WRITER NEEDS HELP ABOUT FERRETS
Jerry King
is just one thing more I need to know.
Do ferrets make noise/ If they do, what does it sound like?
Please answer by posting here or e-mail.
Your help is greatly appreciated
Lee McKee
rites:
:>
:>jk...@cts.com (Jerry King) wrote:
:>
:>>A character in my book is about to find a ferret. I have most of the information I need. There
:>>is just one thing more I need to know.
:>
:>>Do ferrets make noise/ If they do, what does it sound like?
:>DOOK DOOK DOOK DOOK DOOK DOOK CHATTER CHATTER CHATTER HISS HISS!!!
:>DOOK DOOK DOOK DOOK DOOK DOOK DOOK DOOK DOOK...
:>CHATTER CHATTER
:>HISSSSSS!!!!
:>
:> Ha! :-)
:>
:>Laurel, a ferret owner.
:>(most call it a "dook" or "dooking" but it's similar to a chattering
:>like a raccoon. They will also hiss if you piss 'em off, and if they
:>get hurt, they'll screech like a baby.)
:>
Okay, but in general, ferrets are silent. They are not as chatty as cats or
raccoons. The "dooking"comes generally when they are excited and are dancing
about. To me, it sounds more like a chicken clucking, or like Renfield in the
1931 Dracula speeded up to 78 rpm. I'd describe it as chuckling. They do hiss
when you try to take something away from them that they have a serious
emotional investment in. That hiss sounds like a bicycle pump.
If this ferret is going to be more than a passing reference, I'd suggest that
you hook up with your nearest ferret club or shelter and see some up close
and personal, and talk to "ferret people" about lost and found stories.
Maybe I should amend that "in general, ferrets are silent". They may not be
expressing themselves with utterance, but they are eloquent in
motion--punctuated with the sounds of books and cups falling off shelves.
Good luck with your book.
-- Lee
Heidi Evans
>like a raccoon. They will also hiss if you piss 'em off, and if they
>get hurt, they'll screech like a baby.)
anyway. (Raccoons sing at least as much as they chatter. I know
because I had to take care of some for a wildlife rescue. If you're a
Rozz fan, you'll enjoy the sound (I am and do), if not it may drive you
up the wall. But this is getting off the topic of the thread).
Laurel
>A character in my book is about to find a ferret. I have most of the information I need. There
>is just one thing more I need to know.
>Do ferrets make noise/ If they do, what does it sound like?
DOOK DOOK DOOK DOOK DOOK DOOK CHATTER CHATTER CHATTER HISS HISS!!!
DOOK DOOK DOOK DOOK DOOK DOOK DOOK DOOK DOOK...
CHATTER CHATTER
HISSSSSS!!!!
Ha! :-)
Laurel, a ferret owner.
Laurel
>Maybe I should amend that "in general, ferrets are silent". They may not be
>expressing themselves with utterance, but they are eloquent in
>motion--punctuated with the sounds of books and cups falling off shelves.
In general, ferrets are silent. They also have an unreal attatchment
to socks, shiney things, my remote control, pens, my printer, and
photographs. If you take any of these things away from (my) ferrets,
they are not silent any more. :-)
Laurel
Ellen Byrne
>A character in my book is about to find a ferret. I have most of the information I need. There
>is just one thing more I need to know.
>
>Do ferrets make noise/ If they do, what does it sound like?
>
>
>Your help is greatly appreciated
Ferrets do make a noise, but for the most part, they're quiet. Some of mine
can be quite vocal, though; expecially when exploring or playing. The whole
ferrets seem to be the most vocal. But, anyway, I would describe the sound as
"dook, dook." If a ferret is suddenly alarmed, they will make one loud bark -
like a small dog. But I've rarely seen, or heard, one of mine do that.
Good luck in your book. I'd been interested once it's finished.
Ellen
Shadyside Ferrets
Jason Creager
>A character in my book is about to find a ferret. I have most of the
>information I need. There is just one thing more I need to know.
>Do ferrets make noise/ If they do, what does it sound like?
>Please answer by posting here or e-mail.
>Your help is greatly appreciated
See previous post about dooking...
Please be sure that the character is not about to find a "wild" ferret in
the forest or anything stupid like that. And, unless it's a black footed
ferret that's been kidnapped by terrorists, don't have it "returned" to the
wild. Only black footed ferrets (as different from domestic ferrets as a
wolf is to a dog) are wild. Generally, domestic ferrets cannot survive on
their own. If you want to make sure that your encounter's circumstances
could actually happen in the real world, I can point you to some experts!
Let us know more about your book, too!
Ken Loomis
domesticated ferrets, subscribe to the Ferret Mailing List for a while
by following these instructions:
======================================
To subscribeto the FML, send email to its moderator, Bill Gruber, at:
and ask to be added. You'll get a note back detailing policies and
such and explaining how to send letters to the list.
======================================
It's a lively group with lots of stories to educate you about the
personalities of domesticated ferrets.
Ken Loomis
Pamela Greene
> A character in my book is about to find a ferret. I have most of the
> information I need. There is just one thing more I need to know.
>
> Do ferrets make noise/ If they do, what does it sound like?
*scamper* *crash!* *snuffle-snuffle-sniff* *drag,drag* [repeat] :)
Seriously, though, ferrets do make noise, but not much. A happy
ferret, playing or exploring, -might- make a sort of "dook, dook"
sound, also sometimes described as a chuckle or an "urk, urk" noise.
Some ferrets only dook very rarely, though.
A slightly annoyed ferret, say one whose toy is being pulled away from
it, may hiss, sort of a "hsshshshk!" from the back of the mouth, up by
the soft palate. A more upset one, or one who's losing a wrestling
match with a ferret friend, may begin to whimper or make a
high-pitched series of dooks or or urks. A somewhat distressed
ferret, say one whose foot you've just stepped on, will give a similar
chitter, "urk-urk-urk-urk!" Finally, a really frightened or
aggressive ferret may scream, which ranges from a monkey's screech to
that of a 3-year-old human child and has been known to wake sleeping
grad students at 8 in the morning, two rooms away. :) (Don't worry,
the ferret was fine, just had a sore toe for a day or two.)
For a sample (in .au, or Ulaw, format) of the sounds one pair of
ferrets make while wrestling, take a listen at
http://www.optics.rochester.edu:8080/users/pgreene/sounds/idefix-adhemar.au
or download the same file from
ftp://ftp.optics.rochester.edu/pub/pgreene
--
- Pam Greene
Ferret Central <http://www.optics.rochester.edu:8080/users/pgreene/>
or ftp to ftp.optics.rochester.edu and look in pgreene/
or send INDEX FERRET in email to <list...@cunyvm.cuny.edu>