They're not quite up there with cute puppies and adorable kittens, but they need a loving home like other domestic pets, according to an animal welfare charity.
The Scottish SPCA has been flooded with scores of ferrets in recent weeks and wants people to consider rehoming one of the furry creatures .
The charity is currently caring for 35 ferrets, five of which are being looked after at the Scottish SPCA's Glasgow Animal Rescue and Rehoming Centre in Cardonald, and staff are desperate to find them all good, permanent homes.
Many arrived in the charity's care after they were found straying, although it's likely several have been abandoned, as few are ever reclaimed by their owners.
The latest ferrets to be rescued by the charity are Jimmy, who was found on a street in the Lanarkshire area, and Petal, a ten-week-old female who was found by a member of the public weak and hungry in Kelty, Fife.
Scottish SPCA Superintendent Sharon Comrie said: "A ferret might not be the first animal you'd think of when considering a new pet, but in our experience they are fantastic little creatures who can bring a great deal of enjoyment to their owners.
"Some people think ferrets are wild animals but they're not. They're domesticated pets that cannot survive outdoors on their own."
She added: "It's very sad to see so many coming into our care. Whether this is from them escaping from their enclosures or being dumped, we can't say.What we do know is that they all deserve to be in loving homes with people who care for them.
"Ferrets are highly intelligent, sociable and inquisitive creatures with lots of character. They enjoy living in single-sex pairs or groups and they can live for ten years or more.
"Many enjoy being handled and some even like to be taken for short walks on a harness, a bit like a very small dog!
"Most ferret owners will agree that they are very entertaining pets who will play, run around and act daft for hours before curling up on a cosy blanket for a well deserved snooze.
"We have lots of friendly ferrets of various ages and personality types in our care right now. From youngsters who have been raised in our centres and are easy to handle to the more timid or cheeky ferrets who would appeal to experienced owners."
Anyone interested in offering a ferret a home should call the Scottish SPCA Animal Helpline on 03000 999 999.
Why are you making commenting on The Herald only available to subscribers?
It should have been a safe space for informed debate, somewhere for readers to discuss issues around the biggest stories of the day, but all too often the below the line comments on most websites have become bogged down by off-topic discussions and abuse.
heraldscotland.com is tackling this problem by allowing only subscribers to comment.
We are doing this to improve the experience for our loyal readers and we believe it will reduce the ability of trolls and troublemakers, who occasionally find their way onto our site, to abuse our journalists and readers. We also hope it will help the comments section fulfil its promise as a part of Scotland's conversation with itself.
We are lucky at The Herald. We are read by an informed, educated readership who can add their knowledge and insights to our stories.
That is invaluable.
We are making the subscriber-only change to support our valued readers, who tell us they don't want the site cluttered up with irrelevant comments, untruths and abuse.
In the past, the journalist’s job was to collect and distribute information to the audience. Technology means that readers can shape a discussion. We look forward to hearing from you on heraldscotland.com
Comments & Moderation
Readers’ comments: You are personally liable for the content of any comments you upload to this website, so please act responsibly. We do not pre-moderate or monitor readers’ comments appearing on our websites, but we do post-moderate in response to complaints we receive or otherwise when a potential problem comes to our attention. You can make a complaint by using the ‘report this post’ link . We may then apply our discretion under the user terms to amend or delete comments.
Post moderation is undertaken full-time 9am-6pm on weekdays, and on a part-time basis outwith those hours.
Read the rules hereComments are closed on this article