Starr - Image taken by Maretta Emily Photography
The scientific name for Domestic Ferret is Mustela Putorius Furo.
Mustela putorius (from Latin word 'putor' meaning stench) furo (from the Latin word 'furonem' and the Italian word 'furone' which means thief).
So basically they are a smelly thieving mammal!
The ferret has been domesticated for around 2,500 years.
They are ancestors of the weasels, skunks and otters and have many other relatives like the minks, ermines, badgers, black-footed ferrets, polecats and fishers.
FERRETS ARE NOT A RODENT!
Ferrets are sexually dimorphic predators with males being substantially larger than females.
Ferrets have an average length of 20 inches (51 cm) including a 5 inch (13 cm) tail and weigh anywhere from about 0.7–2.5kg.
Males normally being double the size of a female. My smallest female was about 720 grams and my largest male cracked 2.4kg.
Ferrets are crepuscular, this means they spend 14–18 hours a day asleep and are most active around the hours of dawn and dusk.
An altered (spayed) female ferret is called a sprite, an unaltered female ferret is called a jill.
An altered (castrated) male ferret is called a Gib and an unaltered male ferret is called a Hob.
A vascectomised male ferret is called a Giblet. He shoots blanks and brings jills out of season without producing a litter.
Most ferrets will live happily in social groups and this is commonly referred to as a "business”. 1 ferret is solo, 2 ferrets is a pair, 3 or more ferrets are referred to as 'a business'.
Mustela putorius (from Latin word 'putor' meaning stench) furo (from the Latin word 'furonem' and the Italian word 'furone' which means thief).
So basically they are a smelly thieving mammal!
The ferret has been domesticated for around 2,500 years.
They are ancestors of the weasels, skunks and otters and have many other relatives like the minks, ermines, badgers, black-footed ferrets, polecats and fishers.
FERRETS ARE NOT A RODENT!
Ferrets are sexually dimorphic predators with males being substantially larger than females.
Ferrets have an average length of 20 inches (51 cm) including a 5 inch (13 cm) tail and weigh anywhere from about 0.7–2.5kg.
Males normally being double the size of a female. My smallest female was about 720 grams and my largest male cracked 2.4kg.
Ferrets are crepuscular, this means they spend 14–18 hours a day asleep and are most active around the hours of dawn and dusk.
An altered (spayed) female ferret is called a sprite, an unaltered female ferret is called a jill.
An altered (castrated) male ferret is called a Gib and an unaltered male ferret is called a Hob.
A vascectomised male ferret is called a Giblet. He shoots blanks and brings jills out of season without producing a litter.
Most ferrets will live happily in social groups and this is commonly referred to as a "business”. 1 ferret is solo, 2 ferrets is a pair, 3 or more ferrets are referred to as 'a business'.
L-R: Nibbles, Teddy, Rascal, Gem & Darling
When excited, ferrets will perform a routine commonly referred to as the "weasel war dance", characterized by a frenzied series of sideways hops with their back arched and mouth wide open and bumping into objects. Despite its enthusiasm, this is not aggressive but a joyful and excited invitation to play. The weasel war dance is often accompanied by a soft clucking noise, commonly referred to as dooking.
Ollie War Dancing (Owner of ferret and image; Jessica Peereboom)
On the other hand, when agitated or upset, ferrets will make a distinct hissing noise much similar to that of a cat and if feeling threatened can “poof” like a skunk to deter their predator.
Ferrets have a general life span of 8-10 years but with any animal, there are unfortunate events that can occur that can send our loved ones to the Rainbow Bridge too early. Ferrets have the ability to easily outlive 13 years of age but this only occurs if your ferret is fed the correct diet, given the right care, love and social interaction with their owner and cage mates as well as any and all Veterinary care when necessary. The oldest ferret I ever met was 13 years and 4 months old and was put to sleep by his owner due to lack of quality of life (deaf and blind and found it difficult to get around). Please don't think that 6 years old is old age for a ferret, this can potentially be middle aged if cared for correctly.
Ferrets have a general life span of 8-10 years but with any animal, there are unfortunate events that can occur that can send our loved ones to the Rainbow Bridge too early. Ferrets have the ability to easily outlive 13 years of age but this only occurs if your ferret is fed the correct diet, given the right care, love and social interaction with their owner and cage mates as well as any and all Veterinary care when necessary. The oldest ferret I ever met was 13 years and 4 months old and was put to sleep by his owner due to lack of quality of life (deaf and blind and found it difficult to get around). Please don't think that 6 years old is old age for a ferret, this can potentially be middle aged if cared for correctly.
