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