Tamed 2,500 years ago
Ferrets were tamed from polecats to chase rabbits out of their burrows.
Rabbits and friends · A lot of time and space
Ferret
Tamed from the European polecat
A long, low, bendy animal with a cream face, a dark mask across its eyes, dark legs and a bushy tail.
- Size
- 35 to 45cm long, plus the tail
- Lives for
- 6 to 10 years
- Suits
- Playful owners with time every day, and a tolerant nose
Bounds after you, back arched. Move your pointer and see.
Good to know
Six things about the ferret
The weasel war dance
An excited ferret hops sideways, bumps into things and falls over. It means it wants to play.
Asleep most of the day
It sleeps for up to eighteen hours, so deeply that it can seem dead.
A little thief
The name comes from a Latin word for thief. It steals and hides socks, keys and anything else it can carry.
A business of ferrets
A group of ferrets is called a business.
It can turn round in a pipe
Its spine is so flexible that it can turn about in a tunnel barely wider than itself.
The real thing
Photos of the ferret
Photos are from Wikimedia Commons, used under the free licences shown. They have been resized, and cropped where they appear in link previews.
Looking after one
Keep two or more in a large, secure cage or shed, and let them out to play for several hours a day. They are meat-eaters and need ferret food. They have a musky smell.
Before you get one
Ferrets are funny, bold and into everything. They need far more time and space than a hamster, and can nip until they are trained.
Keep going