Fantastic Ferrets

Hi, I'm Freddy Ferret.

Welcome to my website, Ferret for Ferrets, your friendliest source of knowledgeable ferret information.

Within a few minutes, you'll know more about us ferrets than almost anyone else.

That's because you'll have read Ferret for Ferrets and they won't have.

What sort of animal is a Ferret?

Some people think we ferrets are rodents - like rats or mice. In fact we're hunting animals - carnivores - related to otters and weasels. Our distant relations are bears and seals. Officially, we're members of the Mustelidae family. None of our family is very big - badgers are our biggest cousins - but we are all brave.

Jills (female ferrets) are around 12 inches long and Hobs (males) are around 16 inches long. We can be pure white albino with red eyes or patched with yellow and brown markings and have brown eyes. You can see some pictures of my ferret friends here.

Ferrets have a fearsome reputation. Are you really tame?

Provided you give us ferrets attention and handle us regularly, especially when we're young, we'll be tame and friendly with you. We may give you nips with our teeth while playing with you, but these are just fun - like a puppy dog might do in play.

We also have a reputation for biting and clinging on to what we've bitten. It's best to teach us not to do this when we're still young and our teeth are small. Stop play whenever we do it and open our mouths with your fingers. Do not resume play. We will get the message and stop doing it.

What do wild ferrets eat?

We like fresh meat and eggs. In the wild we hunt for mice, rats, rabbits and hares. We kill adult birds if we can surprise them on the ground and we'll take eggs and chicks from nests. Yes, I know it sounds a bit mean, but it's a tough world out there for my wild cousins.