The appearance of albino ferrets sets them apart from the other ferrets. They are even favored as pets because of this striking appearance. PetPonder provides some interesting facts about them.
An albino ferret named Warhol, was recorded as the fastest ferret. He ran the North England Ferret Racing Championships on July 11, 1999. Warhol ran the 10 meters in 12.59 seconds, beating out 150 other ferret competitors!
Albino ferrets are born due the inheritance of recessive genes, where one of its parents may have passed them on to the offspring. But this genetic defect, majorly caused due to selective breeding has led to the increase in their popularity as pets.
Ferrets with albinism have been domesticated centuries ago, with earliest evidence being a reference by Swiss naturalist Conrad Gesner in 1551. He described it as “the color of wool stained with urine”, which very aptly described the color of the albino ferret.
They were generally favored by hunters, as their snowy white fur stood out when they hunted out rabbits, making them easy to track. Let us take a closer look at these cute-looking furry animals through some interesting facts mentioned below.
➢ Albino ferrets can be easily identified by their snow-white fur, red eyes, and pink nose. A female albino ferret is known as a Jill, the male is known as Hob, and a baby is known as Kit.
➢ Due to lack of skin pigmentation, the eyes of an albino ferret look red, because it mirrors the red blood cells beneath them. The fur of an albino ferret is generally white, but it may also appear off-white or yellowish.
➢ The fur of an albino ferret sometimes appears off-white or yellowish because of the skin oils present in them. An increase in the secretion of skin oils, aging, and a change in the temperature, contributes to the yellowing in the fur. These skin oils help the ferrets communicate with their fellow ferrets, and it works as a temperature regulator too. An increase in the secretion of skin oils would make the fur appear more oily and yellower.
➢ The eye color of an albino ferret is ruby red, and sometimes, the eyes glow in the dark. The white-furred ferrets with black, or blue eyes, are often confused to be albinos; however they are not. Some people, however, do not prefer to own a red-eyed ferret.
➢ They are curious and energetic in the mornings and love napping in the afternoon. They can sleep up to 18 hours at a time.
➢ Ferrets inherently have a curious and playful nature, and the same applies to the albino ferret. They need constant entertainment when they are awake.
➢ They are inquisitive, agile and love to explore and examine. They can easily enter into small holes resembling the burrows of rabbits or any small space.
➢ There is a mistaken belief that albino ferrets are frailer than normal ferrets. They are equally strong and robust; however their genetics has accorded them with some special characteristics.
➢ They are sensitive to light because of their transparent iris, and they often have issues with intense lighting.
➢ Their lifespan is the same as other ferrets and can live up to 7-9 years; however, they are more prone to health issues as they grow older.
➢ They have small hearing mechanism in their middle and inner ear, which makes them hard of hearing but not deaf.
Care as Pets
➢ Albino ferrets require just as much care as any other type of ferret, and need constant amusement and a safe place to call their own.
➢ Their diet is the same as other ferrets. They are complete carnivores and live only on meat and fish. They should be fed dry cat food or meat.
➢ There is a general misconception, that bathing albino ferrets, often, will reduce the yellowness from their fur; however doing so would increase the secretion of skin oils, making the skin dry. Bathing them once a month helps maintain a pure white coat, it also moderates the level of moisture in their skin.
Albino ferrets are mainly domesticated because they are at a serious disadvantage in the wild, as they can be easily spotted by predators. Albino ferrets are used in therapy for kids suffering from autism. Even the elderly benefit from keeping an albino. It is said, Queen Victoria used to gift albino ferrets to her friends. Keeping of ferrets as pets is banned in California and Hawaii, hence before deciding on an albino ferret as a pet, you should check with the local authorities.