| It was the middle of the night when I heard | | | | having been bred for domestication for thousands |
| noises in the kitchen, something or someone was | | | | of years. Friendly, furry and forever curious, they |
| moving around and my wife's worried expression | | | | can make ideal pets, but just like a dog, you'll |
| said... it was my duty to check it out. I crept in | | | | need to make a commitment and have patience |
| quietly, not knowing whether I'd find a burglar or a | | | | with your albino ferret. Whether you choose an |
| large rat, neither a comforting thought at 2am. | | | | adult ferret (there are many in shelters needing a |
| Flicking on the light I jumped into the room | | | | home) or a baby (called a kit) with a cute cuddly |
| shouting... "Arghhh"! The noise stopped, but the | | | | face, you can expect them to live (if properly |
| room was empty. I stood in my PJs wondering if | | | | cared for) about 7 to 8 years becoming part of |
| we'd imagined the noise. | | | | the family. |
| It was only a moment before the noise began | | | | My daughter's ferret is albino with pure white fur |
| again; it seemed to be coming from a drawer | | | | and pink eyes; this isn't a defect, simply the |
| near the kitchen counter. Having no idea what I'd | | | | genetic makeup. All baby ferrets (kits) have white |
| find I eased open the drawer, prepared to give | | | | fur at birth with their respective coloring showing |
| whatever was inside a good whack. A furry | | | | as they approach 4 weeks, albinos remaining pure |
| twitching nose and two pink eyes brought a smile, | | | | white and sables gradually adopting their adult |
| easing any fears; it was my daughter's albino | | | | coloring. The albino gene is recessive, so breeding |
| ferret. | | | | an albino and a sable will never produce a white |
| Casper, my daughter's name for her albino ferret | | | | ferret with dark eyes. Males, called hobs, will grow |
| friend, was busy living up to his scientific name, | | | | to an average of 17 to 24 inches weighing about |
| Mustela putorius furo which translates loosely to | | | | 3 to 5 pounds. Females, called jills, average 12 to |
| "stinky little thief". | | | | 16 inches and weigh approximately 1 to 3 pounds. |
| HISTORY FACTOID: Mustela putorius furo is the | | | | Extremely agile (more so than any cat) they |
| scientific name for the domesticated ferret. Other | | | | were historically used to follow rodents into |
| family members include weasels, minks, otters, | | | | smaller holes and protect stores of grain. Most |
| badgers, wolverines, and skunks. Certain Egyptian | | | | likely they migrated to America aboard colonist's |
| tombs display pictures of ferret-like creatures on | | | | ships, earning their keep on rat patrol. In later |
| leashes. It is believed their domestication may | | | | years (and occasionally still today) you'll find them |
| precede both cats and dogs and that they were | | | | in remote dairy barns keeping rodents at bay. |
| carried to Britain approximately 2000 years ago | | | | FACTOID: Electrical contractors have been known |
| with the Romans who used them to drive away | | | | to use ferrets to pull electric and telephone wires |
| rats and find rabbits, which they used for food. | | | | through ducts too small for conventional methods. |
| While there are wild cats roaming the streets, | | | | Your friendly ferret, either albino or sable, will |
| foraging for food and fending off attackers, | | | | gives you hours of entertainment and years of |
| ferrets can't survive without human involvement | | | | love and affection. |