Well, why not get yourself a ferret?

Garry Knight and his wife Teresa-Ellen Gardiner, of Wodonga, swear by them, saying they are a new “must have” pet.

Click on the video below to see Buckley the ferret in action. (iPhone users go to the Video tab in Menu.)

“Garry told me, ‘now he’s going to be a working ferret’,” Ms Gardiner said.

“But his personality has won us over and he’s become a pet.

“I never knew they could actually endear themselves to you.”

Mr Knight, who had ferrets as a child, said he wanted one to show his grandsons.

“They are just so entertaining,” he said.

Mr Knight said his wife loved their ferret Buckley that kept them amused with a “Weasel War Dance”.

“He gets so excited, he flips over,” Ms Gardiner said.

Mr Knight said ferrets were cheap to buy, required no council licence fee or yearly injections and could be fed dry cat food.

However, he wanted potential owners to know they were a domestic animal not able fend for themselves if lost and females had to be desexed or mated, otherwise they would fall ill and die.

The couple said there was a whole underworld of ferret lovers blooming, with websites selling leads and collars and other accessories.

“You can go overboard like you can with your dog and cat,” Ms Gardiner said.