Are ferrets legeal in Plainfield, Indiana?

Question

We are thinking about adopting a ferret and we found out they are illegal in some places. Please let me know if they are legeal in Plainfield Indiana.

Answer 1

I didnt even know that they could be illegal anywhere. why would they be.  I thought they were just pets.

Answer 2

It is legal to own ferrets in the state of Indiana, however, some cities/counties have specific laws stating otherwise.

You would have to check w/ your local county or city animal control ordinance to find out if they are legal in your city/county.

The states of Hawaii and California have made it a statewide law that it is illegal to own ferrets. Cities such as New York and Dallas have made it a city wide law that it's illegal to own ferrets, despite the state law.

Several reasons are commonly given to explain why ferrets have been declared illegal. These include:

"Ferrets are wild animals." This is untrue; ferrets have been domesticated for thousands of years.

"There's no rabies shot for ferrets, so they'll spread this disease." In fact, IMRAB-3 has been USDA-approved for ferrets since 1991, and no human has ever contracted rabies from a ferret.

"Ferrets are dangerous, vicious biters." According to statistics from the Centers for Disease Control, a ferret is thousands of times less likely to bite than a dog is.

"A feral ferret population could destroy the environment." There are no feral domestic ferret (Mustela putorius furo) populations in North America; the wild cousin to the domestic ferret, the black-footed ferret (Mustela nigripes), is one of the most endangered species in the world.