It's a Ferret Life

Ferrets have the sleek bodies of weasels, the tenacity of badgers and wolverines and the playful energy of otters.

Those traits were on display Saturday for "Ferret Education Day" at Petco.

Ron and Trudy Lehman held the education day, hosted by the Petco pet supply story in Harper Village, and they brought more than a dozen of their furry friends to share with others.

Standing barefoot in a pen swarming with playing, sleeping, bouncing and sometimes wrestling ferrets, Ron Lehman handed a ferret to just about anyone walking past.

Lehman said he goes barefoot because of the ferrets' affinity for his socks.

"They'll attack my socks," he said. "If I take the socks off, they ignore my feet."

In a bag around Lehman's neck, 4-year-old Cheyenne, a cinnamon-colored dwarf ferret, snuggled into the warm fleece lining and occasionally poked her head out to see what was happening.

"She's my baby," Lehman said as Cheyenne wrapped her short legs around his hand and arm.

Cheyenne is one of 73 ferrets the Lehmans have at their home, dubbed "Ferret Acres Sanctuary," and the more than 150 ferrets the couple has parented over the past nine years.

Trudy Lehman said most of the ferrets have come from people who didn't want them anymore or couldn't take care of them for various reasons, and the education days are an attempt to give people a chance to handle and interact with ferrets.

Diane Coffman of Springfield, said she has three of the furry rascals and has become good friends with the
Lehmans through ferret ownership.

"They're sweet, lovable, cuddly thieves," Coffman said.

Ferrets make great companions, Coffman said, but they can be expensive to take care of as they are susceptible to human illnesses and may need frequent medical attention.

"They need somebody," she said. "You might have to spend a lot of money on them, but that's the responsibility of owning any pet."

Trudy Lehman said her love for ferrets started with a single critter.

"I started with one, and I said as long as I can take care of them, I'm going to keep taking them in," she said. "They're fun to watch when they're playing or when they're sleeping," she said.

Ron Lehman said ferrets have earned a reputation for being mischievous and sneaky, and they have an impressive capacity to reason and solve simple problems, like opening cages.

"They're very smart animals," he said. "They'll get into anything and everything."

Lehman said it's important for owners to ferret-proof areas of their homes because ferrets can squeeze through holes as small as a quarter.

"If their head fits, the body can follow," he said.