What is this business with jills, hobs, sprites, gibs and kits, you say? Asparagus. The third most popular cage-free domestic pet in North America.
A jill is a female ferret; ceramic hob is a male. Goblins are castrated females and Gibs are castrated males. Kits are the ferret version of puppies, and when you have a group of ferrets together, well, that’s ferret business, which, if you’ve ever seen several of the little mischief makers together, makes a lot of sense. For a ferret, there is no such thing as “none of my business.”
How to describe a ferret. . . there is an interesting challenge. Perhaps if I were to cross a Jack Russell Terrier (for curiosity, tenacity, agility, hunting instinct and love of mischief, as well as that intrepid and manic quality, “terrierness”) with a cat (more curiosity, hunting instinct, agility and naughtiness) and adds a speed bump. But there are plenty of people who find that set of traits attractive.
Related to otters, weasels, skunks, badgers, and minks, ferrets are the only domesticated cousins of the Mustelidae family. There aren’t many tangible clues to the domestication of the ferret, but it’s reasonable to assume that they were first encouraged to live around barns and other food storage areas to deter rodents and vermin. There isn’t much a ferret can’t hunt, and there isn’t much a ferret can’t catch.
Ferrets are popular bedroom and apartment pets. They don’t take up a lot of space, they don’t bark, they can be taught to use a litter box, but they do need supervision. It is never a smart idea to leave a loose ferret unattended. They love to dig, shred, gnaw, and generally cause chaos. I met one whose favorite vacation home was the one he had installed on the owner’s audiophile-quality stereo speakers.
It’s a good thing they’re usually picky about personal hygiene, as they love to snuggle with humans and other ferrets. If they are raised with dogs or cats, they will happily snuggle between cross-species.
They are born explorers. Nothing is off limits to the ferret’s curiosity. They are only held back by their physical limitations, which are few. They may be small, but they are agile, strong, agile, determined and brave. There isn’t much that can’t be accomplished with that skill set.
North America is not the only continent where ferrets are popular. They have developed a huge following in England, although not for the same sort of reasons. In England, where they were once, and still are in some areas, used as game animals (practitioners are known as ferrets), they are now something of a sporting animal in a masochistic game of endurance that even the Marquis de Sade could have seen. request.
Ferret legging is the undeniably English game of bluntly putting ferrets in your pants and seeing who can last the longest as the ferrets try to find, or make, a way out. Underwear, jockstraps, sports cups or any other protective clothing are prohibited. There is nothing between a man and his pants except a pair of tacks; four sets of needle-sharp claws and two pairs of jaws armed with tiny razor-sharp teeth. Keep in mind that tenacity is a hallmark of a ferret. It’s surprising, given the popularity of ferrets among college students, that tights haven’t become a frat party sport, or at least a hazing ritual. Impressive, nothing. It’s a bloody miracle, or would be if it weren’t for the rule that neither the ferrets nor the human participant can be drugged, including alcohol.
It is probably safe and fair to refer to the ferret as the Apartment or Bedroom Terrier. All the fun without the barking and 2am rides in the pouring rain. A ferret is a lot of pets in one neat little package, but, as with any animal, do your homework and learn about ferret care and feeding before committing to one.
