Complete Guide to Ferrets [Paperback]

James McKay (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 1, 2002

This excellent guide covers all aspects of ferrets and their life as family pets, as well as giving details of the ferret's origins and its domesticated history.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

James McKay is Director of the UK's National Ferret School and a former Chief Executive of the UK's National Federation of Zoos and a scientific Fellow of the Zoological Society of London. he works as an independent consultant for many veterinary companies and zoological establishments. He is author of over twenty books. He lives in England.

Product Details

• Paperback: 160 pages
• Publisher: Swan Hill Press (January 1, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1853104337
• ISBN-13: 978-1853104336
• Product Dimensions: 8.6 x 5.9 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,961,986 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A real Ferreting guide for the British at last!, January 10, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Complete Guide to Ferrets (Paperback)

James McKay's book is a refreshing change to the largely irrelevant fare from the US that we serious UK Ferreters have had to endure over recent years. Having searched high and low for a decent work of reference that answered the questions that I needed to resolve I was delighted to read Mr.McKay's book and felt that a fair assesment of it in the proper context was due.

The guide itself is comprehensive and fascinating covering the following points within its pages:

Origins of the Ferret, Selection of stock, Housing, Handling, Taming and Training, Feeding, Breeding, Working, Showing, Racing and Ferrest as Pets, Ailments and First Aid, Genetics.

For me the book has been useful in helping me look after my Ferrets from the perspective of the individual who appreciates and respects the Ferret for not only its qualities as a companion but also their tenacious hunting skills.

But the guide goes far beyond the basic use for which I have it, every time I refer to it I happen across more nuggets of information that are both fascinating and useful.

It must be born in mind that the Ferret itself and the culture surrounding the Ferret in the UK are vastly different from that in the US. In the UK the Ferret has largely been associated with the working class and as a way of obtaining food, not as a play thing or merely a pet. Having stated this, Ferrets in the UK are enjoying something of a rise in popularity as pets and recent articles in the Media (Independent on Sunday, October, 98') estimate Ferret owners numbering 1.5 to 2 million in England alone.

Mr.McKay's work deals with the husbandry of the Ferret to a degree the like of which I have never seen in any "pet guide book". Even going to the extent of covering the musculature and genetics of the animal, vital details for the serious breeder.

As an owner of Ferrets who uses them to hunt both Rabbits and Rats, this work has proven invaluable. It must be born in mind that with the extremely tight controls over the use of firearms in the UK, the Ferret offers an extremely ecologically sound and effective way of controlling both Rabbits and Rats, pests which cause so much damage to British Farming. McKay's guide will take you comprehensivley through all that you need to know to work your Ferrets, for both your and their enjoyment.

In the final analysis, if you are looking for a book covering the keeping of Ferrets as pets in the US, then this book is most likely not for you in my opinion. However if you're a British Ferret keeper, having them either as pets or working them, then I thouroughly commend this book to you.

11 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Little good information, March 16, 2000

By 

Wolf Read - See all my reviews

This review is from: Complete Guide to Ferrets (Paperback)

In "The Complete Guide to Ferrets," by James McKay, we're first treated with evidence of a big ego with such statements like, "The first historical mention of a ferret _that I can find_..." (emphasis added) as if he were the last word on ferret origins. This immediately raised the warning flags-big egos tend to carry misinformation. Which gets demonstrated within a few pages when we see how naive James McKay is about the ferret situation in the United States. Later we are treated to such "deeply informative" statements as "Treat with the utmost suspicion anyone trying to sell adult ferrets." Though there is some element of truth to the caution, typically, sweeping statements that aren't qualified also tend to ring false. I've seen many adult ferrets in shelters who are very nice animals that would make great pets. Indeed well-mannered 1- to 2-year-olds are often recommended for beginners for they tend to be easier to handle and train than kits. Another "winner" is "...there's no such thing as a bad ferret, simply too many bad owners of ferrets!" Nice quaint line, which again has some element of truth, but also lacks depth of insight in the range of behavioral tendencies that ferrets can attain. Breeders often seek ferrets that don't bite in pursuit of more docile offspring, just one of many indications that "badness" can stem from both parties. There are many other problems with this book-a tendency for leaden writing that isn't engaging, and some of his methods for raising ferrets seem barbaric, even if they work for him. The only reason that I even give this book two stars is because James McKay makes a good effort at the biological details of ferrets, including his Appendix I, "Ferret Facts and Figures" which would do well in any ferret book, and he lists a nice bibliography.

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars James McKay , the man in the know., July 23, 2001

By 

david leech (Florida USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Complete Guide to Ferrets (Paperback)

I purchased both James McKay's books and two ferrets from Mr. McKay when I lived in England and know first hand he is the man in the know! This book is better than any other book out there (US or UK). It details proper husbandry techniques and practices. I find the UK method of modern ferret keeping superior to US, in most US homes the ferrets are kept by themselves in crampt cages; in this magnificent book it informs you of their gregarious nature and need for a somewhat large cage. GOOD WORK JAMES!