I was just asked by someone whether or not they should purchase a ferret, and I had to give the answer some thought. My late mother obtained a ferret in her 70's, which was passed around in the family, and lived quite happily with an African Gray parrot. Ferrets are illegal in my city, and my mom used to say she was "public enemy number one" for violating the law. All in all, it was a nice companion for an elderly woman. The parrot flew around the house freely and was never bothered by the ferret. She got it young and the family played with it daily. It lived for ten happy years. We never kept it caged but let it wander in an apartment, with a little "safe haven" box, where it loved to sleep most of the time. It collected socks and enjoyed pellet food, fruit and mom's home-made chicken soup. One day a big German Shepherd attack dog was brought over to visit. A police dog, no less. The ferret seemed to determine the dog was a threat to my mother and attacked the Shepherd. Well, I would never have believed the damage that a ferret could do to a trained large attack dog, but the dog ended up a bloody mess, and scooted out of the house in fright. At the time there were no small children around, but it became apparent to me that a ferret is capable of killing a baby or a small child. Especially if provoked. Ferrets are very unusual pets, who (if obtained young from a good breeder) bond with their owners and can be a lot of fun, but they require care, affection, and they are not cats or dogs. Having seen what a ferret can do to a large dog, I would never leave a ferret alone with a baby, and I would not allow a strange child to "play" with the animal under any circumstances. I am wondering if anyone else has had a ferret and what their experiences were?