EDMONTON SUN

After listening to Barb Hoult it's hard to imagine why anyone would want to keep a ferret as a pet.

"It's like having a perpetual two-year-old in the house," chuckled the president of the Alberta Ferret Society.

"They dig at carpets. They chew through rubber. They're very curious and get up to all sorts of antics."

The Alberta Ferret Society will be among more than 85 exhibitors at Edmonton Pet Expo at Northlands this weekend.

Contrary to popular myth, ferrets are not rodents but belong to the weasel family.

Although they are mischief-makers who sometimes poop beside rather than inside their litter box, they are "very sociable and a lot of fun," said Hoult, a clerk with ATCO, who is single with no kids.

She first encountered ferrets while volunteering at Edmonton Valley Zoo in the late 1980s where she helped clean out their cages.

Currently the owner of two furry fellas, Spaz and Loki, she helped start the non-profit Alberta Ferret Society in 1997 to provide education plus rescue and adoption services.

Ferrets, which grow to about one foot long and weigh up to five pounds, can be caged for short spells but like to roam the house. Ferret-proofing the place is important.

"They're not for everyone," admits Hoult. "They're quite intelligent so need constant stimulation. They're better than Prozac.

For more information go to www.albertaferretsociety.com.