The facts about ferrets

RACHAEL WORKMAN photos/St. Albans

TOP: Ferrets behave like playful kittens. Besides getting her belly rubbed, Baby Girl also loves to play. MIDDLE: Ferrets are energetic and friendly. Sometimes, when he stops to take a break, Brutus will pose for the camera. ABOVE: Part of the ferret’s Latin name translates to “thief.” Chico is always looking for new things to steal and hide.

By Rachael Workman
St. Albans High School

Millions of ferrets are kept as pets in the United States alone, yet these animals remain extraordinarily misunderstood. Both the origin of ferrets and their true companionable nature are unknown to the majority of Americans.

As the owner of three loving ferret babies (Brutus, Chico and Baby Girl), I have henceforth declared that this injustice towards ferrets be tolerated no longer. It is time to set the ferret record straight, so that people can know the truth about them.

The most common misconception about ferrets is that they are rodents. This is false. They are part of the Mustelidae family and are actually closely related to mongooses, otters and weasels.

A male ferret is called a hob, and a female is a jill. A spayed female is a sprite, and a neutered male is a gib. Baby ferrets, up to age seven months, are known as kits. A group of ferrets is known as a business. They live an average of 6-10 years.

Ferrets behave like playful kittens, but unlike kittens, ferrets retain their energy and excitement throughout their lives. They are also known to be more personable than cats.

The Latin name for the domesticated ferret is Mustela putorius furo. When literally translated, this means “smelly mouse-catching thief.”

“Smelly” refers to the musk scent, which depending on your nasal sensitivity may or may not actually be all that smelly. And the thief part of their name I know all to well, for I find myself constantly searching my room for objects that my babies have stolen and hidden.

The mouse-catching aspect of the name can be traced back as early as the sixth century B.C. During this time, ferrets were domesticated by the Egyptians (before cats) and used to control the snake and rodent populations.

Then, during the late 19th century, Midwesterners used ferrets to guard their grain. Around that time, the USDA actually promoted the use of ferrets for “vermin control.” If a farm was infested, a ferretmeister was called and his ferrets would search out the intruders, which the farmers would then destroy.

Today, ferret “jobs” include rodent controllers, rabbit hunters (illegal in the U.S.), animal therapists, fur producers and biomedical research animals. They are also sometimes used to transport cables through long, narrow tubes and other places humans can’t access. In fact, a ferret was used to put the TV and sound cables in place for the wedding of Prince Charles and Lady Di.

Ferrets finally started to get the credit they deserve when they became popular as pets during the 1970s. This fame was largely due to veterinarian/ folk singer Wendy Winstead, who made TV appearances with her beloved pets.

This fame has since extended to movies. Ferrets have appeared in Arnold Schwarzenegger’s “Kindergarten Cop” and the comedy “Along Came Polly,” among others.

One final interesting fact about ferrets is their involvement in an old English bar sport called “Ferret Legging.” In this game, competitors securely tie the legs and waistband of their pants and stick a ferret down each leg. The person who keeps the ferrets in his pants the longest is declared the victor. The world record is held by a 72-year-old man who withstood the animals for nearly five and a half hours.

So, as you can see, ferrets are by no means rodents with a small brain and no heart. On the contrary, ferrets are among the smartest and most loving pets you can own. They are capable of being litter trained, they come when called (if they feel like it, that is) and they are always willing to play.

My ferrets are my curious, thieving, and annoying babies. I couldn’t imagine my life without them.