. We used to Foster 'difficult' cases for a Rescue Group. My two favourite ferals were Buzz and Bo'sun who came to us without ever having had human contact. Bo' became so tame he was rehomed, and Buzz adopted ONLY me. I couldn't pick him up, but he would rub against my hand or lay pressed against me eventually when HE felt like it. Anyone else got shredded like your paper bags, MrsD.
I love it when we meander off on a tangent.

Dave.

She used to chew cardboard too...the boxes we leave out for them to play in ..She likes the packing paper that comes from the Ebay deliveries. It is without ink-- just plain light unprinted newsprint. She will hump up the paper, and hide under it. Then when Weezie saunters past she will leap out at her.. and then both will do that funny "cat dance". One night hubby picked up some Panera carryout (a yummy restaurant place here) and left the bag on the floor... that was when Maya decided that shredding that bag was better than boxes. Sometimes we sprinkle catnip inside. She bites out little bits about the size of a nickle coin, and flings her neck throwing them in a semicircle around her. She is also the messiest eater we have ever had.
But that is another story. Otherwise she is sweet, loving, very careful always with her nails, and shows promise for tricks. I have already taught her to raise her paw for food. Now she raises it for "please" too. (open the door or let her in from the porch)!. I am trying to expand on that, but it is slow going.

When the ducks come to our feeding area at dusk, I just call...
"big birds" and she comes to watch thru the window. Maya was a rescue from our upNorth home...in the wilds. She has many very intelligent traits. Our vet says rescue ferals, if calm (not aggressive) like she is, are the smartest cats. The smart ones survive and pass on the smart genes. Not a day passes that she fails to make us laugh or wonder at her! She loves hubby best and that is wonderful because Oreo was "his" too, and he was very grief stricken when she died.

cats in bags:
 

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Our rescue friend from upNorth, who gave us Maya, posted this today on her Facebook. what a coinkydink

Cat shredding bag part 1:

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Part 2: Hey, dat my bag:

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part 3....

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this is not our Maya but the technique is similar.

The middle video reminds me of our rescue Turkish Van, Thursday. He had been abused - his owner used to try to stab him. He used to climb into shopping bags and get so comfortable we hung him from the door handles, where he sat with his head out, playing with people's hands as they went through the door.
We had to ban all cat nip - in toys and raw - because of him. His eyes used to dilate and he would attack us, or the other cats after the smallest amount… and the attacks were brutal coming from a large, loving cat.

Dave.

I must see if my Daughter has any pics, this is pre-digital days and, although burned to cd, mine are all buried in a huge wooden chest.

Catnip.... Took Maya 2 yrs to warm up to it... and only now she only is using a little bit. The wildest she gets is more "playful".

But Weezie is truly hooked on it. Weez does not get mean unless you play rough with her (which we don't)...but she does make funny faces. The wide eyes. She is an unregistered Bombay and has big eyes anyway. Here is one example:

My son's large Ginger tom Garfield however, gets aggressive on it too.