Can you have a japanese weasel as a pet?

[Adidi95]

Hey guys, I was in japan last year and met some really lovely japanese weasels during my trip .
I know that weasels are very common pets, but it seems that japanese weasels are not. Does anyone know why? They do not seem that big or more agresive than other breed of weasels.

[Isidro]

Weasel are not very common pets, but instead extremely rare pets.They're completely absent from the pet trade I think. And Japanese weasels are no exception. Japanese weasels are entirely absent from European and North American zoos, altough the species which it belongs can be found at 15 European zoos. So I guess that importing them from Japan would be extremely difficult to impossible legally.

[sbell]

Weasel are not very common pets, but instead extremely rare pets.They're completely absent from the pet trade I think. And Japanese weasels are no exception. Japanese weasels are entirely absent from European and North American zoos, altough the species which it belongs can be found at 15 European zoos. So I guess that importing them from Japan would be extremely difficult to impossible legally.

Other than ferrets of course--but those are domesticated European polecats.

AFAIK, when it comes to wild mustelids, most can be fine as youngsters but when puberty kicks in they are uncontrollable.

Plus, small species like weasels have short-ish lifespans although that does mean someone dedicated could probably breed domestic forms pretty quickly.

[stargatedalek]

Some people also keep otters with relatively good success. But even then that's more their social behaviours making the aggression bearable than a lack of that signature mustelid viciousness.

[animalelitebeybey]

Japanese weasels like to be alone and they don't really like humans.   Maybe other types of weasels like ferrets are better as pets.