Ferrets are one of the most fascinating and amusing creatures. They are playful, active, fun and make loving pets. Human relationship with ferrets dates back to thousands of years. They have been domesticated for millennia. They can be very useful pets. They are trained easily, are inquisitive by nature and makes very good hunters. On the fun side, ferrets, with their amusing habits, can bring much laughter and happiness to a household. They are clumsy, fussy, attention seeking little things with funny habits and behavior.
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Ferrets Facts
Here are top ten most fascinating facts about these amusing little creatures
10. Newborns
Do you know a newborn ferret is so small that it can fit into a teaspoon! Ferret babies are called kits and they all have white fur at birth. They start to make a few sounds after six or eight weeks of birth. Ferrets are such little squeezable things- a small ferret can squeeze itself through a hole just over an inch in diameter. An average ferret measures about 14 inches to 24 inches including their tails and weighs about 500 gm to 2.5kg.
9. Sleepy heads
Ferrets just love to sleep and spend a lot of their time sleeping. They like to crawl into small dark spaces and fall into a slumber from which you are going to have a hard time trying to wake them up. Ferrets are such sound sleepers that they can give the impression of being lifeless, it even has a term “ferret dead sleep. And when they are in such deep sleep, no matter what you do, picked them up or jostle them, you just cannot wake them up. They will wake up when they are ready and will start playing again, switching instantly to their fun self.
8. Loving pets
Ferrets are social creatures and love company, they have no innate fear of humans. They make good pets and have been domesticated for thousands of years. This fact is evident from pictures of ferret-like creatures found on the walls of Egyptian tombs. Ferrets are fun creatures and can bring a lot of laughter into your home with their crazy little habits. They are also very needy pets and frequent interaction with them is important.
7. Little thieves
Ferrets are naughty little thieves. The name “ferret” is derived from the Latin word furittuz which means “little thief” and probably refers to the ferret fondness for stealing and hiding away small things. They are real hoarders and will steal your stuffs and hide them in a secret place. So if you have a pet ferret and your stuff go missing all the time, you know who the culprit is.
6. Fussy- clumsy little things
Ferrets are funny, clumsy little things. Sometimes they may run straight into walls like they didn’t see it there, which could make a funny sight. This is because they have poor eyesight and not –so- good coordination. Ferrets can also be fussy eaters and might get sick easily if they are given the wrong food.
5. Good hunters and predator
Ferrets might be clumsy little creatures but they are very good predators with amazing hunting skills. For millennia, humans have used ferrets for hunting. They have an inquisitive nature and their long, lean build bodies makes it easy to get down holes, chasing rodents, rabbits and moles out of their burrows. They are often trained to drive animals like rats and rabbits out of their holes. Ferrets are carnivores and eats small animals. They enjoy hunting their small preys and exercising their hunting skills helps them stay happy and healthy.
4. Doggy catty thing
Like dogs, ferrets sometimes wag their tails when they are happy or excited. But the difference is they don’t do this as often as a dog. It happens rarely, so if you see your pet ferret wags its tail, that’s a reason to smile. Also when ferrets feel threatened or are frightened, they puff out their tails like a cat does.
3. Smell stuff
Like skunks, ferrets sometimes release a nasty smell. But the smell is not as strong as that of skunks that are known for their strong, unpleasant smell. Ferrets have scent glands near their anus, the secretions from which are used in scent marking. It is said that ferrets can recognize individuals from these secretions and even the sex of an unfamiliar individual.
2. Funny habits
Ferrets love to burrow by nature, they love digging their food out of their bowls. They also like to hide their food in little caches. Ferrets have a habit of nipping their owner’s toes to get their attention when they want to play. That can hurt sometimes!
1. Ferret behaviour
Ferrets have a habit of rubbing their bottoms along the floor when they have used their litter box. It is their way of telling the world they were there! Ferrets also use urine marking for sex and individual recognition.