> Also, they're _big_ : we have a kind of Weasel (Ermine) in Montana and I've seen then drag an adult rabbit carcas over long distances. Ferrets look to be around twice their size.
Most pet ferrets come from one inbred line produced by one monopolist who breeds ferrets for research (testing drugs and chemicals on animals) and for sale in pet stores. Those ferrets are pretty small (2-4 lbs), in part because they're virtually all pediatric neuters, and never go through puberty.
There are also very small numbers of ferrets available from small breeders in some states. They tend to be a bit larger, and additionally those breeders also sometimes sell hybrids (ferrets crossed with wild polecats), who are quite a bit bigger.
Anyway I think of domesticated ferrets as pretty small! And I guess they're much smaller than whatever wild/feral relatives they're sometimes crossed with in the hopes of improving health or genetic diversity.
Most pet ferrets come from one inbred line produced by one monopolist who breeds ferrets for research (testing drugs and chemicals on animals) and for sale in pet stores. Those ferrets are pretty small (2-4 lbs), in part because they're virtually all pediatric neuters, and never go through puberty.
There are also very small numbers of ferrets available from small breeders in some states. They tend to be a bit larger, and additionally those breeders also sometimes sell hybrids (ferrets crossed with wild polecats), who are quite a bit bigger.
Anyway I think of domesticated ferrets as pretty small! And I guess they're much smaller than whatever wild/feral relatives they're sometimes crossed with in the hopes of improving health or genetic diversity.