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Ferret News #83 - Ferret Energetics, Fun Ferret Trick
October 12, 2004

contact: marymodernferret.com

Note From Mary:
Play With Your Ferrets

  Gabby is getting older and slowing down quite a bit. But that doesn't mean she likes to cuddle any more than when she was a kit. Therefore, it was very sweet the other night when I climbed into bed and found Gabby curled up in the bed. I squeezed in next to her and petted her a bit. She let me stroke her head and rest my hand on her back. Then I had to go and ruin it all by trying to scoot her up a little bit towards the head of the bed (darned shoulder cramp!). That was more than she was willing to tolerate and she got up and left in a bit of a huff.

  I miss the ferrets who loved to be held, who followed me around and jumped at my ankles until I picked them up and cuddled them. That's just not Gabby. Sure, she loves people (and treats), but she has to be in control. She has to be the one sniffing around you when she feels like it. I know it's partly my doing (or lack of doing); we got Gabby when we had a house full of ferrets. She reveled in ferret-ferret play and never wanted for a furry playmate. Now that she's all alone with us humans, she's not used to ferret-human play. She runs away, expecting chase, but I can't fit into her tube toys. Part of me wishes I'd spent more time cuddling her (against her wishes) when she was younger. But she was filled with such joy and exuberance when she played with the other ferrets, I didn't want to interrupt her or bother her too much.

  The lesson here is: Play with your ferrets. Pick them up and get them used to being cuddled. Work at getting them to accept you into their family. They may be annoyed at first, but, with your persistence, they will take to you; or, at least, take to you better.

  I'm happy that Gabby is taking to me better than she did when she was younger; I just wish I'd worked at it more before she lost all of her ferret friends.

  What exactly went through your mind the first time you saw a ferret? I thought that long neck and those short legs had to be a joke. It was quite appealing to the humorous side of my brain. The body shape is not something people see in most animals, which all tend to have somewhat similar body/neck/leg proportions. This body design has many advantages for the ferret’s wild ancestor, the polecat, in both prey capture and predator escape. The short legs allow the polecat to pursue its prey — as well as escape from larger predators — down tiny burrows. A long and muscular neck allows the polecat to carry the prey back to the den without tripping over it. The long body gives the polecat great strength for capturing prey many sizes larger than itself as well as for defense. The muscular attachments for the jaw make the polecat’s bite very effective in capturing prey as well as driving away potential predators. All traits combine in the polecat to create a very powerful and deadly predator. The ferret is, of course, domesticated, and no longer lives like its wild ancestor. But domestication has not prevented the ferret from inheriting the polecat’s long body and neck and short legs.

  While the polecat’s body gives great advantages in finding food and avoiding predators, it also has some disadvantages. Like a muscle car from the 1960s, the ferret’s body has to burn a lot of fuel to keep running. All those tough muscles need energy to keep going, which is a primary reason why ferrets eat so much compared with other animals of a similar size. The muscles not only work to keep the ferret on the move, but they also have another important function; they help keep the ferret warm. As muscles work, they burn energy. Some of this energy is lost as heat. The harder and longer you work, the hotter you get because the heat builds up faster than you can lose it. This is why some ferrets will shiver when waking up; it heats up their body after it has been in a deep sleep. The problem is that all that muscle activity requires caloric energy and it is hard to eat enough to keep going, especially in lean times.

  One way the ferret overcomes this problem is by sleeping often and deeply. It takes a lot more energy to walk around looking for food than it does to sleep, so the ferret sleeps a lot. Also, the ferret can sleep so soundly that some people have thought their ferret has died. Not so, these deep sleeps are a way to conserve as much energy as possible. Still, even with frequent and deep sleeps, the ferret still has energy problems.

  Scientists have long known that the best way to stay warm is by becoming the smallest object possible; that is, taking on the shape of a ball. Most animals, such as dogs or cats, can roll up into a ball-like form so they burn the lowest amount of energy to stay warm. This is because a sphere has the smallest surface area possible relative to its volume. However, the ferret, with its long body and head, can only roll up into a disk, which has a lot more surface area than a ball. This means that there is more surface area to lose heat, so it takes more energy for a ferret to stay warm compared with a cat or dog. If you notice carefully, the ferret typically tucks its head into the belly region and covers it with its tail. This is because the head loses a lot of energy as heat and tucking it next to the belly keeps it warm, and the tail just acts like a fuzzy blanket. It is also why ferrets like to sleep in small, confined places. It takes less energy to warm a small nest than a large one.

  Cold ferrets turn themselves into furry little disks. A ferret suffering from too much heat will usually spread itself out on a cool surface to lose as much heat as possible. This may be one reason why ferrets, after playing hard for a while, will suddenly drop down to the floor, spread out and remain motionless for some time (which ferret owners sometimes call a speed-bump or “flat ferret”). They just may be trying to rid themselves of excess heat, created while playing.

  Bob Church has done extensive research on the habits, history, and physical makeup of ferrets and other mustelids while studying zoo-archeology. Bob always has a house full of ferrets and an endless supply of ideas on how to keep them happy and healthy.

Did You Know That ...

  Ferrets have some odd reflexes. We all know that if you scratch a dog in the right spot, his hind leg will start going. Well, one of the goofy reflexes you see in a ferret happens when you blow gently at his face; most ferrets will lick at the air (lick their lips) when you do this. Go ahead and try it. Most of the ferrets we've had do (or have done) this, though some don't. Make sure you don't blow in your ferret's face hard -- a very gently, steady breath is all it usually takes to get the silly reaction.

  Another way to get a ferret to lick at the air is to find just the right spot on her hip and scratch (like you would on a dog). When you get the right spot, you'll see your ferret start licking away.

  We hope you learned a bit and enjoyed this FerretNews newsletter. We'll be back in a few days with some more information. Watch for an upcoming article on how to help your ferret recover well from surgery or illness by Alicia Drakiotes of FerretWise Rehabilitation and Education Shelter in New Hampshire.

-- Mary, Eric & Gabby (the lone ferret)

  Stay tuned for more. You can always get updates by reading my blog (a blog is an online journal). I keep it sporadically and it usually runs to the more personal stuff. But you might like it. It's at

http://www.marysferretblog.blogspot.com

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