General News 1 0 PET TRADE WORLD DECEMBER 2009www. pettradeworld. com Ferreting about - Fert / James Wellbeloved census results! Over the summer, James Wellbeloved and the Ferret Education & Research Trust ( FERT) carried out a survey of almost 1400 ferret owners, with a view to focussing on one of Britain's popular, but perhaps little known, pets. Peter Lancaster, James Wellbeloved marketing director, said: " We were delighted with the level of response, and came up with some myth- busting facts which have gone down well with the national media. On the serious side, we also found that 85% of respondents were feeding our food, which is good news - for ferrets as well as for us and our pet trade partners! However, there are also some concerns - 40% of owners don't bother with regular veterinary checks, let alone vaccination or microchipping." Opportunities for the specialist pet trade, alongside offering the ferret owner's preferred James Wellbeloved food ( almost fi ve times as popular as the next biggest brand), include bedding materials - 47% use a commercially made washable fabric, while the balance use straw, paper or other products. Ian Kearns from FERT comments: " Ferrets make great pets - and we know the specialist pet trade is well placed to help us get the message across. We also know that the trade can help current and future owners do their homework right, and get their ferrets' welfare correct. 10 THINGS YOU NEVER KNEW ABOUT FERRETS. Ferret Education & Research Trust / James Wellbeloved survey, 2009 . Forget northern stereotypes about fl at caps and a ferret down the trousers - over a quarter of Britain's ferrets live the south east, compared to just 12 per cent in the north west. . Forget diamonds - ferrets are a girl's best friend! 61% of ferret owners are female. . Ferret owners like to do it in pairs - 67% are married or living with a partner. . A single ferret is a lonely ferret - 88% of owners have at least two.. while one respondent has an amazing 160 ferrets! . Almost half of owners have acquired their ferret in the last fi ve years - revenge on the ' handbag' dogs trend maybe? . Ferrets no longer work for their living - only one in fi ve ferrets is in employment! . Ferrets come in a range of different colours - the sable, or polecat is the most popular ( 78%), followed by albino ( 57%), sandy ( 43%), silver ( 27%), dark eyed white ( 14%). . Most ferrets are fed on special dried food, sometimes combined with fresh meat. . Over half of ferret owners take their pet to the vets for a regular check- up, but that still leaves 40% of owners who don't bother. . And fi nally - 21% of male ferrets have had a vasectomy. ¦ 85% of respondents feed James Wellbeloved

General News www. pettradeworld. comPET TRADE WORLD DECEMBER 2009 11 . No. 1 small animal feed grocery brand . No artifi cial colours . No artifi cial fl avours . Growing 25% year on year . Value proposition Stock up now by calling 01845 578 111 or email enquiries@ waggfoods. co. uk Teeth, bones, bank balances. Our small animal range helps them all.