Ferrets

This is a ferret, my uncles ferret called Stanley. The word Ferret is derived from the Anglo-French word for Thief and is rooted in Latin. Ferrets are descendants of Polecats and are part of the Mustelidae classification. Other members of this family include; badgers, otters and minks. They are a well known classification and have been in classical paintings such as Lady with an Ermine by Leonardo Da Vinci where the subject can be seen holding a white stoat. 

Ferrets as a species have been bred for generations to be hunters and are natural born burrowers. They come in a variety of different coat colours, with the polecat and white fur being more well known. Males are normally larger than females, and ferrets have a lifespan of 7-10 years. A group of ferrets is called a Business, they are social animals and have some feral colonies of ferret-polecat hybrids. This is mainly in New Zealand, and it has become a big problem and the government has banned the keeping of ferrets. 

The domestication of ferrets is estimated to date back 2,500 years. It is theorised that Egyptians were the first to domesticate them from the North African ferrets. Historically, there is no evidence to this as no mummified ferrets have been found nor have there been any hieroglyphics. It is also very likely that the Romans used ferrets for hunting. 

Ferrets sleep for most of the day, 14-18 hours roughly, and are crepuscular, meaning that they are active mainly during the twilight hours. Captive ferrets should be exercised regularly as they are active animals. Ferrets have a very distinctive smell, this is from the glands around their anus. In many countries their glands are removed before being sold, however in England and Europe this is classed as unnecessary mutation. 

Ferrets have many different behaviours. A very common one is the ‘weasel war dance’, which can also be called Dooking. It is normally done when the ferret is happy and excited, and is shown by animated jumping and bumping into objects. This behaviour also has a clicking noise with it if the animal is very happy. Ferrets, like cats, hiss when they are scared and when upset they will softly squeak. 

I hope you learned something today. If you want to see more pictures of Stanley, he has a Facebook page called Stanley Ferret.
-Dari