interesting comparisons

[Tink]

ferrets change their color and weight to the season...
check out monkey's change (he's the brown one)

before (note the mask)

(summer skininess)

note face

after(note a stripelike mask)

(winter weight..hahahaha)

(turning into a v)

"hey, where's my mask going??"

(lighter all around but chunkier in weight)

bye for now!

[Natalie]

Amazing Tink! He does look adorable not that I'm very clued up on Ferrets. How old is he Tink?

[Tink]

Originally Posted by Matron

Amazing Tink! He does look adorable not that I'm very clued up on Ferrets. How old is he Tink?

thank you, he is two and a half (estimated b/c he's a shelter kid). he was passed around four different homes and left at the shelter for months...fifth times a charm b/c he's here forever...whether he likes it or not, LOL!
nah, he's come a long way and is my little cuddle baby now...they said at the shelter he was "difficult" but not to me

[Mags]

How interesting, I didn't know they changed colour like that ....... he's such a cutie...

[calismum]

He is loveley - mask or not!

[angieh]

How would the changes in his coat help him if he lived wherever ferrets might live in the wild, Tink? (Sorry also know nothing about their natural habitat!)

[Tink]

Originally Posted by angieh

How would the changes in his coat help him if he lived wherever ferrets might live in the wild, Tink? (Sorry also know nothing about their natural habitat!)

(not written by me but explains it better than me, LOL)

(domesticated ferrets are crossed with polecats)

"The polecat lives in England, Wales and Scotland. It is found in all kinds of habitats but prefers wet areas and river banks. It is commonly found near humans in farm buildings, dry stone walls, field edges, marsh lands and woodpiles. The Polecat is a solitary nocturnal animal that feeds on mice, voles, rabbits, rats, frogs and other amphibians. The Polecat is an expert swimmer, which makes it easy for them to stockpile frogs in a riverbank den for a snack at a later time"

(about native ferrets)

"The ferret's relative, the black-footed ferret lives in the wild. This is the only ferret that lives in its natural habitat. This ferret prefers to live in prairie-dog burrows in the North American plains. The black-footed ferret eats prairie-dogs, which makes up 90 percent of its diet. At one time this ferret was an endangered species, but was reintroduced in 1980 in Wyoming."

(about color changes)

"Then there's the winter/summer seasonal differences.
Twice a year ferrets shed their coat and grow a new
one. This is generally done to prepare them for either
summer or winter. Winter coats are thicker and plusher
than summer coats and they can have a noticeably
different color. Even a ferret's mask can change shape
with the seasons. "

[calismum]

Thanks for that tink - makes it quite interesting. Will be looking out for their coat changes now - (how is BB?)

[Tink]

Originally Posted by calismum

Thanks for that tink - makes it quite interesting. Will be looking out for their coat changes now - (how is BB?)

he is great and normal except upon waking or after eating he does the chicken dance, still monitoring and gonna talk to the vet again on payday if i'm still worried, could just be a quirk of his as well

[dandysmom]

That was really interesting to see the changes, Tink! I knew about Arctic foxes and hares seasonal color changes, but had no idea ferrets did it also! The things I've learned on Catsey!