HISTORY OF THE FERRET
Susan A. Brown, DVM
Midwest Bird & Exotic Animal Hospital
1923 South
Mannheim Road
Westchester, IL 60154
708-344-8166
The domestic ferret has been a useful member of the
human household for a few thousand years. Today they
have reached true companion animal status and are appreciated
thoughout much of the world.
SOURCE OF DOMESTICATED FERRETS
The domestic ferret (Mustela putorius furo) is thought
to be a domesticated Western or Eastern European polecat.
The Eastern European or Steppe polecat (Mustela eversmanni)
and the Eastern European polecat (Mustela putorius
putorius) are very similar in appearance and skeletal
structure. The ferret can interbreed and produce fertile
offspring with either of these species of polecat.
The domestic ferret is not a domesticated form of the
black-footed ferret (Mustela nigripes) which was native
to the western United States. Black-footed ferrets
recently became extinct in the wild, but they are gradually
being reintroduced through captive breeding programs.
The name Mustela is a Latin derivation of the term
mus for mouse. Animals in the Mustela genus include
weasels and other “mouse catchers”. Putorius
is from the Latin putor, which means a stench referring
to the musky odor of the ferret. Furo comes from the
Latin furonem meaning “thief”. So we have
a “mouse-catching, smelly, thief”! The
word ferret most likely comes from the Latin furo or
the Italian furone with the same meaning of “thief”.
Currently there is still controversy over which species
of polecat the domesticated ferret actually came from.
Studies have been performed comparing skull structure,
coat color and behavior in all three species. In addition,
there is little archeological evidence to suggest exactly
when ferrets were domesticated and what path they took
in becoming established in Europe. This may be because
their tiny bones decay rapidly or because archeologists
previously overlooked their remains as insignificant
and did not record these findings. Some suggest that
the ancestors of the domestic ferret originated in
Northern Africa and then were spread to Europe with
Roman and/or Norman invasions. Many researchers believe
that the spread of ferrets through Europe was accompanied
by the spread of the rabbits that they hunted, as we
shall see in the discussion under Historical Use.
EVIDENCE OF DOMESTICATION
One strong piece of evidence that an animal is truly
domesticated is that it retains some of the characteristics
of the juvenile of the species. This is done through
selective breeding and it serves to make the animal
more docile and able to be manipulated by man. There
have been extensive studies done on the behavioral
differences between wild polecats and ferrets that
indicate there is indeed an alteration in behavior.
In general, ferrets show less fear of man and less
fear of an unfamiliar environment than do the polecats.
In addition, it took ferrets longer to get used to
a repeated noise they were exposed to than the wild
ferret. These behaviors exhibited by the ferret indicate
a retention of more juvenile responses.
It is interesting to note that if wild polecat babies
are taken from their mother prior to opening their
eyes and then raised by a human, they will imprint
on the human and become relatively tame. They can remain
tame if there is continued contact with humans. In
contrast, mink and weasels that are hand-reared may
become tame for a short period, but usually revert
to a fearful wild state at maturity. This docile behavior
upon being hand-raised may be a key to why ferrets
could be domesticated in the first place.
HISTORICAL USE
A ferret-like animal was mentioned by Greek authors
Aristophanes in 450 BC and Aristotle in 350 BC. The
references are unclear because an exact description
of the animal is missing. Somewhere between 63 BC and
24 AD Strabo writes of a plague of rabbits in the Balearic
Islands in the Mediterranean that was causing a famine.
He describes a Libyan animal that was bred for the
purpose of hunting, was muzzled and put into rabbit
holes. This animal, which behavior sounds like a ferret,
would cause the rabbit to bolt from the hole where
men and dogs were ready to dispatch it. This practice
bears a striking resemblance to the practice of ferreting
that has taken place in Europe for centuries. Pliny
in AD 23-79 and Isidore of Seville in AD 600 also mention
ferrets being used to hunt rabbits. Ferrets may also
have been kept around households to control rodents,
but the majority of references relate to ferrets and
rabbits. The ferret’s close cousin, the mongoose
was used more often for rodent and snake control and
continues to be used in this manner today in areas
where it is indigenous. These early references to ferrets
have given rise to the hypothesis that the ferret originated
in the Mediterranean area, but there is still insufficient
evidence to call this a fact.
By the 1200’s ferrets had spread to Germany
and there are stories that Genghis Khan may have used
ferrets in Afghanistan in 1221. The first references
in England are in 1223 and again in 1281 where a ferreter
was listed as part of the Royal Court. Other interesting
bits of information from England in the late 1200’s
to the late 1300’s include the fact that one
needed an annual income of forty shillings to own a
ferret and that ferrets were owned by high-ranking
church officials. King Richard II issued a decree in
1384 allowing one of his clerks to hunt rabbits with
ferrets and again in 1390 prohibiting the use of ferrets
on Sunday. In 1551, Gerner in Zurich described the
first albino ferret as “the colour of wool stained
with urine”. From here on, there is increasing
evidence in Medieval European literature of ferrets
being used to hunt rabbits. Ferrets were also used
for fur production, although this seemed less popular
until the 20th century. In addition, probably by at
least the eighteen century ferrets were being used
on ships to help control the rodents that were so prevalent.
It is also highly likely that a few humans historically
also enjoyed the ferret’s lively personality
and kept these little critters purely for their companionship.
It is clear that ferrets were used early on to hunt
rabbits, both as a pest control measure and as a sport.
There is evidence that Roman soldiers routinely used
ferrets in hunting rabbits. Ferrets may have spread
to the northern European continent during the spread
of the Roman Empire, or as others have suggested they
may have spread with Norman invasions. It does seem
clear, however, that wherever ferrets went there were
rabbits. The European rabbit, which, by the way, is
also the ancestor of our pet rabbits, originated in
the Iberian Peninsula, in the region of Spain and has
been raised in captivity for at least 2000 years. Rabbits
were intentionally introduced into Northern Europe
and now, so it appears, the ferrets were introduced
along with them.
In the 1860’s New Zealand colonizers imported
game animals including the rabbit. By the 1870’s
rabbits were decimating the landscape because there
are no natural predators that control the rabbits in
New Zealand. Five ferrets were released in 1879 to
control the rabbit population. This was followed by
the release of thousands from 1882 to 1886. Stoats
and weasels, which are close relatives of the ferret,
were also released. Ferrets developed feral (able to
live under “wild” conditions) colonies
in New Zealand which resulted not in the eradication
of rabbits, but contributed to a disastrous decline
in native birds. Ferrets were able to live successfully
in the wild because the climate of New Zealand may
be ideal, and the ferrets had no predators other than
man. Many of New Zealand’s birds are flightless
and thus at risk of losing their lives to a ground-dwelling
predator such as the ferret. Ferrets are not the only
factor in the loss or these species, but their presence
is significant. The current estimate of the number
of feral ferrets between the two islands is around
one million.
Rabbits were introduced into Australia by early British
settlers for much the same reason and with the same
consequence as in New Zealand. Ferrets were then introduced
to control the situation. However, in Australia, ferrets
were not able to establish feral colonies probably
due to a different climate and the fact that they have
predators such as fox, feral cats, dingoes and hawks.
In recent history there has been a significant decrease
in the use of ferrets for hunting rabbits, for rodent
control or for fur production and they are now more
commonly kept as pets. Ferrets are kept as companion
animals in South Africa and Japan as well as most of
Europe at this time.
INTRODUCTION TO THE UNITED STATES
Ferrets were probably introduced into this country
in the eighteen century via ships that carried them
as ratters. In addition, some colonists brought them
over as hunting companions. By the early 1900’s
ferrets were being imported by the tens of thousands
to be used as “vermin” exterminators. They
were used to destroy rabbits, raccoons, gophers, rats
and mice. Prey animals will usually flee in the presence
of the “scent of a ferret” and so ferrets
few were needed to protect barns, warehouses and granaries.
The USDA promoted the use of ferrets for rodent control.
If your farm was infested you could call the ferretmeister
to come and release ferrets on your property. The ferrets
went on a search and destroy mission and then humans
and dogs, usually terriers, placed around the area
would kill the vermin as they tried to escape. Some
establishments simply maintained their own colony of
ferrets for this purpose. When chemical rodenticides
became available there was no further need for the “ferret
patrol” and this practice died out.
Fur farming never took a strong hold in the United
States and hunting with ferrets was made illegal in
most states in the twentieth century. In the mid twentieth
century ferrets were readily embraced as companion
animals by Americans and this continues to be the primarily
role of the ferret in the U.S. today. There arecurrently
no feral populations of ferrets in the United States.
The only ferret introduced into the U.S. has been the
domestic form and not the wild polecat.
USE OF FERRETS
The following is a list of some the historic and modern
uses for the ferret:
Hunting Rabbits – As mentioned, this was probably
one of the first historical uses of the domestic ferret
and perhaps its main reason for domestication. The
use of a ferret to hunt rabbits is commonly called
ferreting. Ferrets were used both for rabbit population
control and as a means for humans to obtain food. There
is very little training involved because ferrets naturally
enjoy running through burrows and seeking out prey.
In ancient times, muzzles were used to prevent the
ferret from killing and eating the rabbit underground
and then taking a nap. There is also evidence that
some ancient ferreters made holes in the upper and
lower lip of the ferret and tied the lips together
or placed a metal ring to hold the lips together before
a hunt. Fortunately, muzzles are not used today, but
occasionally a harness with a long line attached is
employed. These items are rarely needed because when
the rabbit smells the ferret coming and it bolts out
its escape hole before it can be caught. Prior to releasing
the ferret the rabbit holes are covered by purse string
nets held in place by a stakes. The net closes around
the rabbit as it tries to escape. Alternatively dogs,
such as terriers or lurchers. Which is a dog that contains
greyhound blood, chase and catch the rabbit or the
hunter shoots the rabbit. Lighter colored ferrets are
preferred because they are easier to see and retrieve
after a hunt. Ferreting is still practiced in some
areas of the world.
Rodent control – It is likely that ferrets were
also used for rodent control around houses as soon
as they were domesticated. Small mammals and birds
make up the majority of the wild ferret’s diet
and if allowed it is certain they would have hunted
within the household. As mentioned, in more recent
times, ferrets were used to control rodents around
barns and granaries and on European and American ships.
The Massachusetts Colonial Navy, which was organized
on December 29, 1775, was reactivated in 1967 and in
1986 proclaimed the ferret it’s official mascot.
An excerpt from the ceremonial speech shows the importance
of ferrets on these ships. "Now in the days of
the wooden men o' war there was quite often, an uninvited
population of rodents aboard ship. … Dogs were
completely unsuccessful mousers and besides their barking
kept both captain and crew awake. Cats were infinitely
preferred over dogs, but they were unable to chase
mice into the many narrow holes and passageways aboard
the ship, so more mice escaped then were caught. But ….there
was one animal the rats and mice could never escape
from…no matter where they tried to hide…no
matter how small a hole they ran into…they were
doomed! This animal was one of man’s best friends
and totally fearless. They were in great demand aboard
ships of the colonial navy, and fortunate indeed were
the crews that had a ferret for a mascot and friend.”
Fur Production– Ferrets have been raised for
fur production for centuries in Europe and in the early
1900’s an effort was made to establish this practice
in the United States. The wild coloring of the ferret
is preferred and it is likely there was a considerable
amount of breeding back to the wild European polecat
to maintain the uniformity and quality of the fur.
A coat made out of ferret fur is called a fitch coat.
Fortunately the practice of breeding ferrets for their
fur has become much less common and eventually may
die out altogether.
Transporters –The ferret’s anatomy and
willingness to run through dark tunnels make them ideal
in transporting cables through long pipes. Oilmen in
the North Sea, telephone companies, camera crews and
people working on airline jets have used ferrets for
this purpose. The ferret wears a harness where a long
thin nylon line is attached. The nylon line is then
connected to the cable that needs to be pulled through
the conduit. The use of mechanical devices for this
purpose has made the ferret obsolete as a transporter.
Ferret Legging – This is a silly English pub
sport that has been around for centuries, but fortunately
is no longer common. The contestant must ties his trousers
legs securely around the ankles, then places two ferrets,
who have full sets of teeth, down his pants and finally
tie the waist of his trousers securely closed. If a
ferret bites, it can only be dislodged from the outside
of the pants. The object is to be the person that keeps
the ferrets in his pants the longest. In 1983 a 72-year
old Yorkshire man withstood the ferrets for 5 hours
and 26 minutes.
Biomedical research – Ferrets became models
for biomedical research in the twentieth century. One
of their first uses was for the study of human influenza
virus, which they are susceptible to. Currently they
are used in the areas of virology, toxicology, pharmacology,
reproductive physiology, endocrinology, physiology,
teratology, and anatomy. Some of the byproducts of
their use in human research has been a tremendous growth
in our understanding of ferret anatomy, physiology
and ferret disease. Biomedical use of ferrets is the
greatest in the United States because of the presence
of large-scale ferret breeding facilities that can
produce healthy ferrets in large numbers. Other countries
lack these facilities and thus ferrets are not used
as readily. Unfortunately or not, these breeding facilities
produce the largest percentage of ferrets used for
pets as well.
Companion Animals – By far the most common use
for ferrets today is as a companion animal. They are
small, easy to care for and have entertaining and responsive
personalities. Ferrets are bred in an astounding variety
of color variations and now there is now even a longhaired
ferret available. Ferret organizations devoted to the
nurturing of the ferret as a pets have sprung up all
over the world. Devoted ferret owners attend ferret
shows where their pets compete in areas such as color
classes, best-dressed ferret, yawning contest and races
involving bags and long tubes. It is perhaps fitting
after a history of working for humans that ferrets
should now enjoy a life of luxury as a beloved companion!
References:
Some behavioural
differences between the European polecat, Mustela
putorius, the ferret, M. furo, and their hybrids
by Trevor B. Poole. Journal of the Proceedings of
the Zoological Society, London (1972) 166, pp 25-35.
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