Ferret
Mustela furo
Distribution:
Worldwide.
Habitat:
Grassy plains, pastures, scrubland, coastal.
Diet:
Rabbits, hares, rodents, possums, ground-dwelling birds, nesting birds, lizards, eels, eggs.
Gestation:
42 days, 3 - 7 kits born
Longevity:
1 - 3 years in the wild, 5 - 10 years in captivity.
Predators:
Birds of prey, badgers, foxes, coyotes.
Conservation Status:
Least concern
General:
New Zealand has the largest known population of feral ferrets in the world. Ferrets spend up to 18hrs a day asleep! With a very long and slender body shape, ferrets were initially bred for sport, hunting rabbits in a practice known as rabbiting.
'Dooking' is a soft clucking noise made by happy or playful ferrets. They have a variety of other ways to communicate, including hissing when scared and squeaking when upset.
Ferrets are social and live happily in groups, however they are territorial animals and like to burrow and sleep in enclosed areas. Despite their reputation as a pest and aggressive manner of killing prey, they are often very playful with each other.
Fun fact: The name "ferret" is derived from the Latin "furittus", meaning "little thief", a likely reference to the common ferret penchant for secreting away small items.
At Hamilton Zoo:
We have three Ferrets here at Hamilton Zoo in the New Zealand Pest Exhibit.
Males:
Renegade
Badger
Fergus
All three boys were wild-caught so exact birthdays are unknown.