I would like to start out by clearing up a couple misconceptions about ferrets.

• One: ferrets are not rodents. They are a domesticated strain of a Eurasian weasel, Mustela putorius - the polecat. They are related to weasels, minks, otters, and yes, skunks, although, unlike the skunk, the ferret is incapable of spraying.
  
  
• Two: they are not a wild animal. Ferrets have been domesticated for over 400 years. Some zoologists believe they were first domesticated by the Egyptians, who used them to catch mice.

As a long-time ferret owner, I can think of many reasons to recommended them as pets. They are friendly, outgoing, highly trainable, and have distinctly individual personalities. They are very curious and are not afraid of other animals, such as dogs and cats. All my ferrets got along famously with my dogs. As a matter of fact, the female dog treated them like they were her puppies.


Ferrets are usually readily available in your local pet stores for a reasonable price and come in several colors. The most common is the sable, which has a dark brown coat with a beige undercoat, dark legs and tail, and a dark mask across its eyes. Siamese ferrets have the same markings as a sable, except that their coat is a lighter tan instead of dark brown. White-footed ferrets, sometimes called silver mitts, have white feet or legs and in addition usually have a white spot on the neck. Silver ferrets have some white mixed in with their dark or tan guard hairs, and the albino ferret is all white and has pink eyes (there is also a variety that is white, but has normal black eyes).


They are fairly easy to take care of (they eat cat food and some people food). They love milk and dairy products, but should only be given small amounts as an infrequent treat. Ferrets can be given any fruits, vegetables, or meat scraps that they will eat. All ferrets (like children) have their own peculiar preferences in food. For instance, I once had an albino ferret that would do anything for bananas, while it's cage-mate (a silver mitt) would have nothing to do with them. They can also be litter trained.


When ferrets are babies, they are de-scented and usually sterilized. This is done mainly for health reasons - if a ferret female is not spayed, she will constantly be in heat and is susceptible to a variety of infections. They are also vaccinated against canine distemper, and should be vaccinated against it yearly.


Ferrets are very playful and especially love to play "chase". My ferret (a sable named "Iggy") seems overly fond of towels. They will play with a wide variety of toys - most are extremely fond of rubber squeak toys such as the kind made for dogs and cats. They like to chew these toys and will frequently chew until they have eaten a hole in the rubber. When this happens the toy should be thrown out and replaced with a new one. Ping pong balls also make great ferret toys.


Before you decide that a ferret is the pet for you, be aware that their life span is approximately 9 - 11 years. I would also recommend the purchase of a book about the care of ferrets - there are some other things that I did not go into here that are important to know, such as trimming their claws.

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