new video of the weasel https://www.dropbox.com/s/c05mqalgetcg2vy/2015-02-24%2020.57.57.mov?dl=0 I think it is a female, but not 100% sure. She will let me hold her to get her from her pen to the play area, but she doesn't like to hold still and gets really excited. She knows we are going to play and tolerates being held, otherwise she is does not like to hold still. She is really gaining weight, but not growing much larger. She has discovered toys and really likes to play and has become vocal. You can hear her making a chuckling noise in this video. She also hisses if startled and makes a warning noise if she doesn't like something, like having to go back in her pen.

https://www.dropbox.com/s/3osn4k6ldo042a8/2015-02-22%2019.51.05-1.jpg?dl=0 picture of me holding her The wild weasel is also using a litter box. She uses it in her pen and in the playroom. There are no ferret cages that could ever hold this girl. She can slip through the small places so I am keeping her in large steralite container. https://www.dropbox.com/s/mae19ygplzxm0o3/2015-02-18%2018.13.51.jpg?dl=0 She is getting much more athletic. We have to keep the lid on, yes we drilled some air holes. As soon as you open the lid can now jump and balance on the edge.

All I can say is that she is adorable and so tiny. She sure acts very healthy so whatever you are feeding her seems to be good for her.

she is so tiny.....

looks like mr weasel has found an indoor home.  soooo cool.

THE DOOKS OF HAZARD

Sounds like she is "Weasel Dooking"  soooo cute.. I see you are doing all kinds of things to enrich her out time.. I think its amazing that even a wild animal loves to play if given half the chance..  Can I ask what room you are playing with her in?? I am curious where you can let her out that she doesn't find a hole tiny enough to get out..lol  How long would you say she plays before she starts to wear down??

So interesting watching this little critter.. I don't know anything about weasels are they daytime or nocturnal animals??


Love her Weasel Safe home you made..  Was gonna suggest a hamster cage or something for her.. But those digs look pretty luxurious to me..  

The area she is playing in is our master bathroom. It is one of the few weasel safe areas. She can fit through holes smaller than a quarter. I have to stuff towels tightly under the door and we had to block some holes she found under the cabinets. She plays for about 1 1/2 to 2 hours before she starts to wind down. She won't ever admit being tired, but I can tell she starts to slow down and starts seeking out places to hide to sleep. I weighed her and our little heavy weight comes in at 2 and 3/8 ounces. She is eating 1/2 to 3/4 ounces of meat a day. She has really filled out. She was so skinny when we found her, you could feel every rib. Now she has a little weasel tummy. She is both diurnal and nocturnal. She is awake for a hour or two than sleeps and just repeats this pattern all day and night.

So she's crepuscular, like ferrets.  Dar and I think it's so amazing that a) she's so tiny and b) she likes people.  What a once in a lifetime experience.  We hand feed a bunch of wild turtles in our pond, but we can't really say they're playful.  And they're not very cuddly.  We're jealous

THE DOOKS OF HAZARD

This is just too cute I had to share it. The weasel playing in a birdhouse. The weasel has been verified as a Least Weasel by the biology professors at the university here. https://www.dropbox.com/s/o79mtizp5mjfbse/IMG_0123.MOV?dl=0

Your right that is so so cute. She is having a good time.

Too cute.  I see you must have figured out how to keep her contained somewhat.  

THE DOOKS OF HAZARD

Wow that video gives a real perspective of her tiny size?? Have you given her a name yet?? She is sooo fast..lol 

The videos won't pull up for me but everyone says it looks like a stoat as does your description. Stoats are not endangered and I haven't seen anything making it illegal in Nebraska to own stoats. That being said they are wild animals and should not be kept in captivity. Ferrets are domesticated to be kept as pets and can not survive in the wild. Stoats are wild animals and live short lives even in captivity. What you most likely have is a female, and being late winter early spring she is probably getting ready for kids. Stoats hardly ever give birth in captivity, so you are denying her natural life cycle. 

I know they are very cute but they are wild animals. The best thing to do is to release her back into the wild. It is illegal to capture a wild animal and keep it as a pet in the state of Nebraska. The act of ownership of a stoat may not but the act of removing from a wild setting is, and can land you in some deep water with the local fish and game authorities. The worst thing you can do is make the stoat reliant on humans. This messes with their natural cycle and can actually be deadly to them. Feeding them foods not found in the wild can imprint them on that causing them to leave their natural diet, and once released they may even starve themselves. They don't just imprint on foods for personal preference but as a safety mechanism. You giving a healthy ferret diet instead of a stoat diet might show "hey stoat food is bad don't eat it" to them. 

Sorry to be so negative. Taking an animal from the wild and raising him/her is morally wrong and illegal even with the best intentions in mind. The stoat is of least concern, so there is no need for conservation at this time. 

>Not sure where to get rabbit or some mice. Any good options?


You can try Rodent Pro

http://www.rodentpro.com/

It's not a stoat.  It's a least weasel.  It weighs less than 3 ounces.  SpecialK says stoats are not native to Nebraska, and she may release her back to to wild in Spring.  I'd say there's a good chance she'd come back. In any case, ferrets are illegal in California, and there are an estimated half a million ferrets in that state.  Me, I'd take the chance and give that little weas it the best life I could, because it's a once in a lifetime opportunity, and it's already bonded with it's owner. It will probably live longer as a pet than the 18 months projected for it in the wild. 

At some point, a couple thousand years ago, someone domesticated ferrets to hunt vermin, and now we are addicted to them.  Same with dogs.  The law requires us to fix them.  I'm not endorsing going out and capturing wild animals to keep as pets, but in this case I'd be doing the same thing.

THE DOOKS OF HAZARD

Number one she has had it verified from the University in her area that it is a "Least Weasel" not a stoat.
Two she is doing and excellent job providing the weasel with enrichment and natural found foods.
Three,,, if no one ever took an animal from the wild in and tamed it we wouldn't have pets at all..
All pets at one time were from wild ancestors and some human decided they would enjoy them in captivity in their homes.. 

I don't appreciate the " morally wrong" comment.. Seems a bit over the top to me..  

I agree with unclejoe and dar24.

Just giving my two cents. Least weasel or stoat it is still a wild animal. Removing wild animals from nature is what destroys the population. Think of all those animals in the pet stores like turtles and lizards. Most of the time like iguanas they aren't captive bred and are taken out of their natural habitat destroying local populations. I was not trying to be rude or insulting. This is a forum for the proper care of animals and with everyone for keeping a wild animal there has to be a realistic person to say no. Wild animals very easily die in captivity, in a zoo setting or not. You could have her for 6-10 years or a matter of months. It's both right and wrong. I'm just heavily opposed to the illegal pet trade and the taking of animals from the wild to be used as pets. Even with the best intentions. If this is something you want to do then maybe look into becoming an animal rescuer to help the species as a whole. 

The weasel is getting released tomorrow. We have been waiting for the weather to get better and tonight is the last night predicted below freezing. She has been free roaming in our basement cold storage room for the past 5 days as the temps in there are about 20 degrees cooler than our house to acclimate her back to cooler temps. My sweet husband built her a weasel home. It is larger than a bird house with opens in both size just bigger enough for her to get in and out. The roof is hinged and I can open the top. I will post pictures. She has her favorite tshirt in there and he rigged a water bottle inside. I have been feeding her in the house too. She has been staying in it even though she has free reign. We will put the house out with her when we release her. Then she will have shelter, a safe place she is used to, as well as food and water. We will keep feeding her as long as she comes back to it. We have also been catching a lot of field mice in our live traps, almost one every day. We have been giving them to her and she has gotten very skilled at killing them. She eats the whole thing except a small pile of fur.