Ferrets are highly social animals and thrive with companionship. This post will explore why ferrets need friends and the benefits of having more than 1 ferret. It will also address lone ferrets. Why ferrets need other ferrets It’s a common misconception that lone ferrets can ‘be fine’ on their own, exceptional circumstances notwithstanding. All ferrets should be able to have other ferret friends. It’s important to keep ferrets in at least pairs or more. ...
A quick index for all posts in the ‘Ferret 101’ series. This will help you navigate to posts quickly and find what you’re looking for. ฅ՞•ﻌ•՞ฅ♡ฅ՞•ﻌ•՞ฅ Potential Pros & Cons Of Owning Ferrets — A super simple post highlighting some basic pros and cons to owning ferrets. How Much Do Ferrets Cost? — A breakdown of the basic costs associated with owning ferrets. Initial Ferret Supplies Checklist — A basic bullet point checklist of initial ferret supplies. ...
This post will dive into raw feeding for ferrets. Raw 101 will be a series of posts on raw feeding (you can find all relevant posts on the series page). This is the main guide to all things raw and will include, kibble vs raw (condensed), ferret nutrition, types of diets and the amount of raw. Why raw and not kibble? Our blog will mainly discuss raw feeding as it is our preference, we have conducted much research on both raw feeding and kibble feeding to determine this. Raw food has many benefits for ferrets that kibble does not provide. These benefits include but are not limited to: ...
Ferrets display a wide variety of behaviours. From pouncing and digging to the famous ‘weasel war dance’ this blog post will run through some of the most common ferret behaviours and why they do them! I have organised these behaviours into 8 separate categories. Playful Behaviours War dancing Also referred to as the ‘weasel war dance’. It’s a series of jumps, hops, twists and dooking which normally result in invitations to play, chase or capture a toy. Ferrets will war dance at you or other ferrets, it’s a sign they’re very excited! In the wild, ferrets war dance to confuse their prey or other predatory species. ...
Ferrets make many noises, from happy dook-dooking to huffing. This blog post will highlight some common ferret sounds and their meanings! Dooking Dooking is probably the most well-known ferret vocalisation. It often sounds like a soft and repetitive ‘clucking’ sound, which can vary in pitch. Ferrets mostly dook when they’re happy. But there are actually multiple types of ferret dooking! Such as: Happy dooks. The most commonly known sound, ferrets will dook when feeling happy, playful or excited. Some ferrets don’t dook — this doesn’t mean they’re unhappy, it could just mean they were never taught how to dook! ...
Here’s a super simple post on ferret colours and patterns! It will include ferret colours, patterns, markings, mask specifics and nose colours. Before diving into ferret colours, there are a couple of definitions. These will help you determine your ferrets’ colour & pattern. Undercoat The general under-fur of the ferret. Gives ferrets their overall colour appearance. Guard hairs The very top/tips of the ferret fur. Masks The mark around the ferret’s eyes. Ferret Colours Albino Albino ferrets lack colour pigmentation, meaning they appear all white. If ferrets have any coloured fur including guard hairs, or dark eyes, they are not considered Albino. Albino ferrets will have bright red eyes. This is due to a lack of colour pigmentation, it is not the colour red. Albino ferrets may also have a faint yellow colour due to the secreting of skin oils. Silver/Roan Silver ferrets will have 50% or more guard hairs, which are white. Usually, silver ferrets will gain more white hairs every time they shed. This is often called ‘roaning out’ until they become a DEW (Dark-eyed white). Dark-eyed white (DEW) DEW ferrets appear white all over. Similar to Albino ferrets, they may also have a yellow hue due to oils. The main difference is DEW ferrets will have dark eyes. Black Black ferrets have dark black fur. There are many varieties of black ferrets based on patterns and markings. Black ferrets may be solid or partially black. Champagne/Sandy Most commonly known as Sandy ferrets, these ferrets have tan-appearing legs and tails and a light cream to white undercoat. Sandy ferrets will have bronze/brown guard hairs, vary in eye colours but will often have a pink nose. Sandy ferrets masks and coats may become faint during summer. Chocolate Chocolate ferrets come in all patterns and markings. Known for their chocolate-coloured medium-brown to dark-brown coats. They may sometimes have lighter-appearing guard hairs. In the US, many ferrets labelled as ‘Cinnamon’, especially those from Marshalls, are in fact chocolate. Cinnamon Cinnamon ferrets are VERY rare. They are a variation of Champagne/Sandy ferrets with a prominent red hue. Sable/Polecat Typically, the most common ferret colour. Sables are a dark colour with a cream-beige undercoat. This varies depending on the individual ferret and the season. Ferret Patterns Blaze The Blaze pattern is not present in white ferrets. It is defined as a long stripe on top of the head that runs down the back of the ferret. Mutt Mutt patterns consist of spots, splotches, roaning and other patterns. Typically, ferrets which are Mutt are multiple colours and do not have any distinct patterns or markings. Panda The Panda pattern is not present in white ferrets. Panda ferrets have almost fully white heads, with darker patches around the shoulders and hips. They will usually not have a mask but instead have small rings of colour around the eyes and ears (like Pandas!) Solid Also not present in white ferrets. True solid ferrets will have no white hairs, including no white guard hairs. Standard Similar to the solid pattern. Standard patterns may have white guard hairs. Their overall colours are less concentrated and other markings may be present. Patterned/Stripe Appears in all colours except for white. Patterned ferrets will typically have white guard hairs, coloured spots or patches and a stripe going down their backs. Mitt The Mitt pattern is not present in white ferrets. Mitt ferrets will have white Mitt markings on the feet and Bib markings. Point Also not present in white ferrets, but will be present in all other colours. Point ferrets will have an obvious difference between their coat colour and different points. The points can be present on the shoulders, legs, and tail in addition to their mask. Roaning Roaning is mainly seen in Silver/Roan ferrets but can appear in other colours except white. Roaning ferrets will have 40-60% of their guard hairs white, giving it a ‘salt & pepper’ effect. Ferret Markings/Details Bib A patch under their neck, giving the ferret the appearance of wearing a Bib. Mutt Random appearing white marks. Milk Mouth A white circular patch around the ferret’s mouth. Milk Toes White markings on the tip or entirety of the ferret’s toes. These marks will not extend past the feet. Mitt White markings on the ferret’s feet, which extend to the ankles. Stocking Similar to mitts, but the white marks will extend partially-fully up the leg. Points White or coloured markings on the shoulders, legs, tail, and mask. Other Other markings can range from patches on the back, tail, knees, shoulders, or chest. Ferret Masks Standard/Full A solid and prominent band around and between both eyes. A classic mask appearance. T bar A solid band around and in between both eyes and extended to the top of the head. The T bar would resemble an upside-down letter ‘T’. V Mask A thinner band which extends down to the nose. Resembles the letter ‘V’. Warpaint No apparent mask but can have patches of colour around the eyes. Common in silver and panda ferrets. Ferret Nose Colours/Markings Pink A full pink nose. Black A full dark-black nose. Pale A pale off-pink/cream-coloured nose. Cleft A nose which folds on both sides, usually most apparent in Angora ferrets. Tuffed Only appears on Cleft noses. Tuffed refers to noses which have extended/patches of fur on them. Dotted Noses that are typically pink/pale with a singular dot on them. Speckled Noses that are typically pink/pale with multiple dots on them, giving them a speckled effect. Inverted Speckled Noses which are the opposite of Speckled. Noses are often brown-black with lighter dots on them. Brown T Noses which are pink with a brown ‘T’ letter resemblance on them. Here’s a fantastic chart by IceIceAislynn on deviantart ...
‘Are ferrets smelly?’, ‘Don’t ferrets stink?’. While it’s true, ferrets do smell — like ferrets, all animals have a smell. Ferrets, however, get a terrible reputation for being stinky. So, what makes odeur de furet? Why are they stigmatised for having a bad smell? Well, ferrets have a natural musky odour because of their scent glands. Scent glands are situated throughout the whole body. But are primarily in the anal area, which they use for marking. ...
You’ve done the research, got everything on the checklist, and now you’re ready to get your ferrets! But where do you get them from? When looking at getting ferrets there are basically 3 options. Breeders Pet Shops Rescues/Shelters. In this post, I’ll dive into each option to help you decide where to get your ferrets. Breeders Ferrets from private and ethical Breeders will normally be younger ferrets (kits). They can be from accidental litters, bred for specific purposes (working or showing), bred as pets (for temperament and home life), or bred for specific markings, colours, or coats (the most common ones bred specifically for this purpose are Angora ferrets). The cost for bred ferrets varies drastically. The cost will depend on the specific breeders’ fees and often the type and sex of the ferret. Costs can be from £50-£200 per ferret. ...