Varieties
All ferrets must have a short
broad face so as not to resemble a rat. Males are considerably larger
than females (by up to twice their size). Due to the recent popularity
of ferrets as pets, their coloration has exploded with more developments
looming on the horizon. Some varieties re listed below:
Sable: The most popular colour and it is easy to see why. The striking racoon like mask is it most obvious feature. The under hair is whitish with guard hairs black or lighter shades of brown. The underfur sometimes has a golden sheen to it. The preferred nose colour is black.
Albino (Ruby eyed white): These range in white to golden with a pink nose. It is especially important for albinos to have a short face.
Butterscotch: The underfur of the butterscotch is the same as that of the sable. However, the guard hairs, leggings and mask are butterscotch rather than black. Noses are rather butterscotch to match the masks.
Cinnamon: Truly beautiful. This variety is still rare. Its underfur is white of off-white and its guard hair is the rich red colour of cinnamon.
Spotted: Spotting usually appears on the stomach but sometimes covers the back. This spotted pattern usually disappears with the adult coat. Spotted kits sometimes have "possum" looking markings on their faces.
Silver: The underfur of the silver is white or off-white and the guard hair is both white and black. This mixture gives the appearance of silver. The eyes appear black but are frequently a deep burgundy.
Other colour varieties: Of course there have been mixtures of all these varieties and there will be more as these crosses continue.
Sable: The most popular colour and it is easy to see why. The striking racoon like mask is it most obvious feature. The under hair is whitish with guard hairs black or lighter shades of brown. The underfur sometimes has a golden sheen to it. The preferred nose colour is black.
Albino (Ruby eyed white): These range in white to golden with a pink nose. It is especially important for albinos to have a short face.
Butterscotch: The underfur of the butterscotch is the same as that of the sable. However, the guard hairs, leggings and mask are butterscotch rather than black. Noses are rather butterscotch to match the masks.
Cinnamon: Truly beautiful. This variety is still rare. Its underfur is white of off-white and its guard hair is the rich red colour of cinnamon.
Spotted: Spotting usually appears on the stomach but sometimes covers the back. This spotted pattern usually disappears with the adult coat. Spotted kits sometimes have "possum" looking markings on their faces.
Silver: The underfur of the silver is white or off-white and the guard hair is both white and black. This mixture gives the appearance of silver. The eyes appear black but are frequently a deep burgundy.
Other colour varieties: Of course there have been mixtures of all these varieties and there will be more as these crosses continue.
Some colour varieties of Ferrets are illustrated below
A "Sable" male and an "Albino" female getting to know each other.
White-footed Butterscotch
Silver