The albino ferret is a common sight because they are domesticated creatures. They do not have any coloring on them except for its red eyes and pink nose. In fact, many owners prefer the albino ferret because it is easier to find them especially in the dark.
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| Mustela putorius furo Albino (Photo credit: Wikipedia) |
No one knows why there are ferrets that are color albino because no one has ever conducted a study. But if we follow the results of similar studies, chances are the answer is the same.
The three possibilities are; a mutation prevents the body from manufacturing pigments, the mutation prevents the body from recognizing the proteins that produce the pigments or the body does not have enough proteins to make it. In most cases, a mutated gene is the culprit.
Studies have shown that the albino ferret has problems with its sight. This is normal but this is compensated by their sense of hearing and smell.
Those who are interested in owning an albino ferret can do by getting one at an animal shelter or from a breeder.
There are two colors of ferrets which are sable and albino. The albino condition is genetically recessive of sable so if a sable female ferret that does not carry albino genes mates with an albino male, all their offspring will be sable but they will still carry the albino gene. If a male and female ferret that carries the albino genes are bred together, 25% of their kits will be albino.
But you won’t know if the kit will be color white or sable when they are born because all ferrets are white at birth. This will only be known when they are 4 weeks old.
Whether you decide to get an albino ferret or something else, the care that must be given to this mammal is still the same. You will have to feed it the right kind of food, give it water, bring it to the vet for vaccinations, purchase a cage, toys, accessories and most importantly, give it some tender and loving care.
Albino ferrets can be toilet trained and taught to do a few tricks. It will just take some time to work but by giving a light snack as an incentive, they will soon be able to do whatever they have learned. Since they tend to smell after a while, it is best to given them a bath weekly.
The albino ferret should also be brought out the cage when it wakes up so it can run around and play because they are after all friendly and sociable creatures that may soon become your best friend.
If ever you don’t like the red eyed albino ferret, you can choose to get the kind that either has black or blue eyes.
Color should not be a factor when you decide to get a ferret. This is because there are other things you have to watch out for such as their eyes and their behavior. The more playful they, the better so that if you come home from work and need someone to cheer you up, your ferret can come out and make everything better.
Remember that the ferret is a friendly and social little mammal that seeks constant attention when it is awake even for a few minutes or an hour.
