Ferrets

 

About Ferrets

Ferrets have become increasingly important in biological research. In fact, they are now being used in physiology, pharmacology, virology/immunology, behavior, parasitology, toxicology and many other areas of research.

 

Man's domestication of the ferret can be traced back to the 4th century B.C., when the animals were used to exterminate rats and snakes in Europe and Asia. Over the past 40 years, breeding stock has been developed with gentle temperaments, so most can be handled without gloves.

 

Ferrets adapt well to caging and can be kept individually or communally. Space requirements for exercise are minimal. They habitually use one toilet location in an area opposite of where they sleep, making it easy to collect fecal samples. Common litter materials and automatic waterers make caring for ferrets conveniently similar to caring for other laboratory animals such as rabbits, guinea pigs, mice, etc.

 

The gestation period of the ferret is a uniform 42 days, with litter sizes ranging from 6-10. They are weaned at 6 weeks and at 9 weeks of age, they are one-half of their mature size. Mature weight for male ferrets is 1800 grams, with body length at 16 inches (without tail). Female ferrets are considerably less formidable at 900 grams and 14 inches in length (without tail). Ferrets are nocturnal creatures, usually spending a great deal of time sleeping.

 

Unique anatomical variants include the large intestine, which has no anatomical division between the ileum and the colon, making it appear as one undifferentiated tube. Another interesting variant in the ferret is the existence of a single central ascending artery instead of the more common bilateral carotid arteries.

 

Finally, the respiratory system of the ferret is adapted to its burrowing nature. The ferret's chest walls are extremely compliant and the total lung capacity and inspiratory reserve are very large in relation to body size. The long trachea and larger diameter airways in ferrets result in a much lower pulmonary and central airway resistance than is seen in other laboratory animals of comparable size.

 

The disadvantages of using the ferret for research are few. They are susceptible to and should be vaccinated for canine distemper, and like cats, lack easily accessible veins, making intravenous drug administration virtually impossible.

 

Sources: Laboratory Management of the Ferret for Research, K.D. Moody, T. A. Bowman and C. M. Lang, Lab Animal Science 35:272-279 (1985)

 

Custom Diets

We can produce a variety of custom grain-based diets and purified diets. Ferrets require a diet very high in protein; we can maintain those high protein levels or adjust them, or any other nutrient, as required for your specific research.

 

Care, Feeding, & Physiology

Care and Feeding
	Number of Adults	Number of Young		Cage Dimensions*
				Length	Width	Height
Breeding/Lactation	1 female	8		75 cm	60 cm	30 cm
Growing	12			75 cm	60 cm	30 cm
Experimental	Varies according to experiment			Variable
Feeding Recommendations	Daily Feed Usage			Water Requirement			Begin Dry Food Consumption
	Growing: feed free choice Breeding: limit feed for lean condition Adult: free choice or limit feed to desired condition			Ad libitum			4-5 days
Environmental Data	Room Temp.	Humidity	Light	Litter Material
	20-25 °C	45-55%	10-12 hrs/day	Maintain on 1.23 x 2.5 cm wire.
				Shavings or commercial bedding

Biological Values
Blood Chemical Composition	Water	Calcium	Sodium	Chloride	Phosphorus	Potassium
	—	9.2 mg/100ml	148 mEq/L	116 mEq/L	5.9 mg/100ml	5.9 mEq/L
Values are for plasma, except where noted	Magnesium	Cholesterol	Glucose	Serum Protein	Albumin	Globulin
	—	162 mg/100ml	110 mg/dl	6.0 gm/100ml	3.2 gm/100ml	2.6 gm/100ml
Oxygen Consumption and Body Temperature	Observed Weight	Temp- erature	Oxygen Consumption	Breathing Rate	Heart Beat Adult	Heart Beat Newborn
	—	38-40 °C	—	33-36 /minute	225 /minute	—
Hematological Values	Whole Blood Volume (T-1824 dye)	Clotting Time	RBC Life Span	RBC Diameter	RBC Rate of Sedimentation
	—	—	—	6.1 microns	—
	Blood pH	RBC	Hematocrit	Platelets	Hb
	—	6.8-12.2 106/mm3	49 ml/100ml	766 103/mm3	16.5 gm/100ml
Total and Differential White Blood Cell Counts	Leucocytes	Neutros	Eosinos	Basos	Lymphos	Monos
	9.2 103/mm3	49 %	3.4 %	0.4 %	45 %	1.15%

Life Cycle Information
	Weight Adult Male	Weight Adult Female	Weight at Birth	Breeding Age Male	Breeding Age Female	Estrus Cycle
	800-900 gm	800-900 gm	6-12 gm	9-12 months (700-800 gm)	9-12 months (700-800 gm)	Polyestrus
	Gestation	Weaning Age	Litter Size	Rebreed After Parturition	Breeding Life Male	Breeding Life Female
	60-65 days 42 days avg.	8 weeks 300-450 gm	5-11	After weaning or next breeding season	3-4 years	2-3 years
	Mating Data: Hand mating, leave for 24 hrs.

*	From D. McLain, et al., Toxicology 1:211 (1987), K. Moody, et al., Lab.An.Sci. 35:272 (1985)