Ferrets
Ferrets are playful, energetic, and incredibly curious—but they are not legal to own as pets in California. At Animal Tracks, we currently care for many ferrets, all of whom arrived as owner surrenders or confiscations. This means they were either voluntarily given up or taken from individuals who owned them illegally.
We strongly discourage keeping ferrets as pets, especially in California, where owning one can result in fines and confiscation. In the best-case scenario, the animal finds a sanctuary like ours. In the worst case, they face euthanasia—a heartbreaking and unnecessary fate for these intelligent creatures.
Ferrets belong to the weasel family, which means they have a strong musky odor that can quickly take over a home. They also have some mischievous habits that make them challenging pets. They tend to use corners as their bathroom, they can squeeze into the tiniest spaces, and they have a notorious love for shiny objects—so if you own one, expect your keys, pocket change, and trinkets to go missing!
While ferrets are fascinating animals, they are best appreciated in environments where they can thrive without causing unintended trouble. If you truly love ferrets, the best way to help them is to respect the laws that protect them and support sanctuaries that provide proper care.
ORDER: Carnivora
FAMILY: Mustelidae
GENUS: Mustela
SPECIES: Furo
Ferrets are related to the weasel or mustelid family. The males are noticeably larger than the females. Domesticated ferrets spend a good 14 to 18 hours a day sleeping and prefer to be active at dawn and dusk. They are most notorious for the scent glands, which they use for marking territory and individual identification. Like a skunk, they can even release their anal glands when startled, just not to the same amount or distance. When excited they preform a behavior called the “weasel war dance” with sideways hops and nips. They are carnivores and eat ferret dry food from your local pet store, but their wild cousins eat rodents, reptiles and even bunnies. They reproduce between March and August. Gestation lasts 42 days where 3 to 7 kits are born. The kits are independent by 3 months old. At 6 months old they can start their own family. Their domestication started 2500 years ago from the European polecat. The Romans started using them for hunting rabbits. The name ferret in Latin means “Little Thief”. They were brought to America in the 17th century until the start of World War II to protect grain stores from rodents. People started to appreciate some of their more comedic attributes and the ferret became a family pet.
Threats
Fur production and biomedical research.
Conservation Status
LC - Least Concern