In just five years, the angora ferret has made its mark among local pet owners

Just five years ago, there was only a handful of angora ferrets kept as pets in Beijing - all brought in by expatriates from either the United States or Europe.

Today, there are more than 1,000 longhaired angora ferrets in Beijing - with most living comfortably in the homes of local Chinese.

"I was captivated the first time I saw an angora ferret in a pet store," said Wang Yi, who bought a female which she named Diudiu in May last year. "She is so lovely, and just like a baby.

"The more interesting thing is that her birthday is the same as my dad's."

For the owners, nothing compares with the love and playfulness of the cute and friendly creature.

The animal is a popular pet in the US and Europe and thanks to a local pet store, Angora Ferret, more Beijingers are coming to know about the creature with little round eyes.

Ferrets sold in the store are locally bred from animals brought from Denmark.

The baby ferrets will be delivered to customers about two months after being born. All would have been spayed or neutered and its stink gland removed.

Wang said Diudiu is very clean and only lays waste in the corner of the cage.

"She even know her name when I call her," Wang said. "I now keep the door of the cage open and she will come back to the cage after playing outside."

Wang likes angora ferrets so much that she now has another, named Jiacheng, after the rich businessman in Hong Kong.

"It's a good name. In fact, he's as intelligent as a four-year-old kid. I call him 'my son'," she said.

This intelligent animal with a beautiful appearance and nice personality had attracted many people like Wang.

Different from wild ferrets, which are one or two meters in length, the angora ferret is between 40-50 cm long. The fur and eyes may have different colors, such as white and brown.

Prices depend on color. An animal with black eyes and the longer white fur costs about 8,000 yuan while less desirable ones can be as low as 1,900 yuan.

Fu Shuming, who manages a branch of Angora Ferret, said: "The closer you are to them, the more interesting you will find they are. More people like them because of its intelligence."

Her store in Xidan sells 30 to 50 angora ferrets every month, with reservations needed for some of the more popular ones.

"They are easy to raise. They sleep 16 to 18 hours a day, which means that it is not necessary for you to be with them all day long," Fu said.

"It's very smart and as mischievous as a dog, rolling on the ground when you are home. If they are happy, they will make a sound like 'goo goo'.

"Angora ferrets are also very endearing and can understand the owner's feelings. Even if they were not lovely to look at, their personality and cleverness would be the winner."

Lin Ao said his pet is only six months old.

"I brought him in the end of last year," Lin said. "Now he knows how to kiss me, but not people he's not familiar with. He makes me feel less lonely.

"My life became colorful. It has already become part of me. If you ask me why I chose it as my pet, I would say, why not?"

China Daily