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Ferrets are fun-loving critters that capture your heart, stimulate your imagination, keep you on your toes and give you unconditional love for years to come. A ferret's sense of joy, strong will, and ability to make each waking moment a new adventure are immeasurable. |
What are ferrets?
Ferrets are domestic animals, cousins of weasels, skunks and otters. (Other relatives include minks, ermines, stoats, badgers, and polecats.) They are not rodents; taxonomically they're in between cats and dogs, a little closer to dogs. They are friendly and make excellent pets. If you've never met one before, get your butt to Cincinnati and come meet ours! It's believed ferrets were first domesticated by the Egyptians in 3000 B.C.E.
Most historians believe that the Crusaders of the 10-12th century introduced the working ferret to Europe. Ferrets have been in the United States for over 300 years. They were used in the 1800's for rodent control. In the 1980's ferrets are often kept on small farms and at feed mills for rodent control.
What's good about ferrets as pets?
It is only fairly recently that so many people have "discovered" what wonderful pets ferrets make! Ferrets are a lot of fun. They are very playful, with each other and with you, and they don't lose much of that playfulness as they get older. A ferret — or better, two or more — can be a very entertaining companion. They are very inquisitive and remarkably determined, which is part of their charm but can also be a bit of a bother. They are friendly, and they do know and love you, though for some of them it can take a year or so to fully bond.
They can be trained to use a litter box and to do tricks, and most of them love to go places with you, riding on a shoulder or in a bag. They sleep a lot, and they don't particularly mind staying in small places cage, for instance, or a shoulder bag) temporarily, although they need to run around and play for at least a couple of hours a day. A "single" ferret won't be terribly lonely, although the fun of watching two or three playing together is easily worth the small extra trouble. Barring accidents, ferrets typically live 6-10 years.
Okay, what's the catch?
Ferrets have lots of good points as pets, but there are some negatives as well. Like kittens and puppies, they require a lot of care and training at first. They're "higher maintenance" than cats; they'll take more of your time and attention. Although most ferrets get along reasonably well with cats and dogs, it's not guaranteed, so if you have large, aggressive pets (particularly dogs of breeds commonly used for hunting), keep that in mind. Likewise, small children and ferrets are both very excitable, and the combination might be too much.
Finally, the importance of ferretproofing must be emphasized. Ferrets are less destructive than cats, but they love to get into EVERYTHING, so if you keep them loose you'll need to make sure they can't hurt themselves or your possessions. They love to steal small (and not so small!) objects and stash them under chairs and behind furniture. They like to chew on spongy, springy things, which must be kept out of reach or they'll swallow bits. Accessible boxes, bags, and trash cans will be crawled in, and houseplants within reach are liable to lose all their dirt to joyful digging. Finally, many ferrets tend to scratch and dig at the carpet. Naturally, these traits vary from one ferret to another, but they're all pretty common. If you're not willing to take the necessary time to protect your property and your pet, a ferret may not be for you.
Are ferrets wild? Why are there ferret permits?
Domestic pet ferrets, Mustela furo (sometimes called Mustela putorius furo), are not wild animals.
They have been domesticated for a very long time, perhaps a two or three thousand years. If yours got free it would not survive; it would almost certainly die of dehydration or starvation within a few days. Unlike cats and dogs, ferrets aren't even large enough to push over garbage cans and scavenge.
Domestic ferrets are generally believed to be descended from the European polecat; they were originally used as hunting animals to catch rabbits and rodents. They weren't supposed to kill the prey, they just chased them out of their holes and the farmers (hunters) killed them. This practice is now illegal in the U.S. and Canada, but it's still fairly popular in the U.K. and some other places.
What's an FFZ, and why do they exist?
A "ferret-free zone," or FFZ, is a place where ferrets are banned or illegal. In some other places, ferret owners are required to have licenses or permits. States, counties, and municipalities outlaw or restrict ferrets for a variety of reasons, pretty much all invalid, but I'd say that the underlying ones are that (1) many people don't understand what a pet ferret is, and (2) the power plays which seem to be inevitable in the world of politics sometimes end up being more important than truth or fairness. (Cynical but unfortunately true.)
What are some of those invalid reasons, you ask? Well, a common one is that ferrets are seen as wild animals like raccoons or skunks, rather than a domestic species like housecats. Of course, ferrets have been domesticated for roughly 3000 years, longer than cats have. Another popular misconception is that ferrets pose a serious rabies danger; in fact, studies have indicated that it's very hard for a ferret to catch rabies, and when one does, it dies very quickly, so the danger is very small indeed. Besides, there's a ferret rabies vaccine which has been shown to be effective. A third common reason for banning ferrets is the idea that escaped pets will form feral packs and threaten livestock or native wildlife. There are exactly zero confirmed cases of feral ferrets (as opposed to polecats or polecat-ferret crosses, for instance) in the U.S., and a few deliberate attempts to introduce domestic ferrets to the wild have failed miserably, so this, too, is an unfounded fear -- even if one could picture a ferret harming a cow or breaking into a commercial poultry farm.
The only states which now ban ferrets are California and Hawaii. In the face of overwhelming evidence, many areas are being persuaded to change their outdated regulations.
Why so much confusion?
Most of the misconceptions regarding domestic ferrets probably come from mistaking them for their wild cousins. It's very difficult to tell a polecat or a mink from a domestic ferret when all you've seen is a flash of fur disappearing into a burrow, and polecats and minks are quite common in the less-developed areas of Europe and North America.
Because of the similar names, domestic ferrets have also been confused with their cousins the North American Black-Footed Ferrets, Mustela nigripes. Black-footed ferrets (BFFs) are wild remote relatives of the domestic ferret. They are an endangered species: the only BFFs known to exist are in zoos or in a breeding program in Wyoming. However, despite similar appearances, the BFF is not very closely related to the domestic ferret.
What are the different ferret colors?
Ferrets often change colors with the seasons, lighter in the winter than in the summer, and many of them lighten as they age, too. Different ferret organizations recognize different colors and patterns, but unless you're planning to enter your ferret in a show, the exact label isn't particularly important. Some of the more commonly accepted colors are described in general terms below, adapted from summaries written by William and Diane Killian of Zen and the Art of Ferrets and Pam Grant of STAR*Ferrets.
The albino is the old true ferret color. White with red eyes and pink nose. A dark-eyed white can have very light eyes and can possibly be confused with an albino. These can actually range from white to cream colored with the whiter the color the better. A dark-eyed white (often called a black-eyed white) is a ferret with white guard hairs but eyes darker than the red of an albino.
The sable has rich dark brown guard hairs with golden highlights, with a white to golden undercoat. A black sable has blue-black guard hairs with no golden or brownish cast, with a white to cream undercoat.
The chocolate is described as warm dark to milk chocolate brown with a white to golden or amber undercoat and highlights.
A cinnamon is a rich light reddish brown with a golden to white undercoat. This can also be used to describe a ferret with light, tan guard hairs with pinkish or reddish highlights. Straight tan is a champagne.
A silver starts out grey, or white with a few black hairs. The ferret may or may not have a mask. There is a tendency for the guard hair to lighten to white evenly over the body. As a ferret ages each progressive coat change has a higher percentage of white rather than dark guard hairs. Eventually the ferret could be all white.
White patches on the throat might be called throat stars, throat stripes, or bibs; white toes, mitts (sometimes called silver mitts), or stockings go progressively further up the legs. A blaze or badger has a white stripe on the top of the head, and a panda has a fully white head. A siamese has a darker color on the legs and tail, and a V-shaped mask.
What do you call a ferret male/female/baby/group?
An unneutered male is called a Hob, and an unspayed female is a Jill. Officially, neutered males (first picture, on the right) are gibs and neutered females are sprites (on the left), but those words aren't as commonly used. A baby ferret of either gender (second picture) is a kit.
The most commonly accepted phrase for a group is "a business of ferrets". Some people spell it "busyness" instead. Another possibility, "fastening" or "fesnyng," is thought to be due to a misreading of "bysnys" long ago.
How can I help the ferret community?
There are lots of ways you can help the ferret community at large. If your ferrets are very trustworthy and have had their vaccinations, take them with you to the park or pet store and show people what wonderful pets they are, to counteract all the false rumors.Adopt, foster, or sponsor a ferret from a local shelter, or donate old towels, food, litter, cages, money, or time. Many shelters could use help with construction projects, computer setup and use, recordkeeping, etc., as well as day-to-day ferret care, cage cleaning, and trips to the vet. (However, shelter directors are very busy people, and may have established routines they'd rather not have disrupted, so don't be offended if your offer of help is refused. Ask if there's something else you could do instead.)
Donate money to the Morris Animal Foundation's study to determine the rabies shedding time in ferrets, so our furry friends will enjoy the same legal protection as dogs and cats if they nip someone, and won't be immediately killed for testing (in some states). Send your tax-deductible contribution to Morris Animal Foundation/Ferret Shed Study, 45 Inverness Drive East, Englewood, CO 80112-5480, and write "ferret shed study" as a note on your check.
Participate in the "Support Our Shelters" coupon book program, in which you send $25 and receive a book of grocery store coupons of YOUR choice worth at least $200.
What does such-and-such a noise mean?
- Nothing
- Most ferrets don't make much noise. This doesn't mean they're unhappy, it just means, well, they're quiet.
- Clucking, "dooking," or chuckling
- Indicates happiness or excitement. Often uttered while playing or exploring a new area.
- Whimpering/whining
- Kits, especially, do this as a general excitement noise. It can also be uttered by the loser in a wrestling match.
- Hissing
- Frustration or anger. Ferrets often hiss while they're fighting, even if it's just in play.
- Screeching/loud chittering
- Extreme fright or pain. This is your cue that it's time to go rescue your pet from whatever it's gotten itself into. It can also be a sign of anger.
What books can I get or recommend to my vet?
There is a series out by the
American Animal Hospital Association 12575 West Bayaud Ave. Lakewood, CO 80228 tel. 800-252-2242for practitioners on exotic pets. There are five books in the series. Dr. Jeff Jenkins and Dr. Susan Brown produced the one on Rabbits and Ferrets (he did the rabbit part). Many people feel that it is practical and useful; it has drug dosages, treatments, husbandry, normal clinical pathology values, and diagnostic techniques that might be useful for your vet.
Are there any other useful references?
Dr. Bruce Williams, DVM, recommends these references on cancers:
Lawrence HJ et al. Unilateral adrenalectomy as a treatment for adrenocortical tumors in ferrets: Five cases (1990-1992). JAVMA 203(2): pp 267-270, 15 July 1993.
Rosenthal KL et al. Hyperadrenocorticism associated with adrenocortical tumor or nodular hyperplasia of the adrenal gland in ferrets: 50 cases (1987-1991). JAVMA 203(2):pp. 271-275, 15 July 1993.
Marini, RP et al. Functional islet cell tumor in six ferrets. JAVMA 202(3):430-434, 1 February 1993.
