Mad ferret: Xin Yang adores her unusual pet Photos: Courtesy of Angora

By Zhu Husheng

Walking down the street, you might notice someone with a long, skinny rodent popping out of his or her bag. Don't be afraid. What you are seeing is one of the newest pets to come to Shanghai - the Angora ferret.

A living feather duster

The Angora ferret is well known for being adventurous and curious, busying itself by weaving around (and sometimes through) the furniture in order to find a hiding place. It's also curious about new surroundings, moving quickly to scout out a new room or location.

Yuting, a Shanghainese girl who has been keeping Biangbiang, an Angora female ferret for over three years calls her "the manager of the sitting room." She likes to go deep into every nook and cranny of the room, like a living feather duster, which Yuting says makes the ayi very happy.

A friendly pet

The Angora ferret is also known for being very sociable and playful with both humans and other pets. Yuting related how Biangbiang often placed her face close to the cage of a pair of pet chinchillas in a gesture of friendliness, despite the fact that the chinchillas were always afraid of her.

Another Angora ferret named Andy has been known to show his friendliness towards his owner's dog.

According to Xin Yang, Andy's owner, he loves to follow her. At home he often rests quietly at Xin's feet. Even if Andy is stepped on by accident, he remains friendly and even tempered. While scurrying around, if he finds anything blocking his path, he'll just move it out of the way. If you're at Xin Yang's house, you can hear the sound of objects sliding on the floor as Andy moves about.

Walking an Angora ferret.

Ferret care

Taking care of an Angora ferret is an easy task. An average Angora ferret requires 40 to 80 g of food per day costing 100 to 200 yuan per month.

In addition, it doesn't tend to beg or overeat .It's also easily house trained, lightly scratching its owner to indicate that it needs to go to the toilet.

Although the Angora ferret enjoys attention from its owner, it doesn't require that you spend lots of time with it since it sleeps for more than twelve hours a day.

Every Angora ferret has received the necessary vaccinations, and it is not necessary that the owner obtain a license as with dogs and cats. All Angora ferrets are neutered, which helps to reduce the pungent odor they produce naturally. In addition, it's the only pet in the world with an identification chip implanted in its body indicating its species, age and other important information.

Where to buy

Angora ferrets and ferret food can be purchased from Angora, No 1365 Kaixuan Road, near Anshun Road, Changning district, 5230 1968

www.angora.com.cn