It's a Ferret Life

Ferret regulations can be confusing

Ferrets, like most other less conventional pets, may be subject to a range of laws regulating the ownership of exotic animals. Although it's legal to keep ferrets in most places, there are a few exceptions, such as New York City and California.

But David Gaines, director of the legislative and legal affairs committee for the American Ferret Association, says in recent years most places have made the pets legal.

“Minneapolis and Dallas have recently legalized them,” he says. “I'm not aware of any major municipalities that have gone in the other direction.”

Ferrets, members of the weasel family, have been domesticated for thousands of years. In the past, advocates had to convince legislators that ferrets shouldn't be regulated as wild animals, but “now it's more or less acknowledged,” he says.

But animals are subject to a patchwork of laws at more local levels that may not always be consistent with one another. For example, ferrets are legal in Salt Lake County, but that's overridden by a law that prohibits them in Salt Lake City. So you need to check carefully before acquiring a ferret or before moving if you have one.

And don't assume that ferrets are legal in your area just because you see ferret food for sale in your local pet store. Gaines notes, “The ferret aisles in pet stores are getting bigger and bigger — even in California.”