Domesticated Ferrets• Domestic ferret

– Mustela putorius furo– Domesticated from the

European polecat– Kept in North America for

about 300 years• Population over 7 million• Bred for pets and research

for over 50 years– "Wild animal" stigma– Illegal as pets in California,

Hawaii, Washington D.C. and NYC

European Polecat

History• Mustela is a Latin derivation of

the term mus for mouse

• Animals in the Mustela genus include weasels and other “mouse catchers”

• Putorius is from the Latin putor, which means a stench referring to the musky odor of the ferret

• Furo comes from the Latin furonem meaning “thief”

• “mouse-catching, smelly, thief

History• Have been used for thousands

of years by different civilizations to hunt rodents and rabbits

• England (1200’s) a ferreter was listed as part of the royal court

• Carried on ships for rodent control– Introduced to America in 18th

century via ships– Used on farms for rodent

control

History• Besides hunting ferrets

have been used for– Fur production

• Europe and U.S.– Transporters

• ferret’s anatomy and willingness to run through dark tunnels made them ideal in transporting cables through long pipes (Oilmen in the North Sea, telephone companies, camera crews and people working on airline jets have used ferrets for this purpose.

Ferrets have been used by Virgin Media for over a year to help lay cables for its broadband service (telegraph, 2010)

Anatomical Features• No blood types

• Long body for rapid, convoluted movement in narrow spaces

• Lifespan: 7-10 years

• Weight: .5 – 5.5 lbs (females are smaller)

• Come in many colors

• Molt each spring and fall

Ferret Colors

Routine Vet Care• Should see vet annually

• Vaccinations: vaccine series when young and yearly for canine distemper; yearly for rabies

• Usually spayed or neutered

• Usually de-scented

• Yearly fecal test

Anatomical Features• Claws require frequent

trimming

• Musky smell– Anal glands with scent

expressed in response to threat

– Sebaceous glands in skin– Bathe weekly

• Few sweat glands– Incapable of tolerating

temperatures above 80ºF

Reproduction• Males = hobs

• Females = jills

• Young = kits

• Males reach puberty in 8 to 9 months

• Females in 4 to 12 months

• Females seasonally polyestrous• Breeding season is March through

August

Reproduction• Gestation = 42 days

• If pregnancy does not occur, pseudopregnancy of 40 to 43 days follows

• Litters consist of 1 to 18 kits (usually 8 to 10)

• 3 to 4 litters per year

• Fertility lasts 2 to 5 years

Reproduction• Breeding– Place cages in quiet area

• Should contain nest box with bedding

– Mating Behavior • Male drags jill while biting

her neck– Gestation beyond 42

days may result in dystocia• May require Cesarean

section– Parturition lasts 2 to 3

hours

Behavior

• Inquisitive and fearless

• Can be nippy and aggressive

• Able to hide in small spaces and “disappear”; escape artists

• Love to play and chew on things

• Can be trained to walk on a leash

• Interspecies bonding

Research

• Biomedical Research– Virology (especially

human influenza)– Toxicology– Pharmacology– Reproductive physiology– Endocrinology

Husbandry• Respond to gentle handling

• Ferrets may be housed in cages and/or allowed to roam the house– Tend to chew and perhaps

ingest various materials– Can be trapped in narrow

spaces such as recliner chairs

• Do NOT use cedar or pine shavings as bedding

• Change bedding and litter daily– Can be trained to use litter pan

Husbandry

• Sexually mature, intact, same-sex ferrets should be housed separately

• Minimum size of a cage for 1 or 2 ferrets is 3ft wide x 2ft deep x 2ft high– Provide litter pan, nest,

hammock, enrichment

Husbandry• Strict carnivores

– Will eat several times a day– Should be fed ad libitum– Large quantities of

vegetables can cause blockage

– Feed should contain 30% to 40% meat protein and 15% to 30% fat

– May prefer poultry over beef and fish

– Food should be cooked to reduce bacterial contamination

Common Diseases

• Aleutian Disease– Parvovirus specific to

mustelids– Manifests as a chronic

wasting disease (can be asymptomatic)

– Transmitted via: saliva, blood, feces, urine

– No cure; supportive care– Ferrets can be tested to

see if they are carriers

Common Diseases• Canine Distemper

– Caused by the Morbillivirus– 99.9% fatal in ferrets

• Clinical Signs: – smelly eye discharge– rashes/brown crust on face– lethargic– high fever– anorexia– drooling – hardened/ thick paw pads and

swollen feet– muscular tremors and seizures– vomiting and diarrhea

• Vaccinate to prevent

Common Diseases• Adrenal Disease– Caused by a combination

of factors• Spay/neuter at young age

(5-6 weeks)– May cause body to

overcompensate for the lack of normal sex hormones

• Extended photoperiod– Too little melatonin

results in overstimulation of the adrenal glands; need 12 hours of darkness

• Tumor– Can remove with

surgery

• Clinical Signs:– Hair loss/Thinning hair – Loss of appetite – Lethargy – Papery thin or translucent looking

skin– Excessive scratching and itchiness – Sexual aggression and mating

behavior in neutered males - with other ferrets, inanimate objects, etc.

– Weakness in back legs– Increased thirst, increased

urination – Weight loss due to a decrease in

muscle mass, but with a pot bellied appearance

Adrenal Disease

Common Diseases• Addison’s Disease

– occurs when a ferret has a severe deficiency or total lack of the hormones made in the adrenal cortex

– usually occurs when both adrenal glands are removed due to disease

• No signs until in Addisonian Crisis– Lethargy – Lack of appetite – Weakness – Difficulty walking or total

inability to walk – Seizures – Coma – Death

• Treatment: prednisone and supportive care

Common Diseases• Intestinal Foreign Bodies

– All foam, plastic, and rubber objects must be kept out of their reach

– Causes obstructions that could be fatal

– Surgical removal of objects

• Cardiac Disease– Develop as early as 3 years

old– congestive heart failure due

to cardiomyopathy (weakened/irregular cardiac muscle) or heartworms

Rabbits• Domestic or European

rabbit– Oryctolagus cuniculus– Lagomorph (order)– Domesticated some 1,400

years ago– Herbivores– Lifespan 5-10 years– Crepuscular– Various weights, coats,

colors, and breeds• New Zealand whites

common for meat, research, pelt

History

• Believed that medieval monks began the domestication of rabbits – Newly born rabbits, were

not considered to be meat– Over time started selecting

for different fur colors

• Victorians also bred for different fur colors

Anatomical Features• Changed little over millions

of years

• Large ears for hearing and temperature regulation

• 2-15lbs

• Lightweight bones

• Wide field of vision

• Open-rooted teeth– Worn down by contact with

opposing teeth, abrasion on food

Reproduction

• Induced ovulators

• Doe may produce 7 to 25 litters with 7 to 8 young per litter

• Mating occurs within minutes

– Pseudopregnancies may occur

Reproduction• Bucks are sexually mature

at 4 to 5 months, mature at 6 to 10 months

• Does receptive for 7 to 10 days, then non-receptive

• Gestation is 29-34 days

• Nest box should be provided

• Young delivered at night, hairless and blind

Behavior• Social

• Trainablehttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=

qM9YWm6T_hc

• Gentle pets– Can inflict severe scratches with

rear feet– May bite if finger resembles food– Male rabbits may castrate one

another

• May thump one rear foot if fearful or aroused– May spray urine on nearby persons

Research

• One of the most commonly used research animals– toxicity testing for

cosmetic, personal, and household products

– Draize eye and skin irritancy tests

Husbandry• Housing

– Can be house trained and have run of the house

– Can be caged individually– Require feeder and

waterer– Comfortable at ambient

temperatures between 40ºF to 85ºF• Can tolerate colder

temperatures if acclimatized and enclosed

• Do NOT tolerate heat well• Heat stress is common

– Keep clean and well ventilated

Husbandry

• Minimum Cage Size (for doe and 1 litter)

Small Breeds 2-4 lbs - 30 X 30 X 12 high

Medium Breeds 5-7 lbs - 30 X 36 X 12-14 high Large Breeds 8+ - 30 x 40-48 x 14-16 high

Husbandry• Nutrition

– Fiber essential for intestinal motility

– Digest about 70% of plant protein• Ingest vitamin- and

protein-rich cecotrophs directly from anus

– Adult rabbits should eat 3 to 6 ounces daily• Lactating rabbits should be

fed ad libitum– May have small quantities

of "treat" foods• Seem to prefer oat and

strawberry flavors

Common Diseases• Bacterial Disease

– Pasteurellosis• Pasteurella multocida• Multisystem symptoms• Treated by adminstration

of antimicrobials

– Clostridial enterotoxemia• Can kill rabbits with few

preceding clinical signs• Few treatments are

effective• Prevented with quality

stock and good husbandry

– Tyzzer’s DIsease

Common Diseases

• Parasitic diseases– External Parasites

• Fleas, lice, mites, and ticks

• Ear mites are a common problem

• Other– Ulcerative

pododermatitis or "sore hocks”

– Incisor malocclusion– Gastric hairballs