Ferret Care Facts

Ferret facts

Today pet ferrets are one of the most popular choices for a companion. They are cute, intelligent and active pets. Inquisitive and crafty, pet ferrets are an excellent choice for a pet if you are willing to commit the time and if you have the patience to train and care for them. Before you decide to acquire a pet ferret do your homework. Seek out ferret information and learn the basic ferret facts and characteristics. Do you have the resources, time and patience it takes to provide appropriating ferret care? If the answer is yes you will find a pet ferret a wonderful, loving companion who will provide you with hours of fun and entertainment.

Ferrets sleep eighteen to twenty hours a day and wake up to play, eat and explore two or three times a day. Pet ferrets are tireless explorers and spend the time they are awake investigating everything in their environment. Nothing is safe. It is their curiosity that makes them so engaging and that can get them into so much trouble.

Proper ferret care requires you to provide for several hours a day of playtime outside their cage. Playtime outside their cage is an important element of ferret care if they are to remain physically and mentally healthy. To ensure your pet ferret's safety and your sanity you must ferret proof your home and even then pet ferrets cannot be allowed to play unsupervised.

Ferrets at play are like small children and will get into everything. They love to burrow, dig and make nests. Ferrets are natural thieves and any object to them is a treasure to be taken and hid...Socks, boxes, bags, jewelry, virtually any small object they can drag is fair game. Their favorite game is to outwit you and find an escape route or hide an object you have failed to remove or secure.

If you are going to provide proper ferret care you will have carefully to ferret proof the rooms in which the ferret is allowed to play. Ferret facts you cannot forget are: any opening big enough for the ferret to get his head though is a potential escape route, and anything a ferret can burrow into they will. Carpet and the bottom of upholstered furniture needs to be ferret proofed with Plexiglas or plywood. Another important ferret fact is, ferrets like to do their business in a corner so put a litter pan or newspaper in all corners to prevent accidents. An important aspect of ferret care and wellbeing is the removal of household cleaners, insecticides, medicines and small objects the ferret might try to chew or eat.

When your pet ferret is exhausted after playtime they will look for a warm place to curl up and sleep, their cage, any box or bag, your lap or a couch or chair will do. Pet ferrets appear to sleep with an angelic smile. Hard to believe these peaceful creatures were just minutes ago causing so much mischief and mayhem.

The name ferret is derived from the latin furonem, which means "thief." Ferret owners can attest that this is a well deserved name, as they will happily steal anything they can get their paws on and hide it in their house.

Ferrets come from the same family ("Mustelidae") as badgers, wolverines, otters, mink, weasels, black footed ferrets and polecats.

The distant ancestry of the domestic ferret is somewhat of a mystery, although they are very closely related to the European polecat.

The scientific name for ferrets is a somewhat controversial area - Mustela putorius furo is traditionally used, although recent scientific evidence has suggested they should have a name of their own, Mustela furo.

Ferret owners have a variety of fun nicknames for ferrets: ferts, fuzzies, carpet sharks, furballs, and more!