Are Ferrets Safe Pets?

QUESTION: My son is driving me crazy. He has taken to hanging out at a pet
shop where there are some ferrets for sale. The store owner assures me they
make fine pets, but I know I've read something about doctors disagreeing with
this. Can you help?
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ANSWER: You are right, doctors don't like ferrets as pets, if you are to
consider the number of references appearing recently in our scientific
literature. There have been a number of reports of ferrets biting babies
quite savagely; not the mere nipping that can occur in play. Some cases have
been so severe as to require plastic surgery. No one is clear on the reasons
for this, but some speculate that babies may emit an odor resembling baby
rabbits, a favorite prey of ferrets. Some say it is the smell of milk that
clings to the infant's clothes that stimulate these attacks. The fact is that
many reports show that ferrets will climb into a crib and attack a child
without provocation. Ferrets are still considered wild animals by many health
authorities, and an incident of biting requires the animal be destroyed.
Considering all of the many possibilities of animal pets that do exist without
these dangers, you would be taking the right tack in convincing your son to
transfer his affection to some other species.