A happy guy <[log in to unmask]> wrote:
>Urban, as I assume you already know, the angora ferrets originated from
>Scandinavia. Our breeder in Scandinavia has been working with angora ferrets
>since 1982.
 
No, I do not "know" this, as nobody here wants to tell exactly how they came
to be.  I take it your breeder is in Norway, and thus I wouldn't have had
contact with him.
 
>Their beautiful long fur and their calm temperament is what makes these
>ferrets very attractive as pets.
 
But note that many comment on how their temperament is not the same as other
ferrets'.
 
>They have not arrived from polecats, I know of several attempts from
>breeders who have tried to mix ferrets with polecats, this is a big
>misstake.  You will end up with a "ferret" with extremly bad temperament,
>and that is very agressive.  You will need thick gloves to handle a
>"ferret" like that.
 
Not necessarily. Could happen, but I do know it's not always so.
 
Anyway, in this case I was wondering if you could mix ferrets not with
European polecats, but perhaps one of the African ones, like Ictonyx
striatus or Zorilla striata, and whether they have any other features in
common with angora ferrets apart from the fur length.  In particular, their
noses.
 
Considering we don't really know the ancestors to ferrets, it's not a
totally impossible theory, or is it?
 
>Our breeder has been a professional breeder since 1982, and before that his
>dad and grandfather have been breeding ferrets since 1947.
 
Is this a mink and ferret fur farm, or is there a large pet/hunting ferret
only breeder in Norway?
--
 Urban Fredriksson  [log in to unmask]  [log in to unmask]
 Ferrets; Aviation; Railways; Rune stones:  http://www.kuai.se/%7Egriffon/
[Posted in FML issue 1586]