Weasels

[flowerpower]

The other night, I told Blue that I thought I saw a rat in my house. it freaked me out b/c I had never seen rats here- not even in the barn. Well my BF saw it drinking out of the dogs water bowl. He told me it look like a white ferret.

Great, its some kind of weasel. (Explains where the pesty little mouse went to!) And BF cannot find the Have a Heart Trap. I am going to hit up the neighbors later this morning. But what do I do with him then? I don't have the heart to kill any animal. But since they have a range of 30-40 acres, I am not seeing any alternatives. I am down to 2 hens already.

And I really don't want to deal with the DEC. I live next to a protected wetland and really don't want them snooping around here.

[lavandulagirl]

Do you have a Nature Center or local animal zoo that might take it? I know when we were kids, there was a local place that would take trapped local wildlife and relocate it on their property (over 100 acres). Here in Luray we have a zoo/reptile rescue that will trap and relocated snakes for you. Maybe there's something like that close enough?

Funny thing... I saw a black weasel running across the road near Hawksbill Creek here just a few days ago. My first thought was "What the HELL is wrong with that squirrel?!?"

[bluelacedredhead]

Ermine....woooooooooooooooooooooooooo....I have a lovely ermine collar to wear with sweaters that I've had since I was a child.

Or you could always attach him to a hat and do Davida Crockett 2007 style,

Sorry G/F....

BTW, I got a phonecall last night from an old friend...She said something about raccoons....She used to have a pet raccoon too..She chided me for saying that they have no place here on the farm...Guess I'm just an ole meanie,

[lavandulagirl]

bluelacedredhead said:

Or you could always attach him to a hat and do Davida Crockett 2007 style,

Wouldn't a weasel make kind of a mohawk? Hey - that'd be great! Good idea, Blue... snap on mohawks! All the rebelliousness with none of the head shaving! ;D

[flowerpower]

I saw him yesterday. He is really small, maybe 4-5 in body. If Ringo sees it, its a gonner. But I really dont want the, uh, kitty cat in contact with it. Too many diseases when she tears it apart. She won't try to eat it. She snags mice and doesnt eat them. She's a plump little kitty.

Legally I think I can do anything I want with him. He is a predator of poultry and I am zoned agricultural. There are no zoos or anything around here. Maybe a wildlife rehabber, but I think they would turn it over to the DEC for rabies testing.

[flowerpower]

It turns out he is an ermine. This is exactly what my weael looks like-

www.blueplanetbiomes.org/images/mustela_erminea2.jpg

[lavandulagirl]

Geez... now he's cute, too! Quite the dilemma, FP... too bad there isn't a relocation area near you.

[Jim]

If I saw something like around here my wife would try to keep it...

[flowerpower]

I haven't seen him inside lately. But I am sure I saw his tracks in the snow on my side deck. I would not be surprised if he had a den under there. Yeah, I did think about keeping him as a pet. He wouldnt be the first wild animal in the house.

[Alan]

Just be careful around those things, trust me, they are EVIL! Mean little critters if you know what I mean.

-Alan

[flowerpower]

But I just wanna pet him a little. I want it to say in my obit "..she loved all animals and tried to pet every one she met." I have pet alot of different species, but still have a list going. lol Maybe Blue and I should meet at the Syracuse Zoo next summer. Oh wait, she already saw how much I touched at the Farmers Museum. lol

[bluelacedredhead]

Yes, and I don't want to be responsible for you dropping baby anythings on their heads like you did those poor defenseless dried beans, lol

There is a Grampa Bob's petting zoo in Mexico, NY (just north of Syracuse). We could go to Mexico for the day!!

[flowerpower]

Those beans didn' have a chance. lol But I think we got most of them up. At least they didn't have alarms there, like at the Met or The Museum of Natural History.

Did I hear Petting Zoo? Best job I ever had. It was tons of fun and I learned alot about animals. I would go sit on a boulder out in the horse pasture. And the miniature horses and their babies would come to get pet. I would have one under each arm, scratching them.

When I lived in NYC, I would go to the Bronx Zoo all the time. They have a whole building dedicated to birds. Some of the displays have no glass. Just a little bar you are supposed to stay behind. If you go on a monday, the zoo is deserted, as there are no school trips then. I am sure you get the picture.

[bluelacedredhead]

Perhaps we can donate some a different variety of bean to the museum to apologize for your disruptive behaviour, hahaha.

I wonder if they have Holiday season activities there? They seemed like such a great group of volunteers.
Don't worry. This snowy winter is not the one to go for a drive an d find out. I don't feel like being stranded on I81 for a week, waiting for the snowplow to show up.

[flowerpower]

The museum in Cooperstown has activities for the holidays. Including horse-drawn sleigh rides. Everytime we make plans to go, its a blizzard.