Common Ferret Terms
Do you ever wonder what ferret owners are talking about when they say things like "alpha ferret" or "bottlebrush?" Now you won't have to! Below are some of the common ferret terms that you may have heard.
Albino:
A ferret that is all white and has pink eyes because it lacks pigmentation.
Alpha Ferret:
The dominant ferret in the group.
Altered:
A spayed or neutered ferret.
Blown coat:
A ferret that blows her coat loses most or all of her guard hairs, leaving her coat with a light, patchy appearance.
Bonded ferrets:
Ferrets, usually cagemates, that have formed a very close bond with each other.
Bottlebrush tail:
When all the hair on the tail sticks straight out because the ferret is excited or upset.
Business:
A group of ferrets.
Descented:
A ferret whose anal scent glands have been removed.
Dook:
A noise that a ferret makes that sounds like a mix between a chuckle and a chatter.
Ferreting:
Hunting with ferrets.
Ferretproofing:
The process of making your ferret's play area safe for her.
Flat ferret:
When a ferret suddenly lays flat on the ground.
Free roam:
When ferrets have the entire house to play and/or live in.
Guard hairs:
The longer, stiffer hairs on the top of your ferret's coat.
Intact:
An unspayed or unneutered ferret.
Kibble:
The commercially prepared dry food that your ferret eats.
Kit:
A baby ferret.
Mustelid:
A member of the family Mustelidae - in this case, a ferret!
Natural diet:
Feeding of whole prey, meat, and bone in an attempt to more accurately simulate a ferret's natural dietary practices.
Obligate carnivore:
An animal, in this case a ferret, that must eat meat and other animal products to get the nutrition it needs.
Poof:
A slang term used to describe when a ferret that has not been descented releases its anal glands.
Rat tail:
When a ferret loses some or all of hair on her tail, and the skin is covered with small black or brownish red spots.
Sable:
The most common ferret coat color, characterized by brown guardhairs and a creamy undercoat.
War dance:
When a ferret bounces around, jumping and twisting in the air.
