Post by Karen R Quinn on Jul 21, 2009 20:40:13 GMT -7
The Origins of the Ferret
Etymology:
Ferret- 1398, from O.Fr. fuiret, dim. of fuiron "weasel, ferret," lit. "thief", from L.L. furionem (related to furonem "cat," and also "thief"), probably from L. fur (gen. furis) "thief".
The verb (c.1450) refers to the use of half-tame ferrets to kill rats and flush rabbits from burrows; the extended sense of “search out, discover” in 1580.
Family Connections:
Ferrets belong to the Mustelidae family and, according to the Encyclopaedia Britannica (15th edition), that group contains a variety of animals unmatched by any other family in the Carnivora Order except the civets (Viverridae).
The family includes the weasels, polecats, minks, martens, fishers, wolverines, otters, badgers and a number of less well-known animals, a total of about 70 species in 25 genera.
Here are some facts and figures about ferrets
Adult Size:
Blokes (boys): Length - 43 - 61cm (17" - 24")
Weight - 1.3kg - 2.2kg (2.8lb - 4.8lb)
Sheilas (girls): Length - 30.5 - 41cm (12" - 16")
Weight - 450g - 1.3kg (15oz - 2.8lb)
Unsterilized male ferrets are called hobs while unsterilized females are called jills.
In America, they call neutered males gibs and sterilized females sprites but I've never come across any one using that term here in Australia.
A group of ferrets is called a business but I prefer to spell it busy-ness. If you know ferrets, you can just imagine how busy they are all when they're getting up to mischief!
Another collective name for them is fesnyng - a very strange word and I've heard that it came from misreading the word fesynes in Middle English and that word does, in fact, mean busy-ness!
Lifespan:
Ferrets can live up to 10 years old. However there have been occasions when ferrets have lived up to 14 years.
Because they are so prone to cancers, it’s hard to tell how long they’ll be with you. In America they reach middle age around 3 years old, whereas in Australia and probably England, 6 years is considered middle age for ferrets.
There is a belief that because American ferrets are sterilized when they are just weeks old, that affects their lifespan.
Heart Rate:
200-250 (beats per minute)
Respiratory Rate:
30-40 (breaths per minute)
Unsterilized vs Sterilized:
Unsterilized females can die from aplastic anemia if left on heat. It is therefore much better for both the ferret and its owner for the females to be sterilized around 6 months old.
Unsterilized males have a very strong and unpleasant smell when in rut, and they tend to be aggressive with other males and drag any females around by the scruff of their neck so would need to be caged on their own. Unless you are a breeder (and it is NOT RECOMMENDED that you breed just for the heck of it), it is strongly advised that males be sterilized as soon as they start smelling a bit high and getting rough with the rest of your ferrets or with you - usually around 6 months old at the latest.
Litters:
A jill's pregnancy lasts around 41-42 days and litter size can range from 1 to as many as 18, but usually there are 6-10 kits in a litter.
Kits:
Kits are born naked, deaf and blind, and they are entirely dependent on their mother.
Their eyes and ears open 21-37 days after birth, and you can see their coat coming through within 5-7 days. They will have developed a decent coat by their 4th week.
They should stay with their mother for at least 9 weeks, but preferably until they are 3 months old.
Kits play rough - they have thick coats and when fooling around with their brothers and sisters, they tend to use their teeth. Constant handling will train them to be less "enthusiastic" with their playing habits when being held.
They are highly intelligent animals, and it doesn't take them long to know right from wrong.
Etymology:
Ferret- 1398, from O.Fr. fuiret, dim. of fuiron "weasel, ferret," lit. "thief", from L.L. furionem (related to furonem "cat," and also "thief"), probably from L. fur (gen. furis) "thief".
The verb (c.1450) refers to the use of half-tame ferrets to kill rats and flush rabbits from burrows; the extended sense of “search out, discover” in 1580.
Family Connections:
Ferrets belong to the Mustelidae family and, according to the Encyclopaedia Britannica (15th edition), that group contains a variety of animals unmatched by any other family in the Carnivora Order except the civets (Viverridae).
The family includes the weasels, polecats, minks, martens, fishers, wolverines, otters, badgers and a number of less well-known animals, a total of about 70 species in 25 genera.
Here are some facts and figures about ferrets
Adult Size:
Blokes (boys): Length - 43 - 61cm (17" - 24")
Weight - 1.3kg - 2.2kg (2.8lb - 4.8lb)
Sheilas (girls): Length - 30.5 - 41cm (12" - 16")
Weight - 450g - 1.3kg (15oz - 2.8lb)
Unsterilized male ferrets are called hobs while unsterilized females are called jills.
In America, they call neutered males gibs and sterilized females sprites but I've never come across any one using that term here in Australia.
A group of ferrets is called a business but I prefer to spell it busy-ness. If you know ferrets, you can just imagine how busy they are all when they're getting up to mischief!
Another collective name for them is fesnyng - a very strange word and I've heard that it came from misreading the word fesynes in Middle English and that word does, in fact, mean busy-ness!
Lifespan:
Ferrets can live up to 10 years old. However there have been occasions when ferrets have lived up to 14 years.
Because they are so prone to cancers, it’s hard to tell how long they’ll be with you. In America they reach middle age around 3 years old, whereas in Australia and probably England, 6 years is considered middle age for ferrets.
There is a belief that because American ferrets are sterilized when they are just weeks old, that affects their lifespan.
Heart Rate:
200-250 (beats per minute)
Respiratory Rate:
30-40 (breaths per minute)
Unsterilized vs Sterilized:
Unsterilized females can die from aplastic anemia if left on heat. It is therefore much better for both the ferret and its owner for the females to be sterilized around 6 months old.
Unsterilized males have a very strong and unpleasant smell when in rut, and they tend to be aggressive with other males and drag any females around by the scruff of their neck so would need to be caged on their own. Unless you are a breeder (and it is NOT RECOMMENDED that you breed just for the heck of it), it is strongly advised that males be sterilized as soon as they start smelling a bit high and getting rough with the rest of your ferrets or with you - usually around 6 months old at the latest.
Litters:
A jill's pregnancy lasts around 41-42 days and litter size can range from 1 to as many as 18, but usually there are 6-10 kits in a litter.
Kits:
Kits are born naked, deaf and blind, and they are entirely dependent on their mother.
Their eyes and ears open 21-37 days after birth, and you can see their coat coming through within 5-7 days. They will have developed a decent coat by their 4th week.
They should stay with their mother for at least 9 weeks, but preferably until they are 3 months old.
Kits play rough - they have thick coats and when fooling around with their brothers and sisters, they tend to use their teeth. Constant handling will train them to be less "enthusiastic" with their playing habits when being held.
They are highly intelligent animals, and it doesn't take them long to know right from wrong.