You see, not only does Ferrets Unlimited help ferrets, but we also do mink rehab and release (wild mink) and offer sanctuary to ranch mink that have escaped fur farms in the area.

There is no way to properly describe this animal. They are scary smart, they problem solve better than any animal I have ever known.

Currently we have two ranch mink in the shelter, both farm escapees. Bob, a "pastel" colored boy and Asia, a black mink with a white spot on her chin. Both have been fixed.

Ranch mink cannot be released to the wild. There is a definite difference between wild and ranch. Wild mink are smaller, more compact, and do not trust humans at all. Wild mink are normally a brown color with reddish highlights. Mahogany in the closest color description I can think of.

Ranch mink are larger, and though most cannot be handled, they do have a certain amount of trust for humans. After all, humans feed them

The picture you see is Trouble. He is a ranch mink that I hand raised.

He is the reason I fell in love with mink. Strong, smart, soft, intelligent, spoiled. All are words that fit that boy.

He was given to me at the age of 12 days. His eyes still closed. I became his mom. I fed him every two hours, made him go potty, taught him that human skin is very tender.

I became mesmerized by mink. My first wild mink rescue was a yearling, he was "washed" up on a river bank in a flood area. Good samaritans thought he was a ferret.

He had been without food for a couple of days. We took him to the vet, making sure he was OK, got him healthier, made sure he could kill his prey, and swim. Second vet check to make sure he was 100%, then a drive to a friend's property who has over 60 acres that butts up a no hunting park. A fresh water stream with fish run through her property and the park. Lots of woods, lots or area to make a home in, lots of food to hunt.

We opened the carrier, and he was off. He ran and jumped and "danced" in the water. You could see the joy of being back in nature. It was a rush to watch him.

Mink do not make good pets. They are very HIGH maintenance. Ranch mink that escape and end up here, spend their life being spoiled. We have an understanding.

Sometimes you can get a ranch mink to "reform" but I would never recommend them as a pet, as much as I love them.

Trouble is an exception. He has been handled and treated like a pet since before his eyes were open. He knows nothing else other than being spoiled.