PETsMART.com Small Animals

I'm thinking about getting a Ferret...
What should I keep in mind?

Ferrets belong to the mustelidae family. They're related to skunks, stoats, weasels, mink, martens, the zorilla of Africa, the Wolverine of North America, badgers and otters. They were first domesticated by the Egyptians as early as 3000 BC. Later, possibly by the Crusaders in the 12th century, they were brought to Europe. They are not wild animals and don't survive well on their own.

Male Ferrets are called hobs, females are jills, young are kits. Neutered males are known as gibs and females as sprites.

The avarage male ferret weighs about 5lbs and the female about 3lbs. They are about 20 inches long including their 6 inch tail. They come in sable (a raccoonlike mask), white, albino, silver or cinnamon. They live about 11 to 12 years if properly cared for.

Ferrets regularly need their ears and teeth cleaned and their nails clipped. Never declaw a Ferret. Regular bathing is also nessecary and can be lots of fun. Just make sure that you use a shampoo with natural ingredients such as aloe, jojoba oil or herbs since most ingredients in other shampoos can dry out skin and fur.

In some states Ferrets are illegal because they are classified as wild animals. They are also feared to be a carrier of rabies. Ferrets who contract this disease die shortly thereafter so the problem is solved naturally. Please check your local and state laws before getting a Ferret. You may need a license to have them.

Ferrets sleep about 15 hours a day. When they are not sleeping they are very very active, so ferret-proofing the house is nessecary. Ferrets need alot of exercise so keeping them caged up 24 hours a day is cruel to them. They are also known to hunt and kill other small pets such as birds, gerbils, rabbits, hamssters, guinea pigs, mice and rats.

Cute Things Ferrets Do


Ferrets have been known to be just plain cute. But what are some cute things they do, you may ask? Here's just a few:

Sometimes when ferrets are asleep in their little pile, one ferret will start sucking on another ferret's ear. Usually babies do this. It can be compaired to a child sucking their thumb.

If you have ever been around little kids long enough, you'll know they can get the hiccups. Well so can ferrets. This doesn't hurt them, but I can imagine it can get pretty annoying after awhile for them.

Duking. Now what is duking you may ask. Duking is what a ferret does when they're excited and want to play. They make a little "duke duke" sound while they dance around. Sometimes they fling themselves all over the place doing this. Be careful if they're up high when they start this. It seems they just keep going until they fall off the edge.

The Weasle War Dance. This is just like Duking only they do this right when they're ready to pounce on you. Ferret pounces consist of them backing up then when you're back is turned they lunge at your legs with their paws. They won't hurt you, but they think they can ferret wrestle you. But be careful not to step on your little fuzzy while they're doing this.

Wag-the-tail. Yes, ferrets can wag their tails. It's not like a dog wag or a cat wave. It's more a "heh heh, I'm gonna get you know." kind of wag. It's usually done when they're looking at something they really want like a toy that's just out of their reach for the moment. Belive me, if you see a ferret wag their tail, you'll laugh your head off.

Mountain Climbers. Well not really but they could be. I know from watching my ferrets that they can climb the inside and outside of their cages, not to mention other things to. Some ferrets do this but not all. It's mainly the dare devil ones. A thing to watch for when they do this is that they don't lunge off to something else when they reach the top. Ferrets have a habbit of thinking their SuperFerret and can fly to nearby places.

Training a ferret. Now how can this be cute you may wonder. Well, they're a blast to try and train. If you use treats to train them (like raisins) they'll do anything. Just be paitent with them. After all, I'm sure you weren't potty trained or learned to walk in just one day. Somethings you can train your ferret to do is: come on command, jump on your lap, go from one person's shoulder to another person's shoulder, stand on their hind legs and many other things.