>From:    Melinda Wood <[log in to unmask]>
>Subject: Angora ferrets
>I saw a picture of an angora ferret and thought it was beautiful!  I was
>wondering if any of you have one?
 
Yes.  We are also good friends of the original importers of these ferrets.
We've been in a room with dozens of them at one time.
 
>Do they have any more health problems than the regular short hair ferret
>since they have been breed for this specific charicteristic of long hair?
 
No.  They exhibit a mutation that was originally found on a fitch ranch in
Norway.  Fitch ranches are those that do the unpleasant raising of ferrets
for fur.  Luckily for the angora ferrets they were undesired in the fur
trade but are becoming ever more popular in the pet trade.
 
>Are their size and temperment any different?
 
They are about the same as the Scandinavian short haired ferrets from the
same sources.  But the short haired cousins from the same sources tend to
have longer hair than the American, English and other ferrets.
 
European ferrets in our experience tend to be more active and this sometimes
makes them seem less docile.  They are more driven to run and as such do
not want to sit and cuddle.  They can be trickier to handle for this reason.
 
bill and diane killian
zen and the art of ferrets
mailto:[log in to unmask]  mailto:[log in to unmask]
http://www.zenferret.com/
[Posted in FML issue 2226]