Scientific Name: Mustela furo or M. putorius furo
Size: 13 to 20 inches in length, 1.5 to 3 pounds in weight (males are usually larger than females)
Origin: Europe or Asia
Life Expectancy: 5 to 7 years
Temperament: Ferrets are playful, inquisitive creatures. They can be trained to use a litter box. In the wild, polecats live in burrows, and the digging/burrowing instinct remains intact in domestic ferrets.
Varieties: According to the American Ferret Association, there are seven colors of ferrets (albino, black, black sable, champagne, chocolate, dark-eyed white, sable) and six patterns (point, standard, solid, blaze, panda, roan).