Ferret

Mustela furo

Appearance

•  48 - 56cm in length including tails.
•  They have cream coloured undercoat with long dark tipped hairs.
•  Their life span usually falls between 2 – 4 years in the wild.

Lifecycle

•  Mating during August and September is vigorous, noisy and prolonged
•  They have an average of 4 - 8 younglings per litter.
•  At 3 months of age, they disperse away from their home territory.
•  Large influxes of juveniles are often observed in late summer/autumn.

Habits

•  Ferrets are largely nocturnal.
• In an open environment, they prey on rabbits and ground nesting birds like kiwis.
•  Ferrets live in pasture, rough grassland and scrubland, and on the fringes of forests.