There is a ferret in my back yard/under my deck/in my garage!

Several times each year the Manitoba Ferret Association will get a call from a concerned home owner concerning a lost ferret hiding in their garage, under their deck or up a tree! I am not here today to give you a detailed history lesson about the animals belonging to the Mustelid  family, I simply want to give you a quick reference.

Please note our domesticated ferret does not climb trees! They have no sense of depth perception and would hurt themselves; Fishers, Martins, weasels do climb trees.

The wild cousins of the domesticated ferret are:

MINK

Has a small white patch under the chin, dark brown, or shiny black coat – lives along the river banks.

FISHER

Very efficient climber, solid colour.

PINE MARTIN

Lighter in color and smaller than the fisher.

TREED MARTIN

WEASEL

Weasel or Ermine as it is referred to in the Winter.

DOMESTICATED FERRET

Last but not least our domesticated ferret which comes in all hues of brown, black, even in white.  So it is understandable to non ferret owners how you can make a mistake.

**Photos of the wild animals are from Wikipedia. Ferrets pictures are from Zoë Rose and Deb K.