Ferreting Out the Truth About New Pet Craze

If you’re looking for an animal more playful than a cat and lower maintenance than a dog, then an Angora ferret may be perfect for you. A relatively new concept for Chinese pet owners, ferrets have been used as domestic companions for hundreds of years.  They are becoming increasingly popular in Beijing because “they are neat and quiet and need very little space,” according to Fu Shuming who owns an Angora ferret shop in Xidian. For busy city dwellers living in small apartments, ferrets may present a compromise between lifestyle and a yearning for  pet ownership.

Extremely clever animals, ferrets love to interact with their owners, easily learning tricks such as how to roll-over or stand. They require a good 16-18 hours of sleep everyday, but ferret owner Xiao Yu claims “whenever you want to play with them, they'll be there.”

As a result of their only recent entrance into the Beijing pet market, ferrets are still relatively rare, selling from RMB 2,500 up to RMB 10,000 for ferrets with rare coloring or fur.  Despite the cost of food, cage and upkeep, ferret ownership may increase as Beijing residents discover how playful and easy Angora ferrets can be. 

To read more about pet ferrets in Beijing, check out Global Times’ article here.