History of the Domestic Ferret

Contrary to popular belief, I am NOT a rodent. I am from the Mustilidae family. My cousins' are Weasels, Minks, and Skunks. We are the only creatures in the group that are domesticated and thus have lost the natural instincts and skills to survive in the wild on our own.

Ferrets were domesticated about the same time as cats, around 1200 BC. We have been breed in captivity for nearly as long as the history of written record. Drawings of ferrets have been found in the crypts and temples of ancient Egypt. We were (and still are) widely used as hunters, chasing game from underbrush or hole and out into the open. We also monitored crops for pests and vermin. We were used in homes of the elite to keep mice and rats away. We were so accepted as residents of great homes that DaVinci painted one of us as the companion to a noble woman in "Lady with Ermine."

It is believed that my ancestors reached America around 1690, traveling on ships and keeping them clean of rodents. Once here, they picked up the role of hunter and companion. This role would be give up to the cat, a more pleasant smelling creature. However, even today there are ferrets working on European farms and in other rural areas.

We have had other uses too, although not pleasant ones. We were once "bred and raised for our fur which was used in making fake mink coats, a business now happily ended. The fluffier ferrets found in your household today are likely descendants of these animals."

It is theorized that ferrets have the same problem solving capabilities as some primates (and some two-legged pets I know!). We are quick learners and have a great memory. Once we escape from a place, we know how to escape from it in the future. Our hearing, sense of smell, and touch are excellent. Which is good because our eyesight isn't that great. For theses reasons we have been put to use doing things like stringing electrical and telephone cables. "As recently as the late 1960's, Boeing Aircraft Corporation in Seattle and British Columbia Telephones used ferrets to lay the guidewires for pulling the heavier cables through conduits. This practice ended because ferrets, being the contrary little critters they are, would often just stop in the middle of a conduit and take a nap."

We come in a variety of colors: black, white, brown, sable, silver, and albino. Generally our masks, feet and tails are darker in color. Some of us can even have spots. Ever heard that you can't judge a book by its color. Well, don't judge a ferret by it's color either. Just as you two legged pets have a wide range of dispositions, so do us ferrets. Mostly though, if we are loved and cared for, we will be loving back.

Male ferrets tend to be larger than female ferrets. Their weight ranges from 3 to 5 pounds while the females� only weigh up to 3 pounds.

Many two legged pets are offended by our odor. Like skunks, ferrets have large glands that produce an unpleasant odor. This is especially strong in male ferrets (although one might argue that this is true of any male species). For this reason, unless male ferrets are descented (a procedure in which the odor producing glands are removed) it is highly unlikely that anyone would keep them inside the house. Female ferrets also have this gland but the scent is not as strong in us, maybe we just know how to use deodorant.

History of the Domestic Ferret

Ferrets are not called little Theives for nothing!