can you get a stoat/weasel as a pet in ireland?

mosher 66

i was wondering if you can get a pet stoat/weasel in ireland.
if so where. and what care would be needed for them, things like food, accessories etc.

Rommie

No, and we don't have weasels in Ireland. Why would you want one in any case? They never tame down and can give a nasty bite. Would you not just get a ferret?

mosher 66

Rommie wrote: »

No, and we don't have weasels in Ireland. Why would you want one in any case? They never tame down and can give a nasty bite. Would you not just get a ferret?

i forgot about ferrets, they would also suffice xD

Sigma Force

Ferrets can make good pets but make sure you research them and the females need to be spayed, don't buy from an ad go to a rescue or a responsible breeder. They need loads of space and large super secure housing. Their diet can be tricky too so make sure you get the balance right. Maybe some ferretty owners on here can help put you in the right direction. Cute little buggers they are.

mosher 66

Sigma Force wrote: »

Ferrets can make good pets but make sure you research them and the females need to be spayed, don't buy from an ad go to a rescue or a responsible breeder. They need loads of space and large super secure housing. Their diet can be tricky too so make sure you get the balance right. Maybe some ferretty owners on here can help put you in the right direction. Cute little buggers they are.

ye i love them, you said lots of space, i happen to actually have a feild my family owns outside, but its not secure, so does the large space have to be in a secure area since you also mentioned secure housing? like do you mean there likely to run away or get lost or something?

dodderangler

Rommie wrote: »

No, and we don't have weasels in Ireland. Why would you want one in any case? They never tame down and can give a nasty bite. Would you not just get a ferret?

If he wants one he doesn't need your permission to get one. ( hate when people say why would you want this or that)

I happen to talk to a lad from time to time that has had stoats and weasels before and at the moment has a pet mink among several animals incl raccoons and skunks

If you want any animal do your research first before getting it.
As for ferrets they are same family and all bite at some stage
My little Jill has never bitten me properly until yesterday I was hunting rats and she bit me for no reason

mosher 66

dodderangler wrote: »

If he wants one he doesn't need your permission to get one. ( hate when people say why would you want this or that)

I happen to talk to a lad from time to time that has had stoats and weasels before and at the moment has a pet mink among several animals incl raccoons and skunks

If you want any animal do your research first before getting it.
As for ferrets they are same family and all bite at some stage
My little Jill has never bitten me properly until yesterday I was hunting rats and she bit me for no reason

oh i wouldnt not get one just because he said not too xD i still want one, just i think itd be a little too hard to get one, and i dont know anywhere i could

DBB

I see nothing wrong with asking anyone why they'd want A, B or C, actually!

So OP, why do you want a stoat or a weasel? I'm just curious to know.

mosher 66

DBB wrote: »

I see nothing wrong with asking anyone why they'd want A, B or C, actually!

So OP, why do you want a stoat or a weasel? I'm just curious to know.

ye im the same, i dont care what pets people want as long as there not cruel owners that want the pets purely because they think it will make them cool or something and take REALLY bad care of the pets.

i really like the animals, there so cute, and i just love how they move, im just fasinated by them in general and i think theyd make good pets, even if i got bit i wouldnt care, my hand looks like im bad with knifes because of my cat xD

dodderangler

They can be vicious though but gettin one is same as a ferret
Get it when it's a kit and hand rear it up and it'd be fine same as my ferrets they all bite as babies and learn to not bite after they grow up

DBB

mosher 66 wrote: »

ye im the same, i dont care what pets people want as long as there not cruel owners that want the pets purely because they think it will make them cool or something and take REALLY bad care of the pets.

i really like the animals, there so cute, and i just love how they move, im just fasinated by them in general and i think theyd make good pets, even if i got bit i wouldnt care, my hand looks like im bad with knifes because of my cat xD

Fair enough OP, but if you don't mind, I'm going to give a reality check here!
Stoats and weasels are wild animals (stoats are protected under Irish (and European) Wildlife law and as such, you'd need a licence to have on in your possession), and as such, can never be domesticated without thousands of years of careful breeding. Domestication is not the same as taming: taming occurs within an individual animal's lifetime as a result of taking the animal away from its mother soon after birth, followed by lots of handling. Domestication, however, works over thousands of years of selective breeding to make an animal more genetically and behaviourally prepared to be handled and live in close proximity to humans.
Now, I'm quite sure there are isolated incidences of hand-raised, tamed orphan stoats and weasels being raised in captivity reasonably happily and tamed to a degree, but these are tremendously rare events.
As a general rule, carnivorous mammals do not tame easily, do not enjoy attempts to tame them, and I think it's fair to say that because of this, it is cruel to keep them as pets. It doesn't matter how good your intentions are, or how much you love them, it is inherently cruel and unfair to keep such animals as pets.
The ferret is domesticated (at least to a large extent): this has taken thousands of years of selection for "handle-ability", and as such, these animals can enjoy human company and are suitable for keeping as a pet, albeit one who is at least as potentially aggressive as your cat is, if not more so.
Liking an animal is not an excuse to subject it to a life it can never be happy with: I love tigers, for example. If I was going to keep one, I'd make damn sure I knew what sort of resources I'd need to keep it safe, and what sort of enclosure it'd need to stop it escaping. And then I'd cop myself on, realise how miserable the tiger would be living in captivity, and I'd go watch David Attenborough talking about them on TV!
I think it's a better idea to enjoy and appreciate the wild stoat in its natural habitat, doing what it's happy doing, and if you're hellbent on owning a mustelid, get yourself a nicely bred and socialised ferret.

mosher 66

DBB wrote: »

Fair enough OP, but if you don't mind, I'm going to give a reality check here!
Stoats and weasels are wild animals (stoats are protected under Irish (and European) Wildlife law and as such, you'd need a licence to have on in your possession), and as such, can never be domesticated without thousands of years of careful breeding. Domestication is not the same as taming: taming occurs within an individual animal's lifetime as a result of taking the animal away from its mother soon after birth, followed by lots of handling. Domestication, however, works over thousands of years of selective breeding to make an animal more genetically and behaviourally prepared to be handled and live in close proximity to humans.
Now, I'm quite sure there are isolated incidences of hand-raised, tamed orphan stoats and weasels being raised in captivity reasonably happily and tamed to a degree, but these are tremendously rare events.
As a general rule, carnivorous mammals do not tame easily, do not enjoy attempts to tame them, and I think it's fair to say that because of this, it is cruel to keep them as pets. It doesn't matter how good your intentions are, or how much you love them, it is inherently cruel and unfair to keep such animals as pets.
The ferret is domesticated (at least to a large extent): this has taken thousands of years of selection for "handle-ability", and as such, these animals can enjoy human company and are suitable for keeping as a pet, albeit one who is at least as potentially aggressive as your cat is, if not more so.
Liking an animal is not an excuse to subject it to a life it can never be happy with: I love tigers, for example. If I was going to keep one, I'd make damn sure I knew what sort of resources I'd need to keep it safe, and what sort of enclosure it'd need to stop it escaping. And then I'd cop myself on, realise how miserable the tiger would be living in captivity, and I'd go watch David Attenborough talking about them on TV!
I think it's a better idea to enjoy and appreciate the wild stoat in its natural habitat, doing what it's happy doing, and if you're hellbent on owning a mustelid, get yourself a nicely bred and socialised ferret.

i had no idea they were not domesticated. someone told me awhile back they were, but since there not thats fair enough and i will try get myself a ferret the last thing i want is to take one out of the wild anyway, and i dont want to ave an animal that is not domesticated, as i consider an unhappy animal to be animal curelty.

DBB

dodderangler wrote: »

They can be vicious though but gettin one is same as a ferret
Get it when it's a kit and hand rear it up and it'd be fine same as my ferrets they all bite as babies and learn to not bite after they grow up

Mod note: Dodderangler, I'm going to assume that you meant this in the context of the OP, or anyone else for that matter, having been awarded a licence which allows them to legally have a protected species in their possession?
We wouldn't want to be encouraging anyone here to break the law, so I must seek your clarification please.
Thanks,
DBB

ferretone

OP, while the advice that a ferret makes a far superior pet to a stoat or weasel, due to its long history of domestication, is quite correct. However, your suggestion of a field as a suitable place to keep one suggests you have an awful lot to learn about these animals, before you think of acquiring one.

When I kept them, I had a whole room ferret-proofed so that it was safe for them to run around in all the time, unsupervised, and they were also allowed to run around loose in the whole house for around 2 hours every day, when we were there to supervise. That is what's meant by giving them plenty of space to run around.

If you want to keep them outside, they need an extremely secure run, with suitable, insulated housing inside, both against heat and cold. And unless you are quite rich, the run will not be big enough to leave them in without a few hours play in your house each day.

The final query I would make is with your use of the singular indefinte article: "a" (stoat or weasel) (or ferret, as we are suggesting now.) Ferrets are a highly social species (actually stoats and weasels aren't - probably also contributes to their making such lousy pets!), so unless you have a very great deal of time to devote to 1 ferret. They do sleep 16-18 hours a day, but that still leaves at least 6 when they would like somebody to interact with. Luckily they are very adaptable regarding when to be awake, but that is still quite a bit of attention to be demanding.

So unless you have that much free time, or else a job that allows you to carry the ferret around everywhere you go, I would always recommend getting at least 2 ferrets. I hadn't known this when I got my first wee kit, but then got a rapid re-education, and was back for one of her brothers 2 days later. A few years later I had 5! So be warned, these wee mustelids can be addictive!

But please do some more research, before you consider owning one (or more). They do need suitable accomodation, plenty of safe space to play, and another consideration is that veterinary care can become very expensive for them later in life.

Edited to Add: "Ferrets are a highly social species (actually stoats and weasels aren't - probably also contributes to their making such lousy pets!)" I just realised that some may think I'm putting the cart before the horse in this comparison, but actually the polecat, from whom the ferret is descended, is quite different from stoats, weasels and martens, in that he is a social species, among his own kind, although this does not diminish his fury and formidability, should you happen to trap one wild. In this, and also in the noxious smells he is capable of releasing, he seems much more like his more distant cousins, the skunk, the mink, and even the badger. No it is not only the ferret, but also his polecat ancestor, who is already very different socially from his closest cousins.

I find this fascinating, if you can't already tell, and I really wouldn't advise anyone who hasn't got the mustelid bug in a big way, to get them. They are a lot more effort than they sound, although well worth it if you are really ready to commit what's needed.