An influx of ferrets has caused the Scottish SPCA to issue a public appeal to help find new homes for the furry friends.
Scotland’s animal welfare charity is currently caring for over 78 of the mustelids across their nine animal rescue and rehoming centres, having looked after 321 across their centres in 2022.
The Ayrshire centre is looking to rehome eight ferrets, with one cheeky chappy approaching one year in the centre after coming into the charity’s care in March 2022.
Rachael Maclean, Scottish SPCA rehabilitations operations lead, said: “Scooter and Freddy are just two of the lovely ferrets we have up for rehoming in Ayrshire.
“Scooter came into our care in March 2022 after being found in unsuitable conditions by one of our inspectors. He has now been with us for more than 290 days.”
Rachael said Scooter is “very playful and will make you laugh with his antics”, but as with most ferrets- who are generally suited to adult homes, or homes with older teenagers- he can occasionally nip when excited so any owner will have to do their research thoroughly and know how to handle him.
Freddy came into the charity’s care in April 2022 and was sadly underweight and covered in ticks when he arrived.
His health and confidence have since flourished and he is now eager to find his forever home.
Rachael said: “Sadly, these animals are consistently overlooked for rehoming and tend to stay in our care for a long time. It’s a shame as they can make fantastic pets in the right homes.
“Ferrets need a lot of enrichment and exercise as they’re highly social, intelligent creatures who love interacting with their owners. They shouldn’t just be left in a cage and forgotten about.
“However, if you’re willing to put the time and effort in to caring for them, they can be incredibly rewarding animals to have at home.
“They’re very inquisitive and cheeky and will definitely bring a lot of fun in to their new owners’ lives!”
Rachael added that those looking to become first-time ferret owners should consider adopting an animal and giving them a second chance.
“We also have a number of lovely personalities who would make excellent companions for existing ferrets”, she said.
“Please do get in touch if you’re interested in adopting a new furry friend. We’d love to see these marvellous mustelids start to generate some interest and get the loving forever homes they deserve.”
Scottish SPCA centre receptions are open 1pm until 4pm daily and their teams welcome anybody with questions about adopting one of these animals to give them a call on 03000 999 999 or visit their local centre.
All the ferrets that the Scottish SPCA currently have for rehoming can be viewed and applied for here.
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