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Fun Facts about Ferrets

Ferret

Ferret

mustela putorius furo
  • All ferrets are born without fur, but as it comes in, it is white. Baby ferrets develop their color at about three weeks of age.
  • Ferrets are very intelligent and can easily be taught to roll over and fetch, just like dogs!
  • The scientific name for ferrets is "mustela putorius furo," which translates to "stinky little thief."
  • Ferrets are born deaf, with their eyes closed. When they are about 34 days old their eyes begin to open and they begin to hear.
  • At around 14 days of age a ferret's baby teeth begin to emerge.
  • At around 45 to 50 days of age the baby ferret's adult teeth begin to emerge.
  • Ferrets can easily be "potty"- or litter box-trained.
  • A female ferret is called a jill and a male ferret is called a hob.
  • Baby ferrets are called kits.
  • Although it is often assumed that ferrets are rodents, they are actually membersof the weasel family.
  • On average, ferrets sleep approximately 18 hours per day.
  • A group of ferrets is called a "business of ferrets."
  • A ferret's heart beats about 2.5 times faster than a human's heart,at around 200 to 250 beats.
  • The average human's core body temperature is 98.6°F. The average ferret's core body temperature is from 100 to 103°F.

Related Questions

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I have three female bunnies in one big cage and one of them had babies. How can I be sure that I put the right mother with the babies??

I am not sure if you bought all the rabbits together and were told they were all females, or if you accidentally bought a pregnant rabbit, or if you mated her. This may sound silly, but you should make sure that all the rabbits are female, because if there is a male in the cage, he needs to be separated from the females and the babies. Nursing mothers are very secretive, and usually only nurse once or twice a day. They only do so when they feel safe, usually just before dawn and/or just after dusk. It's unlikely you will catch the mother nursing, so that can't be used as a clue. Rabbits who are about to give birth will pull their fur out to make a nest. If any of the female rabbits are missing fur, she is likely the mother. Should you have one male in there accidentally and two females, they both could have had babies. In that case, the male should be separated, and the mothers can stay together because it will be impossible to tell which baby belongs to which rabbit. Just make sure the cage is extra large so they both have plenty of room for their nests.

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My cat's fur started to separate. Sometimes on the head/neck it forms like mono tufts, that come off as a group of fine soft undercoat fur. What could it be? She is 13yrs old, neutered Scottish Fold. She takes small dose of Meloxicam (lifetime prescription due to her breeds spine troubles). She had struvite crystals & double mastectomy (4yrs ago) since then she is on a special Veterinary diet "Feline Satiety Weight Management with S/O index" by Royal Canin.

Hello, thank you for using Boop by Petco. From the photo there does not appear to be any bald spots, however, it is not a very close up view. Honestly, unless there are bald spots and/or she is scratching the area I would not be too concerned. If the problem persists though (like for a few months) then you should take her to your vet for an exam. Some reasons there could be changes in the hair coat: 1. Diet - the special diet she is eating may be causing some nutrient imbalance. You should talk to your vet about putting her on a supplement for her coat (like fish oils) as this may help. 2. Skin Allergies - even if she has never had any symptoms of allergies before, they can develop over time. If this was the case though, I would expect hair loss and/or scratching, redness of the skin, etc. If you are not seeing any of that then this is not as likely to be the problem. 3. Fleas - again, I would expect hair loss and scratching. If you are not noticing that, then this is also not very likely to be the problem. 4. Stress - even if you don't think your cat is stressed, she could be. Try to see if you could think of anything that could be causing stress like visiting family, stray cats hanging around outside, you got a new pet, new furniture, etc.... 5. Thyroid disease- either a low or high thyroid can cause problems with the hair coat. Your vet can do a blood test to check for this. Hope this helps. Best wishes.

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Hello. My door was open with a screen net and a raccoon came right up to the door making contact with my cat. Face to face. Is there a way for her to catch anything like that like rabies? Or does a cat have to get bitten for that? I immediately ran up and closed the door. The raccoon was coming to eat the bird seeds. Is there anything to worry about here?

Thanks for visiting Boop by Petco. Rabies is commonly spread through a bite wound. So there is very low risk of rabies transmission based on what you have described as making ocntact through a screen net. It isn't impossible because rabies is found in the saliva, just very unlikely in this scenario. Just keep an eye on your pet Kate for the next 7 days for any abnormal behavior (i.e. excessive vocalization, irrational behaivor, aggressive behavior, and if she is not up to date on her rabies vaccination, I would highly recommend getting her vaccinated asap. I hope that things work out well for your pet Kate moving forward. Best wishes and take care.

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Hello! I’m inquiring about my 10 year old rabbit, Brownie. He has been diagnosed with synovial cell sarcoma or osteosarcoma of his left knee. There has been quite a progression of multiple fractures causing him pain in the knee. Our vet gave us two options: amputation of the leg to ease pain or continuing on and opting for palliative care with pain meds until end of life. How will his quality of life be post-surgery since he’s old? Is it worth going through with if he is a senior bunny?

Thank you for contacting Boop by Petco with your question about Brownie. I'm so very sorry he has cancer. Domestic rabbits typically live between 8-12 years, so he is definitely a senior rabbit. The problem with osteosarcoma is that there is a high risk of metastatis (spreading) to other parts of the body, typically the lungs. I'm not sure if you have had x-rays done of his lungs, but there may be a chance it's already spread. There is a possibility that the spread may not show up on x-rays just yet as the cancer cells are too small to detect at the moment. I'm also not sure about his anesthetic risking, meaning that giving him anesthesia could be very risky at his age depending on his health. There is a lot to consider here, and I'm not sure how much life he would have left after surgery. Sometimes yes the surgery can be worth going through even in a senior animal, but there are other questions that need to be answered like if the cancer has spread and his anesthetic risk. I would discuss these questions with your vet, which will help you make your decision. Other things to consider is that it will take a number of weeks for him to recover from surgery, and that life expectancy after surgery is not very long, usually a couple of months. I would take that into consideration as well when making your decision. I can't tell you which way to go, but I do hope I've helped you with some things to consider. Again, I'm very sorry.

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I got my tortoise 2 months ago and I've been trying to find a vet ever since. Which has been difficult in my area. He is a horsefeild tortoise and has cracks in his shell and on his plastron. I want to know how heal them and are they from injury or parasites??

Hello, thank you for using Boop by Petco. The damage to the plastron is most likely from either trauma or infection. I have never seen something like this due to parasites. You should really try to find a local veterinarian to examine him as he likely needs more in depth treatment than what you can provide at home with over the counter remedies. You may need to travel towards Green Bay in order to find a reptile veterinarian. I found a few in that area. Here is one of them: ( https://countrycareac.com/search-animal-reptiles/ ) ( https://countrycareac.com/medical-surgical/medical-surgical-reptiles/ ) While you are waiting to get him an appointment you can try using this spray on the affected areas once or twice daily: ( https://www.petco.com/shop/en/petcostore/product/microcyn-manna-pro-ahwound-and-skin-care-spray-for-all-animals ) Hope this helps. Best wishes.

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We noticed this crusty lump like thing on my Guinea pig tonight, we really don’t have money to take her to a vet. Any advice helps

My best guess is that this could be ringworm however it is impossible to tell just by looking at a photo. I suggest you get this spray and apply it 2-3 times daily on the affected area. ( https://www.petco.com/shop/en/petcostore/product/vetericyn-plus-antimicrobial-wound-and-skin-hydrogel-for-pets ) If after a week to 10 days it still is not resolving then you need to take her to a vet for an exam. Wash your hands thoroughly after touching her as ringworm, if it is that, is contagious to people.

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