Average Size: 15 inches

Lifespan: Up to 8 years

Hygiene and Health: Fresh, clean water should be available at all times. Water bottles or heavy ceramic (crock) dishes can be used for this purpose.

The objectionable odor of pet ferrets is primarily the result of the influence of sex hormones on normal skin secretions. Consequently, castrating male and spaying female ferrets is usually sufficient to control this problem. It is usually done at 6-8 months of age. Castrating male ferrets also helps reduce any aggressive tendencies. A very pungent and equally objectionable secretion occasionally is produced by the ferret’s scent (anal) glands. Some owners also have their pet ferrets descented.

There are a few main diseases that can harm or be fatal to Ferrets.

1. Ferrets are highly susceptible to canine distemper. The initial signs of the disease appear 7-10 days after exposure to the virus and include inappetence and a thick mucus and pus-laden discharge from the eyes and nostrils. A rash commonly appears under the chin and in the groin area 10-12 days following exposure. The footpads become greatly thickened. This disease is considered 100% fatal, with infected ferrets dying 3-3.5 weeks after initial exposure.
Prevention of this disease should be an absolute priority because treatment is useless. Kits should first be vaccinated against canine distemper at 6-8 weeks of age (4-6 weeks of age if kits are from unvaccinated mothers). A booster vaccination is essential 2-3 weeks later. Yearly boosters are recommended thereafter.

2. Female ferrets are seasonally polyoestrus, which means they can come into heat more than once during the breeding season (March through August). They are also induced ovulators, which means ovulation occurs after copulation. The onset of heat is recognized by swelling of the external genitalia. If a ferret in heat does not engage in copulation, she will remain in heat for up to 160 days. If she is bred, the swelling of the external genitalia usually regresses to normal within 2-3 weeks after copulation. Sustained sexual heat is dangerous and life-threatening because it usually results in bone marrow suppression. This results in severe anemia and decreases in the number of circulating white blood cells. Because of this likelihood, any female ferret not intended for breeding should be sterilized (spayed or ovariohysterectomized) at 6-8 months of age. Female ferrets in heat can be taken out of beat within about 3 weeks by injection of a specific hormone after the first 10 days of heat. Once out of heat, they can be spayed before they come back into heat (usually 40- 50 days after administration of the hormone).

3. Ferrets are assumed to be highly susceptible to rabies and capable of transmitting the virus. Vaccination trials using standard rabies vaccines have never been carried out to
determine the protective value of such vaccines. Consequently, it is not known if the vaccines currently being given are protective, and if so, for how long. In spite of these facts, a killed rabies vaccine should be given annually, starting at 3 months of age. Of course, there is a danger that such a vaccine may produce a false sense of security. Nevertheless, it is unlikely that an average domestic ferret, living in an urban household, will come into contact with rabies virus by way of a bite or contact with the saliva of a rabid animal.

Behavior: Ferrets make wonderful pets because of their engaging personalities, playful activity and fastidious nature. They can be easily trained to use a litter box because they tend to habitually urinate and defecate in the same places. Provide a low-sided litter box for easy entry and exit. More than one litter box may be necessary if the ferret has free run of the house. There is no innate animosity between ferrets and dogs and cats, and all can usually share
a household with little difficulty. However, ferrets have been known to attack pet birds, so it is advisable for owners of both to take appropriate precautions to prevent these encounters.

Safety: Ferrets are naturally inquisitive and can squeeze through very small spaces. It is important to ‘ferret proof’ your house before bringing your pet home. Thoroughly check every room it will inhabit, sealing all holes and openings wider than 1 inch in diameter. Make sure that
any windows that may be opened have secure screens. Check the openings around plumbing, heating and air conditioning ducts or pipes. Some kits are small enough to squeeze under some doors. Ferrets are so small and silent
that you will usually not hear them approach. They are easily stepped on when they are sleeping under a throw rug or suddenly turn up under foot. Their love of tunneling and their inherent curiosity frequently places them in potentially dangerous situations. They could very easily
crawl unnoticed into your refrigerator, into the bottom broiler of a stove, through the rungs of a balcony railing, out the front door, or even end up in the washing machine with clothes under which the ferret was sleeping. Other dangers include folding sofa beds and reclining chairs. The
obvious solution to avoiding accident and injury is to learn your ferret's habits and be constantly vigilant. To help protect your ferret, especially if it is allowed free run of the house, obtain an adjustable, lightweight cat collar, the kind with elastic on one end, a small bell, and an I.D. tag. The bell will signal that your ferret is underfoot or has perhaps slipped out the front door.

While ferrets are not destructive to most household items (furniture, clothing, etc), some have a tendency to chew on soft rubber. This is especially dangerous because the pieces of tennis shoes, Barbie Doll toes, or other rubber items can become impacted in your ferret's intestines. Ingested pieces of kitchen gloves or sponges with household chemicals can also threaten your ferret's life if eaten. Latex rubber squeak toys should not be given to ferrets because they may swallow parts of them, causing intestinal obstruction. All ferrets have an affinity for people. Some enjoy people more than others. The older a ferret is, the mellower it is likely to become. Young kits tend to be nippy, but no more than a new kitten or puppy. They just nip with more enthusiasm. Some kits never nip at all, but most that do eventually outgrow it. Ferrets have tough skin and kits have sharp little teeth. The roughhousing a kit may do with its littermates may not be appropriate for its owner's finger. Many new ferret owners mistake this nippiness for viciousness, even though the same behavior in a new kitten or puppy is accepted.

Even though it is common that parents leave pets to fend for themselves with small children and their slight amount of rough pulling and playing please be advised that this is dangerous. There are a number of documented cases of ferret attacks on infants and very small children. Some of these involved serious injury to the child. Parents must either forbid encounters between pet ferrets and their infants or very young children, or closely supervise all
of these encounters. It is important to point out, however, that these unfortunate encounters are far less common than those involving household dogs and cats.

Diet: Feeding commercial cat food can easily satisfy the dietary requirements of ferrets. The growth formulas for brand name cat foods, composed of high-quality meat (not plant) protein are preferred. Dry kibble is recommended over semi-moist and canned foods because the soft foods lead to disease of the gums and tooth roots. Table food also can be offered but should be limited to cooked meat, fish and poultry. Fruits and vegetables may be offered in very limited quantities. Do not feed milk and foods rich in sugars (cookies, candy) and carbohydrates (pasta, rice, bread) because ferrets have great difficulty digesting these foods. Bones and foods containing bones should not be offered because they are likely to injure the ferret’s digestive tract.

Habitat: ferrets are so active, they need a very large cage to accommodate them when they are not free in the home. There needs to be adequate room to play, eat, drink and defecate. The cage should ideally have tubes or tunnels, and room to run. There are many ferret cage units available at a pet store. Ferrets are one of the most playful animals around, and need lots of toys and activities to keep them entertained. Ferrets need a lot of supervised playtime out of their cage to stay happy and healthy. I emphasize the word supervised, as ferrets should never be left alone outside of their cage. Ferrets can sneak into tiny spaces, leave ‘ferret piles'' in inappropriate places, hoard away shiny objects, and get stuck in couches, chairs and behind appliances. The best ferret toys are those that are interactive, durable, and safe. Kong dog toys make good ferret chew toys, as they are very difficult to destroy. Believe it or not, some of the better toys for ferrets are those found around the house. Some examples of household ferret toys include paper bags, socks, tennis balls, Pieces of string, pop bottles, tubes, boxes, etc.

Additional Info: There are two different types of ferrets. Albino and fitch ferrets.

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