The Scottish SPCA is appealing to the public to find homes for overlooked ferrets in their care after an influx of the animals arrived at their Lanarkshire centre.
Scotland’s animal welfare charity is currently caring for over 78 of the mustelids across their nine animal rescue and rehoming centres, having looked after 321 across their centres in 2022.
This includes caring for nine of the animals at the Bothwell Road, Hamilton, centre.
Scottish SPCA rehabilitations operations lead, Rachael Maclean, told Lanarkshire Live: “We are currently caring for a lot more ferrets than usual across the Society, including nine at our Lanarkshire centre.
“Scribble and Fergus are just two of the lovely ferrets we have for rehoming.
“Scribble came into our care in June last year as his owner was no longer able to care for him. He has now been with us for more than 280 days.
“Unfortunately he was underweight when he arrived and had problems with his ears. After receiving treatment alongside lots of tender love and care from our team, Scribble is now fit and healthy and ready for his forever home.
“This bouncy boy loves nothing more than to play with his toys before snuggling up in bed. Like most ferrets, he can give an occasional nip when excited so needs a home with an experienced owner or somebody who has thoroughly researched how to care for these pets.
“Fergus is also looking for a new family. He was taken into our care after being found as a stray in November last year and has been with us for more than 80 days.
“Although he is a young boy, Fergus is very friendly and behaves well when handled. He loves a cuddle and is very inquisitive so would enjoy sniffing new areas and having lots of toys to choose from.
“Both of these boys have the potential to live with other ferrets pending successful introductions."
The SSPCA say that ferrets are consistently overlooked for rehoming and tend to stay in their care for a long time adding that they can make fantastic pets in the right homes.
Rachael added: "We’re not sure what’s driving the increase in ferrets coming in to our care. It could be that people adopted these animals on a whim and then had to face up to the responsibility of caring for the pet long-term.
“Although they are great for adult homes, or homes with older teenagers, they’re not really suitable as children’s pets as they can nip when excited.
“Ferrets also need a lot of enrichment and exercise as they’re highly social, intelligent creatures who love interacting with their owners. They shouldn’t just be left in a cage and forgotten about.
“However, if you’re willing to put the time and effort in to caring for them, they can be incredibly rewarding animals to have at home. They’re very inquisitive and cheeky and will definitely bring a lot of fun in to their new owners’ lives!
“If anyone is also thinking about becoming a first-time ferret owner then please consider adopting an animal and giving them a second chance.
“We also have a number of lovely personalities who would make excellent companions for existing ferrets.
“Please do get in touch if you’re interested in adopting a new furry friend. We’d love to see these marvellous mustelids start to generate some interest and get the loving forever homes they deserve.”
Scottish SPCA centre receptions are open 1pm until 4pm daily and their teams welcome anybody with questions about adopting one of these animals to give them a call on 03000 999 999 or visit their local centre.
All the ferrets that the Scottish SPCA currently have for rehoming can be viewed and applied for here: https://bit.ly/3alhGnL
*Don't miss the latest headlines from around Lanarkshire. Sign up to our newsletters here.
And did you know Lanarkshire Live had its own app? Download yours for free here.
