Discover Which Type of Ferret is Perfect for You!
2024 ж. 12 Мам.
76 503 Рет қаралды
This video runs through the various different types of pet ferret, along with their wild ancestor the European Polecat. This will cover micro ferrets as well as the angora class of ferrets.
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Chapters
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0:00 Intro
0:06 European Polecat
1:32 Hybrid Polecat Ferret
2:06 Standard Ferret
2:24 Micro Ferret
3:50 Greyhound Ferret
4:40 Full Angora Ferret
5:43 Semi Angora
6:05 Half Angora
6:30 Part Angora
6:55 Outro
I like that the most optimal way of holding a ferret is holding them like they owe you money
Ha, yeah it does look a bit gangsta
No wonder they look like little Bandits! 😂
First one I had was a good shoulder ferret. Second one was a bit acrophobic: by scruff of the neck or nothing.
I,d love a micro,it ll give me micro bites.
They probably do, they are all thiefs
"Discover which type of ferret is right for you" Answer: All of them. All the ferrets.
Haha 😄 good answer!
Hybrids and normal ferrets can't be togther
And such soft fur, that wants petting.
I've had ferrets for 30 yrs. & they were all perfect.
OH MY GOD I didn't know about micro-ferrets! Geeze, it's already hard to ferret-proof for standard ferrets.. it looks like the micro can slip right through the bars of any cage at all! :O So adorable though!!
I spent a very cold winter in a cottage with my ferrets & they grew big fluffy white neck ruffs! 😮
Very informative, had no idea there was so many types of ferret.
Glad it was helpful!
I got my ferrets from a "breeder", who claimed the last 3 boys she had for sale were Micros. Turns out, by 4 months, they're waaaay to large to be Micros - in fact, the biggest of the boys, and the shaping/looks is of a Polecat-hybrid. I'm sad I didn't get my Micros, but I still love my boys! I hope to find a proper Micro breeder in the future ~
As with anything, as popularity grows, so does the increase in unscrupulous people trying to benefit from the demand. There are a lot of people saying they have 'micros' but is not the case. There's not much you can do other than research and go visit the breeder, and see the parents.
@@kingsdownferrets8485 Your video has been very informative, so I know what to look for next time. :)
@@kingsdownferrets8485 I wish there was a trusted/reliable place to get ferrets from.
I didnt know there were so many! They are cute as buttons but the mini had my heart ❤
I've never heard of micro ferrets before! Absolutely adorable!!! I wonder if you could get a micro angora under the right kind of breeding conditions?
Yes you can breed a micro angora, but each type are new breeds, and new breeds have low genetic diversity and high genetic illness rates. So I'm not a fan of combining them as breeders should probably work to clean the existing breeds of their problems first.
@@kingsdownferrets8485 very true, the recessive genes become dominant and also it comes with a high rate of gene mutations. That's why they say having a "mutt' is better because they come from a wider gene pool
Omfg the micros are so cute. I've owned standard types since 2003.
Hands down, ferrets are my favorite pet that I've owned
For those of you who want a ferret, keep this in mind. If you see a black footed ferret for sale. get it and report the seller. BFF are endangered.
yup and one of the most endangered mammals in the world currently seeing one for sale isn’t very likely due to how small the population is and bc theyre monitored very closely out in the wild to make sure they’re safe from people and can try to repopulate id argue that it’s pretty much impossible that you’d find one for sale
There's always been different types of ferrets, different parts of the country and different breeders selected ferrets to breed from for particular tasks, tiny ferrets were preferred by ratters because they can get in very small holes, big hobs are used to drive Jill's off rabbits they've killed, an old guy who lived in our village had ferrets smaller than weasels.
Having owned Hybrids, I can attest that they are larger, hardier, more active than Domestic Ferrets. The males are certainly very aggressive towards other males. I had an adult male out in my Ferret room and an adolescent male in his own cage, quite high up. They were both 1/2 Polecat. The adult climbed up to the little guy's cage and almost bit his foot off. I intervened, quickly, and separated them. Had quite a few bites, but the little guy recovered and from then on, each came out with me into the main part of my house. They were very beautiful sables with stunning heads and cobby type forms. I found them very friendly to me and affectionate as well. This is the first time I have heard of the Micro Ferret. I am amazed how tiny they are!
It's great to hear other stories, thanks. I do find hybrids a lovely animal, but they do have their peculiarities! 🙂
A hybrid ferret - polecat should never be kept with a normal ferret. A hybrid is like a gorilla and the ferret like a monkey,. If together should be kept under vigilance
I didnt realize they came in small, medium, large and extra-lorge
Great, pocketbook ferrets. Thanks UK. Just what we needed…
my ferret is half micro, he is still pretty small but not as tiny as full micro's. i personally think he is the perfect size
Great video.. ferrets are excellent pets 🙂
I have a polecat her twmperment is more like a feret. Got her at 8 weeks old shes soft as a brush. Dopy dosile and loves cuddles
Love them
Oh my gosh those micros
Keep it up love your babies
Thank you, I will 😊
Probly best voice in ferret videos lol. I enjoynyour ferret vid3os
Very informative as usual, ferret types can be confusing as some do look very similar 👍
micro ferrets ~seem~ to be the size of weasels, stoats, or ermines - and maybe they ALL are the midgets of the ferret and weasel family.
Hey, nice coats!
*Awesome Furries!*
I’d like to see your full outdoor enclosure, I want to make my own
Check out our enclosure tour: kzhead.info/sun/ibB9pN6fq3pqoYk/bejne.html
1:33 this guy immediately stole my heart
That's Bournville. He's adorable! Here he is getting all excited outdoors: kzhead.infoOdLYxUEo8BM
There all beautiful it would be hard choose I know that they get lonely if kept in 1's unless you forever handle them so in 2's at least I am definitely interested in adopting 2 gills x
TY
OMG THEY HAVE MINI FERRETS 😶😶😶
Aaw, I didn’t know they were solitary in the wild. My aunt gave my family and I 3 ferrets. We live in the USA so I don’t know what kind they were other than possibly domestic. My mom supposedly heard them crying one night after we moved so she tried to sleep in the room with them and their cage. We also had a bunch of Jack Russel terriers back then so the ferrets and other pets had to be kept in cages and allowed out every now and then in a closed off bedroom. One night they broke out of their cage and joined the dogs and I in bed. We had to put the poor little guys back in their cage but they managed to break out while we weren’t home and lost one of them. Finally we gave the ferrets to my uncle.
Look at all these babies.
White ferrets! ❤
I names my sweetie stinky cause he was stinky. But I had 10 great years of kisses and the famous ferret dance
Love the ferret dance!
@@kingsdownferrets8485 yep best dancers ever
Loved grabbing my toilet paper roll and took off around the house till it was all gone.
@4.26 all that hair on her clothes. Imagining how filled the house must look. Any breed that doesn't shed?
Ferrets are already so small that they can get into everything. Does that mean micro ferrets can get into even more places?
Oh boy yes. It's the perfect storm!
❤RoRa ❤️
I need a micro ferret where can I get one
The chubby ferret is my spirit animal
I adored my ferret
But stinky
So cute! Can there be micro angora's?
Yes, you can mix. As with any animal, when a breed is new, the gene pool is severely restricted, which greatly increases the chances of congenital health issues. Ideally breeders would work towards resolving these health issues in the micro and angora breeds first before doubling-down on the restricted gene pool by trying to create micro-angoras.
I would think they cross bred domestic ferrets w stoats, in the UK stoats are established. I wonder if the micro are wilder. Stoats are pretty bad ass.
Ferrets and stoats (and weasels) cannot interbreed. They each have a different number of chromosomes. But you are right that stoats and weasels are insanely badass!
I never knew there were so many types of ferrets.
Oh my god, I’d be afraid to accidentally crush my buddy if he were a micro
I do wonder if the angora gene from the african striped polecat? Bread with an standard eu
That's a good guess, but in reality the angora came about via a natural gene mutation in standard ferrets. This came about in a Russian ferret fur farm, where they first noticed a ferret with a mutation which gave it unusually long leg hairs. Over a few generations of selective breeding they had produced ferrets with long hair all over the body.
@@kingsdownferrets8485 much aprishiate the respond. I do like the facts. Cheers again mate
I have no idea the "breed"? of my ferret but she's so small compared to pictures of ferrets I've seen it almost makes me wonder if she's part greyhound ferret or something lol
How much does she weigh?
@@kingsdownferrets8485 1lb 8oz! and she's around 8 I think (if what the people I got her from told me was right)
I can’t tell what type of ferret I have he’s smaller then standard but bigger then micro
Can a ferret be hybrid polecat and angora?
Yes, you just breed a Polecat to a full angora ferret 🙂
Cute Basterds
So are there any full angoras that have natural dark coloration?
Yes, you get angora in all colour types.
Where can I find the full angora ferret at?
I guess you just need to find a private breeder in your area. I am not sure how many people are breeding the in NorthAmerica but in Europe they are quite common.
Do micro ferrets suffer from any health issues due to their size?
Micros have a much smaller gene pool, so uncareful breeding can result in more health conditions due to inbreeding.
is it possible for a ferret to create offspring with a weasel or a stoat? they’re part of the same family and very similar, like how a lion can make offspring with a tiger
This question has come up before, and I had rather hastily said “no its not possible”. But it isn’t definitive, and so this time I’ll try a little more scientific a response, so bear with me. Chromosomes store the genetic material of an animal, and live life in cells of the body in pairs. Ferrets for example have 40 chromosomes, which exist as 20 pairs. For reproduction, the body creates sperm and egg cells which split these pairs up and hence creates sperm/eggs with only half the chromosomes of normal cells (i.e. 20 chromosomes for ferrets). During fertilisation, the sperm will combine with the egg and the ‘half-set’ of chromosomes in each of the sperm and egg will then pair up to create a full regular cell. Thereafter, those cells replicate and split and eventually form the foetus. For fertilisation to happen, it is necessary for the chromosomes from the egg and sperm to be able to pair up and form a viable complete chromosome set. Otherwise fertilisation fails. When considering cross-species breeding, the issue is usually that there are different numbers of chromosomes and/or the genes within those chromosomes are materially different in their type or structure. This means that the chromosomes from the sperm cell do not actively pair up with the chromosomes in the egg, and so fertilisation fails at outset. There are occasions however, as you say, with a horse and donkey, where despite having different numbers of chromosomes (horse has 32 pairs, donkeys have 31 pairs), there is sufficient compatibility in the genetic composition for the egg chromosomes to pair with the sperm chromosomes and produce a “hybrid” offspring (a “mule”). This hybrid will therefore have 63 chromosomes in total; i.e. 31 pairs and a floating spare. However, it doesn’t end there. This floating spare chromosome causes infertility in almost all cases (there are rare occurrences of fertile hybrids). The sterility is the result of complications in creating the sperm or egg cells, as the body attempts to create two “halves” of the genetic material. Of course for normal non-hybrid individuals, they simply split up the pairs of chromosomes and provide half each into two separate sperm/egg cells. But when you have an odd number of chromosomes, the complication surrounding “halving” an odd number seems to result in a genetic construct which renders a hybrid sterile. So where does that leave us with ferret-stoat or ferret-weasel pairings? Well, people have been pairing horses and donkeys for thousands of years, and so the outcomes are well known. However, when it comes to ferrets and stoats, I’ve not actually been able to find any concrete evidence of anyone ever attempting this. Quite frankly, why on earth would they? Whilst horses and donkeys are relatively comfortable co-habiting, and are physically able to carry out the act of insemination and childbirth, this is not the case for ferrets-stoats-weasels. These three would not consider each other as a suitable mate, and would likely result in a fight to the death of the stoat or weasel. Even if they were best buddies, it is likely that the physical act of insemination would be impossible due to the size difference. So we are left considering the scenario of whether artificial insemination of a female ferret with a male stoat sperm would work. We do know that ferrets/weasels/stoats have different numbers of chromosomes (ferret=40, stoat=44), but we don’t know whether those are capable of pairing to form a hybrid. Due to the oddity of the scenario, I’ve found no scientific studies which can conclusively predict whether the genetic code is capable of pairing together to form a viable foetus. I’m not even sure there is any scientific logic which can definitively answer this, other than by observing mother nature. Hope that was useful.
@@kingsdownferrets8485 thank you it was very useful and the answer to your question is actually in your paragraph stoats and weasels are smaller so hypothetically if you could do it you could potentially create an even more micro ferret if you could somehow get a weasel to mate with a ferret and also it would create different physical attributes such as head shape/size tail length/color, different kind of coats and im sure there are other things aswell, but i have another question so you know how black footed ferrets are endangered? hypothetically could they mate with any other type of ferret? and if so has it been done like could a bff mate with a dew? and create hybrid bff offspring? bc if they could mate no issue a hybrid bff ferret could potentially be the most expensive ferret ever
According to this article, the BFF can hybridise with a domestic ferret: (www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0006320798000676) Of course, as they're endangered, it would be illegal, and perhaps unethical.
@@kingsdownferrets8485 well artificial insemination would have to happen if they were to do this and the only unethical thing would be to sell it for any amount of money it would just create a new kind of ferret that would be incredibly unique, but it could help the population potentially aswell is a bff hybrid than made offspring with another bff to and so forth and on i feel like there could be a way to help the population of bff potentially by scientists looking into this
I was thinking that the unethical aspect comes from creating demand for a hybrid. That demand will then create a bit of a black market for BFFs to be stolen from the natural world in order to fuel the demand. Same thing happens in UK/Europe as people trap wild Polecats to fuel demand for captive polecats and polecat-ferret hybrids. I think as part of the BFF repopulation they've already looked into the pros and cons of introducing genes from other polecat species, but I think at this stage they're keeping the BFF exclusive for now.
I need a turbo ferret. Medium dog sized.
Even if some micro ferrets look cute I still can't understand people breeding what is "far away" from nature. Standard ferret is considered to be only sable, pastel or albino. True standard - of course normal size sable. Everything else is unfortunately just a game for people who want to have fanciness and white stripes on the head, longer coats, strange angora noses and etc. Even if I like visually some non-standards, but I don't let myself take them as this usually comes with bigger possibilities (want to emphasize that word) to have health issues. Ferrets are already big fluffy balls of illness, do we really need to make the risk even higher just because of fancy coats? :) They can live up to 15 years in captivity, that's what we need to achieve! Idk how it's in UK, but in mainland Europe the average of ferret life is already 6-7 years, so that means 7 less than it should be (of course other factors count too)! As I always try to find the best option, but it becomes harder and harder each year to find a fully standard ferret with good pedigree up to 10 generations, so sometimes I'm just forced to take hybrids into my home. The biggest "exotic" ferret I had was mix of steppe polecat with the european polecat, turned out good relatively healthy ferret which only by 7th year of his life had 1 issue - insulinoma. Now unfortunately have one with 6% of inbreeding as it's really hard to find smth non-hybrid and also standard :/
We have standard lines too, but it's very difficult to maintain pedigrees of standards in UK as noone else does. So almost every other generation needs to be an outcross with an 'unknown' history ferret. Pedigrees in UK only exist for angora really. In Europe you have a lot more in the way of breeders focusing exclusively on standard colours and maintaining pedigrees, but as you have found, it's still not easy. Ultimately the ferret is a pet though. Just like every cat and dog, they have been selectively bred by humans over 1000s years for a specific human purpose. So there aren't really any true/natural ferrets. There are wild Polecats with a true type, but a ferret is a human design. So to some extent the pursuit of a 100% standard ferret is a bit of an oxymoron.
Micro ferret micro managing
i heard that american ferrrets need a lot of medical attention, which makes them a luxury pet. is that the same for european ferrets or hybrids?
It would seem that the ferret population in the US is of poorer genetic quality due to the breeding practices than those in Europe/UK, so are more susceptible to various health conditions. However in US a far greater proportion of ferrets are afforded regular vet assessment/treatment, whereas in the UK ferrets have historically been treated as a working tool and hence owners not as likely to spend money on vet treatment. This is of course changing as they become kept more as pets and treated better. They certainly aren't thought of as a luxury pet though, as commonly available for very little money.
Due to inbreeding, American breeding stock is more prone to cancers and other common Ferret diseases, also crossbreeding has made deafness very common in domesticated Ferrets in the USA
Do you know of any Canadian Micro ferret breeders?
No, sorry. As far as I know they're only bred in UK in any numbers.
Are there any reputable EU breeders in the UK?
It's a bit of an oxymoron really. An EU is a protected wild animal, and its illegal to remove them from their habitat to breed. There are however EUs already in captivity and those who come into captivity due to being unable to survive in the wild. Either way, the gene pool of ethically sourced EUs for private ownership is quite low. Finally, it can be difficult without DNA test to know for sure whether an animal is actually a full EU and not a hybrid, or just a dark ferret. So when you ask about "EU breeders" I would say that there are ethical breeders who occasionally have an EU litter, but you would have to question the source and DNA validity of litters where a breeder consistently has multiple EU litters a year.
Could u buy a micro ferret of you?
Sorry we no longer sell micros, and have no more ferrets available this year.
And micro poops.
Weasels
A hybrid ferret - polecat should never be kept with a normal ferret. A hybrid is like a gorilla and the ferret like a monkey,. If together should be kept under vigilance
They are not hybrids they are exactly the same species many escaped ferrets adapt well to the wild
This is untrue. Ferret are very much the same killing machines they used to be and survive in the wild fairly well. They have been kept for rabbit hunting and ratting.
Not sure which part you say is 'untrue'? It is a fact that ferrets were domesticated from polecats a couple of thousand years ago. But you are right, they certainly do retain a lot of their wild instinct in terms of hunting. The majority of ferrets kept in the UK are used for 'working', primarily on rabbits. Whilst I dont any more, I did also used to work ferrets on rabbits with nets, dogs, hawks etc.
@@kingsdownferrets8485 I refered to the part where you mentioned they would not survive and had lost their instincts. They may be a bit more vulnerable to predation than cats, but a ferret should be very much capable of surviving in the wild. I don't claim it is a good idea to release your pet in the wild, this is a bad idea for many reasons, and even wild animals don't always survive, But i am sure they would do pretty well, just as feral cats or dogs do. Even after all that time humans are still climbers and shouters and many peoples first instinct is to throw rocks at a given threat or predator. Domesticated animals are essentially wild animals that live in a symbiotic relationship with humans. Unless they have been distorted by selection, like in the case of a pug. Now a ferret may never learn to feat predators as much as a wild animal would, but that's more so due to nurture, not nature. They're by no means lame animals that have lost their ability to be... Well, animals. I've seen domestic cats stand their ground against foxes. That's what I was referring to. Also, I've seen ferrets kill rabbits inside the burrow without the use of nets at all, sometimes they are just left in and then you take them out with a rabbit their own size or even bigger. Has this happened to you? Is it because the rabbit realizes there are nets there, or is it just the ferret finding it before it can reach the net? I haven't personally hunted with ferrets, so I am curious about that. I might get into this method of hunting one day, but I would like to give the rabbits a fair escape chance, so how often would the ferret catch one before it reaches the escape hole?
@AZRIEL AZRIEL Ah right, yes you would expect a ferret to survive in the wild but they really don't. Large numbers of ferrets are lost, escaped, let loose in the UK/Europe each year but few survive as there are very few ferret populations in the wild. Their skills, are just not upto speed as a Polecats, and their domestication such as their friendliness and easygoing natures are not good features for a wild animal. In the working community the purpose of the ferret is to chase rabbits out the burrows, so ferrets which kill the rabbit inside tend not to be used/bred. As you say, there are certain times when a large rabbit will just stubbornly stay in a burrow, and a large hob can sometimes drag it out. But generally speaking the large ferrets are not as good for the purpose given the role of 'chasers' rather than catcher/killer. They are as you say very good at their job, which is why they continue to be used by humans all this time.
@@kingsdownferrets8485 That's not true, the only lost ferret case I've heard of bad the ferret return after awhile. They're not so different from their wild ancestors so I am not surprised no population is recognized. And the illusion of an easy going nature is created because you are a being 80 times bigger than your ferret. Ask a pigeon, rabbit, rat, if they're easy going. Cats also are quote easy going with humans but switch to killing machines whenever they see something move.
@@kingsdownferrets8485 What makes cats so much better at surviving in the wild than weasels in your opinion? They usually catch smaller prey compared to their body size. Are you saying ferrets were domesticated before cats and had a longer time spent around humanity? Look at a cockatiel, it's one of the friendliest birds, yet it is practically a wild animals indistinguishable from the populations in the Australian wilderness.
i will eat the micro ferrets
I had a couple ferrits. They are not good pets. They stink and they poop where they want.
They are not for everyone
Ya Killin the prey drive in em kinda sad really
Don't listen to this they don't know what they are talking about.