If you are looking for a pet with a great personality, look no further than the Domestic Ferret. The Ferret is intelligent, curious and playful. It is no surprise that this delightful creature is becoming more and more popular as a family pet.

The Domestic Ferret is playful, outgoing and highly intelligent. Many claim that they are more intelligent than both cats and dogs. Because they are so clever the ferret can get himself into trouble by opening doors and drawers. Ferrets have even been known to open childproof locks! They can unscrew screw tops and open zippers. The Ferret can easily get himself into dangerous situations if he is not placed in a ferret-proofed home. Ferrets remain eternally young in personality. They are highly energetic, always playful and always looking for an adventure. Ferrets also interact well with other pets in the household including cats, dogs and even birds! Although ferrets usually get along with dogs and cats, care should be taken with dogs that are "hunting breeds" as they may be attracted to the ferret as they are very similar to the dog's prey. Ferrets should also not be allowed to interact with pet mice, rats, gerbils, hamsters, hedgehogs, etc., as the ferret may see them as food and, in even in play, may seriously harm or kill them. One curious thing about most Ferrets is they do a little ferret dance when they are happy and want to play. Some new owners get concerned thinking that their little friend is ill or otherwise not well. In truth, he is just displaying his happiness. You can never expect Ferrets to behave the same as another Ferret you have met. The diversity in personality between Ferrets is perhaps as great as that between different humans. They are easily trained and are capable of learning many tricks. For example, the ferret can be litter trained, but don't use scoopable litter. It can get caught in their rectum and feet, which can be quite a mess. Contrary to rumor, Ferrets do not "go wild" and damage wildlife and agriculture. In fact, if released the domestic Ferret would probably not survive more than a week. The Ferret is a completely domestic animal and is not capable of surviving on his own. The Ferret is well suited for apartment life, and is often accepted in places cats and dogs are not allowed. Overall the Ferret makes a wonderful pet, provided you understand that they have very special and unique needs.

The Ferret is a very unique and wonderful pet. They are more independent than dogs, but require more attention and maintenance than cats. They might not be suitable for everyone, because they have unique requirements. In spite of their small size, the ferret would not be happy being housed in an aquarium like a gerbil or hamster. The Ferret needs time and space to run and play. An aquarium would never be a suitable environment for a Ferret. Instead they should be housed in a cage with enough room for play and stretching out. There should also be ample room for a litter box, bedding area and food and water. 3 X 3 X 2 feet will usually suffice for one or two ferrets. The Ferret is not a cage animal and needs at least four hours a day out of his cage to spend with his human companions. This is a minimum, and a happy Ferret should have more time. He also needs to be out of his cage every day. Because of their small size, the Ferret very easily finds himself getting into small places that other pets such as cats and dogs would not be able to go. It is essential that your home be ferret proofed. It is important you feed your ferret a high quality ferret food or kitten chow. Poor quality feeding products often lack essential elements. The Ferret's metabolism is very high and they metabolize their food very quickly, making them need to eat every four hours. For this reason they need access to food at all times.

The Ferret gets his name from the Italian and Latin words for "thief," 'furone' 'foronem' respectively. The Ferret is part of the weasel family, but he is entirely domestic. Much debate has centered on them, but it should be quite clear that the Ferret is not a wild animal, but rather as much a domestic pet as a cat or a dog.

The Ferret is perhaps the only domestic animal capable of catching a human flu or cold. They can also pass their colds and flues on to their human owners as well. Therefore, if you are sick, you should only handle your ferret minimally until you are well. If your ferret is sick with the cold or flu, his symptoms will be similar to those of humans, including running nose, sneezing etc. A cold can become more dangerous in a ferret than in a human. Consult your veterinarian if your ferret is exhibiting cold symptoms.

The Ferret may also be prone to; Intestinal blockage, Cardiomyopathy, Protruding rectum, Insulinoma, injuries sustained from falling, adrenal tumors, parasites (such as fleas, heartworm and ticks). Deafness is also occasionally seen. Ferrets may also become over-heated and this may cause them to become ill. In addition to common flu and cold symptoms, other signs of illness to watch for are hair loss and diarrhea.

When selecting a ferret it is important to check to make sure they are healthy. The eyes should be clear and alert, not dull. Their coat should be shiny and healthy looking, and they should not have broken teeth. It is also important to check their feces, which should be solid and dark in color, not runny and smelly. If the feces is runny and smelly the ferret may have certain health problems and may also not have been fed or taken care of properly. Other things to look for are discharge from the eyes and mouth, which can be a sign of disease.

It is important to check the local restrictions in your area, as ferrets are not legal in some areas. In addition breeding of ferrets may not be legal in areas where they are allowed to be kept as pets, so it is important to check this information if you are considering breeding these animals. Lastly, there are many different rescue and humane organizations that handle ferret adoptions, you may wish to consult one in your area if you decide to invite a ferret into your life.

Breeding the domestic ferret is considered relatively difficult for several reasons. Perhaps the most important is that females (jills) are reported to die if they are not altered and then not bred. For this reason most females sold as pets are already spayed. If your baby female ferret has not been spayed and you do not intend to breed her regularly it is very important that you consult your vet and spay her before she goes into heat. They can be spayed in heat but this is always more dangerous and stressful to the female. The average female will reach her first heat at six months of age. There seems to be some disagreement about spaying very early, but generally if the female is spayed before six months of age there are no problems.

Many people may wonder why females are apt to die if they are not bred. Ferrets, like cats, are induced ovulators. An induced ovulator is any animal that stays in heat until they are bred. Once they are bred they will ovulate. They do not necessarily need to become pregnant to go out of heat, but they must mate. Unlike the domestic cats, female ferrets are prone to severe anemia if allowed to remain in heat for long periods of time. This has been reported to be fatal for the unaltered female. In addition, the immune system of female ferrets in heat is usually lower, making them prone to infection and disease.

Males do not have the same type of health risks if they are not neutered, but many report that neutered males spray less and have better odors. Neutering also makes them more docile and affectionate.

In addition to the health risks for females, there are additional problems if one decides to breed. It is important that prospective breeders familiarize themselves with the process of breeding before attempting to breed ferrets themselves. A good resource for learning are national and local ferret organizations.

If you have decided that you want to breed it is important to make sure that you have more than one intact male. This is important because you need to make sure you have a male that is always ready when the female goes into heat. If you only have one male, he may not be ready when she is, and this can lead to anemia in the female, as mentioned above. It is important that the females be bred every season. In addition to having more than one male, it is also equally important to have more than one breeding female. Many females have problems with milk production, and it may be necessary to have another female act as a surrogate.

The actual mating process is described as violent. It is best to breed the female two days in a row during the second week of her heat. After conception the female will undergo a gestation period of approximately 42 days. By two weeks the female can be palpated by an experienced veterinarian to determine pregnancy. It is important not to disturb the female shortly after she has given birth. Disturbing mothers may cause them to cannibalize their babies. After the babies are born they will nurse until they are weaned, though most will begin to eat solid food at two to three weeks, they are not fully weaned until six to eight weeks of age. After the babies are weaned the female will usually go into heat within two weeks. A female's heat cycle is photoperiod dependent. Under natural lighting conditions most females will have two litters a year. Some breeders have chosen to use artificial lighting, which can induce more heats, allowing three litters per year. In most cases each successive litter will produce fewer and fewer babies until the female fails to conceive. The average lifespan of a ferret is between five and eight years.