Differences Between Male And Female Ferrets

Well, hello friends. It�s time, once again, to share some ferrety information with you. And guess what�s on the agenda for today?

�How to end world hunger?�

Um. No.

�How to bring about world peace?�

No. No. No.

�You don�t care about these things?�

[Sigh] Of course I do. But this post is about ferrets.

�Oh.� [pause] �Hey, I think I know what�s on for today. You�re going to write about the government-funded secret military labs that are breeding warrior-style ferrets that will be used to dominate the general population?�

Huh?

�You really don�t know about this? Well, you just wait. You�ll read all about it in one of Dean Koontz�s books. He knows what�s going on. They publish his books as fiction, but I know better. Oh yes I do.�

Uhuh. O-kay� Moving along...

I�m going to write about the differences between male and female ferrets, if there are any, and how to distinguish between the two.

�And somehow you feel that this is more important than putting an end to world hunger?�

Shoo. Go away.

�Alright, so what are the differences between male and female ferrets, you ask?�

Well...

Not much.

Size is about the only real difference between the two. Although there are exceptions to this rule, males are slightly larger, growing between 17 to 24 inches in length and weighing anywhere from 3 to 5 pounds. Females, on the other hand, will be about 12 to 16 inches long and weigh between 1 to 3 pounds. In summary, a domesticated ferret will have an average length of 20 inches and weigh about 2 to 4 pounds. Both have long and slender bodies, so don�t look for those feminine curves to help determine whether you have a male or female pet.

Photo from SXC

There are a lot of opinions from ferret owners, but the general consensus is that male and female behaviour generalizations are basically impossible because every ferret has a unique personality, regardless of what sex it is. A female can play just as rough as a male, and a male can be just as affectionate and cuddly as a female. So don�t assume that your docile, affectionate pet is a female; males have no problem showering you with ferrety kisses.

The only time you will find a noticeable difference between male and females ferrets is when they�re not fixed. For example, an un-neutered male ferret is very territorial and will likely become very aggressive toward other ferrets as well as toward people and other pets he lives with. In addition, when frustrated, he may cause serious injury by biting. He will also have a very strong and unpleasant odor about him, and, to top it all off, he may decide to �mark� his territory. �Nuff said.

For a female ferret, on the other hand, spaying is a medical necessity because when she goes into heat she stays in heat until she breeds. The continuing heat cycle leads to a life-threatening condition called aplastic anemia, a condition caused by high levels of the hormone estrogen, which is produced when the female ferret is in heat. Inevitably, severe anemia sets in and death follows. So fixing a female will ultimately save her life.

That�s about all the differences you�ll find between male and female ferrets. Now, the only thing that remains is how to actually tell whether a ferret is male or female. It�s something that I learned recently, which led to the discovery that Bailey is male and not female. And it�s very easy to do.

If you look on the belly of a ferret, halfway between the tail and the bottom of the rib cage, and you notice what looks like an �outie� belly button, it�s a male (and that�s not a belly button). If there�s no sign of a belly button, it�s a female. It�s that simple.

So that�s it for today folks. I hope that this has proven to be another informative ferrety Friday.

The last word, once again, goes to Bailey.

Hey dude! What say you?


Um, no. That wouldn�t be a good idea...