About Ferrets

Ferret Kisses by chrisjo88
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It is believed that the modern domesticated ferret came from Europe and is directly related to the Eastern European Polecat and the Western European Polecat. The two species of polecats are capable of breeding with each other and creating lots of fertile little babies. Basically the Ferret is just a domesticated polecat from Europe. The Ferret is similar in structure to the meerkat and the weasel.

It was discovered that wild polecats if taken from their mothers at birth and hand raised by a human would basically believe that the human is their mother and would remain tame (unlike their weasel cousins who would reach maturity and then kick off, if they could speak human they would probably be demanding who their real parents are).

The ferret is shares some biological similarities to the skunk in that they are both musk creating species. Like the skunk the ferret has scent glands that are used to produce the musk, some countries allow these glands to be removed (this is not a very nice thing to do to a cute creature like the ferret). Ferrets have strong jaws and sharp teeth (if one bites you, you will certainly know about it), but they are quite pleasant creatures and rarely bite their owners aggressively. The ferret has a wonderful soft fur that tends to have a glossy look due to the production of natural oils. The oil keeps the ferrets skin nice and healthy.

Ferrets have quite long claws and will need to be clipped every now and then to keep them a manageable length. The ferret used to be used to assist in rabbit hunting. Their sharp teeth and claws and their amazing turn of speed made them perfect for rabbit hunting, also they could easily get into rabbit holes and flush out the quarry making it easy for the hunter to capture the rabbit.

Do Not Mess With My Ferret by T_shirt_Shack
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Ferrets come in a variety of colours and breeds. They make excellent companions and are very curious creatures. Baby ferrets are very delicate little critters and can be quite difficult to look after due to the high level of care that they need. If you do get a baby ferret you will need to take extra special care of them but you will find as they mature they respond very well to you because you are the one who hand reared them. This makes training them quite a bit easier as they think you are their mother.

Ferrets are sociable creatures and as they mature they tend to crave the company of other ferrets. Ferrets are quite similar to cats in the way they socialise with other animals. Ferrets will see another animal as a companion to play with, a meal or a threat to fear. This means that you have to be careful when introducing another animal into your household. Ferrets generally get along very well with cats as they are quite similar creatures in many ways. If you raise a ferret and a cat from a young age they will tend to be great company for each other. If you have a ferret and he is lonely but you cannot or do not wish to bring another ferret into the house (this happens more often because of the smell a ferret can produce) then a cat is the perfect companion for your ferret. Ferrets love to play, but they can be quite rough when they play so a cat is a great little friend for a ferret because they can give as well as they get. You must be careful when introducing a cat into the house thought as there is a chance your ferret will be freaked out because they are territorial animals. You must ensure that you ferret has some personal space easily available, a cage of some sort. Introduce the new comer slowly so that the two creatures can get used to each other, otherwise they will fight. Remember to give your pets lots of reassurance. There are plenty of helpful sites out there on the internet that can help you to introduce a new pet into your household without upsetting your ferret. Whilst ferrets and cats tend to get along quite well and will happily play together it is often the case that the cat will get tired of playing first. When this happens there is a risk that the ferret will annoy the cat and will get swiped at, another cat would know that this means, 'I am done playing now so bugger off!' but a ferret may not understand this and will keep playing. The cat may unsheathe his claws and try to warn the ferret again, this could result in an injury. Some supervision may be required when cats and ferrets play. Try to ensure that your cat has somewhere to run to that the ferret cannot get to so that when your cat is fed up of playing he can escape the overly playful ferret. Often your cat will end up leaping onto somewhere high up to escape (Obi has a tendency to leap up onto my tall bookcase to escape the onslaught of a very playful Sparky as the kitten cannot get on top of the bookcase as he is too small).

ferret bubble bath by LSTETLER
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Like cats ferrets are very curious animals and love to explore every nook and cranny they can get their heads into. You must allow your ferret plenty of freedom so that they can explore and seek out new sites and smells. Ferrets are really funny when they are happy they do a strange little dance when they are really happy and excited. This dance that they do can be mistaken for a sign of aggression and the ferret preparing to attack.

With ferrets being extremely curious creatures it is very important to try to keep a watchful eye over your ferret as they have a tendency to eat things that they shouldn't which can cause them to feel ill. If you have ever had a pet cat you will understand. My kitten Sparky has a tendency to try eating anything that he can fit in his mouth. Earlier this winter I was taking the bins out and a wasp got into the house. It was dying off due to the cold, so was extra aggressive. It was buzzing around the living room. I went to get a newspaper to put the wasp out of its misery. I walked back into the living room to find my other cat Obi on the back of the sofa preparing to pounce. He leapt off the sofa and swiped at the wasp, knocking it out of the air. The wasp landed on the floor and tried to take off but Obi had broken its wings so it could not get back into the air, instead it was zooming really fast across the floor. I swiped at it several times with the newspaper, missing it completely. Unfortunately my kitten Sparky bounces into the fray thinking that this is a fun looking game to play, he swats the wasp several times then attempts to eat the wasp. As you can guess the wasp stung him and he spat the wasp out and ran off. I finished the wasp off and threw it out of the house and then went to check the kitten. Poor little thing has thrown up and was shaking and whining. I checked his mouth to make sure he wasn't swelling up and gave him a cuddle to reassure him. After an hour he was bounding about the place like normal. Ferrets will attempt to eat things that move and you must attempt to train them not to (this is not always easy due to the fact that animals like humans can be quite stubborn or occasionally incredibly stupid).

Ferrets have extremely high metabolisms and due to their curious and adventurous nature they need a constant supply of nutritious food. Ferrets are carnivorous and enjoy the taste of meat. There are many varieties of ferret food on the market. Cat food does not contain all of the nutrients that a ferret needs so it is best to find ferret specific food.