By Samuel Wightwick
A woman owns nearly 50 pet ferrets who all live in their own “ferret mansion” – complete with mini-beds, hammocks and slides.
Rosie Stubbs, 31, has acquired 47 through breeding, rescuing and her own collection.
Rosie has had ferrets ever since she was 12 and once had a staggering 85 of them at her home.
When she left her family’s farm five years ago, Rosie moved into a property in Bilsthorpe, Nottinghamshire that had a large outhouse.
She filled the 35 sq ft building with everything a ferret could wish and dubbed it the “ferret mansion”.
She said: “The mansion’s got mini-beds, hammocks, slides, tubes and swings. Anything you can think of!
“It’s split into two sections. One side is full of hutches for when rescues come in and the other half is where my ferrets live.”
Rosie said her love for the animal came from her father, who used them on his farm.
“I just love them. They can be so loving,” she added.
Even with all of these luxuries, she said it is hard to stop them getting bored so is always looking for ways to keep them entertained.
She said: “I’m very up for going to car boot sales and finding things second hand for the ferrets to play with.
“It helps the environment and you can always find quirky things for the ferrets to enjoy.
“I found this bean bag for £3 and thought they would like it
“Then when it got all grimy, I decided to take all of the beans out and have a ball party. They loved it!
“We tried feathers too, but they didn’t like them as much.”
As well as having her own group of ferrets, Rosie has been breeding the rarer variety of Angora ferrets for 17 years.
Angora ferrets are pretty much the same as their regular counterparts aside from their coat, which makes them much more sought after.
Rosie said: “The thing people like them for specifically is their coat. Angora ferrets are so much fluffier than regular ferrets.
“I love breeding them and seeing what kind of coats they are going to come out with. It’s cool when you get some unusual ones.”
Rosie spends approximately £200 a month on upkeep but it can go up and down depending on how many she has.
She added: “They’re great pets for working people as they actually sleep 20-22 hours a day.
“Having said that, they do go to toilet about 10-12 times a day and I have to clean their cages out very often.”
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