EEK!  A Mouse!

One of the biggest misconceptions about ferrets is that they are part of the rodent family – just a long rodent with cut little ears.  People who think this have the ferrets pegged all wrong.  This furry little creature is actually a Mustela putoris furo and part of the

weasel(mustelid) family. It is thought that their closest genetic relative is the European Polecat.

Wild and Wooly

Even though ferrets have lived in the domestic lap of luxury for over 3000 years, people commonly think they are wild.  In actuality, the domesticated ferret has been a common house pet even longer than the cat.  The domesticated ferret depends on humans for sustenance and would not be able to survive in the wild.  A domesticated ferret who escapes the confines of home will likely never make his way back.  If he’s lucky, he will be found by someone who knows about ferrets;  if not, he will be found by someone mistaking him for a rodent or worse yet, a stray dog.

Watch Out!

When asked if they would ever own a ferret, some people respond with a hearty “No!  They bite!”  The truth is, they do.  But so does Fido.  If you were to look into the statistics of ferret bites, you would find that the instances of this are much less than those of dog bites.  Does this mean that you should trade Fido for Fifi the Ferret?  No.  It just means that people perceive these happy little creatures as a danger they are not.  Just as you can teach a dog to keep his teeth where they belong; so can you do with any domesticated ferret.  While ferrets do nip and bite when they are young, this is simply what they learned in their ferret family.  With some firm correcting from you and consistent training, your ferret will learn to communicate with you in the proper way, without any teeth involved.

Caging

Some people view a ferret as an oversized hamster, and therefore leave their spunky pet in his cage for far too long.  A ferret needs to have time to run, play and get plenty of exercise, just like any other animal.  The ancestors of today’s ferrets were used as hunting animals to chase rabbits out of their holes.  Seeing the lines your pet has descended from should give you an idea of why he needs time outside of a caged environment.  Some ferret owners allow their pet to roam freely through their home day and night.  Others cage their ferret only during the night or only while they cannot be supervised.  Leaving a ferret in his cage for too long will cause him to get bored, which will then cause bad behavior.

What’s That Smell?!

Ferrets have a scent gland like a skunk with which they can spray.   However, this doesn’t mean that owning a ferret will cause you to live in a stinky house.  They also release a musky scent just because of the oils in their skin.  Spaying and neutering your female and male ferrets will help to prevent them putting off odors when they would be in season; but the musky smell is just part of the ferret world.  This smell is not overwhelming, and can be helped with bathing.  But don’t bathe too much or your ferret will actually produce more of the scent you are trying to wash away!