Facts about Ferrets

Ferrets are members of the Mustelidae family that includes stoats, badgers, weasels, and otters. They have a number of attractive traits that make them fascinating and lively pets. Their small body size, with manageable exercise needs make them ideal pets that anyone can easily keep at home. They can also be trained, which makes them apt for inhabiting small living spaces.

Here are some facts about ferrets that you may find interesting.

• Ferrets belong to the mink family.
• For hundreds and thousands of years, ferrets have been kept as pets. Actually there are images of ferret-like creatures on leashes on the walls of some Egyptian tombs.
• Intact males are called hobs and neutered males are called gibs. Whereas unsprayed female ferrets are named as jills, and spayed females are sprites. The offspring of ferrets are commonly known as kits.
• Ferrets do not have any intrinsic fear of human.
• Fur of all ferret kits is white at birth.
• A newly born ferret is so small that it can be put into a teaspoon.
• After reaching 6 – 8 weeks of age, ferrets make very few sounds.
• The average life of a ferret is between 6 and 7 years.
• Ferrets are inhabited of crawling into small dark spaces to sleep.
• Ferrets are mostly sound sleepers as they cannot be woken up even when picked up and jostled.
• A little ferret can squeeze through a hole just over an inch in diameter.