Written By Stephanie ‘Stef’ Warzecha founder of ferret-world.com. [full article on her website here]

Ferret Lifespan

The average lifespan of a well cared-for ferret is 5–8 years, though they can live to be upwards of 10 years old. This is comparable to the lifespan of one of their genetic ancestors, the European polecat (Mustela putorius). The polecat lives for about 5 years in the wild and up to 14 years in captivity.

The first 12 weeks

When ferrets are first born, they are extremely small, about 2 inches long (5 centimeters) and weighing less than half an ounce (14 grams). They are born deaf, blind, and without any teeth. They have very fine, white hair, which will develop into their adult coloring within 3 weeks.

Kits are completely dependent on their mom until 3 weeks of age, when they start to open their eyes, their ear canals unseal, and their teeth grow in. At 4 weeks, they start to play with each other and at 6 weeks, they can be weaned and start eating solid food.

While ferret kits are fairly independent at 6 weeks, they still need to learn more socialization and survival skills from their mother. Kits should not be removed from their mother’s care until they are at least 8 weeks old (but preferably stay with their mother until they are 10-12 weeks of age).

Some vets believe that the shorter lifespan of American ferrets is a result of the way large commercial breeders treat ferrets during their first 12 weeks. Commercial breeders usually spay or neuter ferrets well before they are sexually mature, around 4–6 weeks of age. They also usually sell ferrets at 8 weeks old, removing them from their mothers too early. Both of these practices may lead to a shorter lifespan.

The first year

Ferrets become sexually mature very quickly. Female ferrets are typically ready to mate by 8 months of age and male ferrets by 10 months. They are considered adolescents until they are 1 year old.

Ferrets tend to be nippy in their first year, like young puppies. In the first year, you will need to spend the most time training your ferret not to bite.

Adolescent ferrets are extremely active and need more out-of-cage time. They tend to play for hours each day, interspersed with deep sleeping.

Years 2–4

These are the prime years of an adult ferret’s life. They are active and tend to be at their healthiest. However, young ferrets can still develop serious illnesses, including lymphoma, insulinoma, and adrenal disease. Thus, ferrets of all ages should go to the vet regularly for check ups.

You may notice that your ferret’s coat is changing color! This is because ferrets go through two coat changes a year (typically in the summer and winter) and their coat color can change each time. For example, the shape of a ferret’s mask may change or they may become darker or lighter.

In addition to coat changes, ferrets will also lose weight in the summer and gain weight in the winter.

Years 5+

At this point, a ferret is considered elderly. You may even notice your ferret starting to get gray hairs, just like a human!

Older ferrets will be less active, sleeping more often and playing less energetically. They may also lose weight and are more likely to develop serious illnesses. In these later years, the weight changes between seasons may not vary as much as they did when the ferret was younger.

Like with older humans, you should take extra care of an older ferret. They should go to a vet more often, have blood work and other tests done regularly to ensure they are healthy, and you should ensure that their quality of life is the best you can provide. Even though older ferrets are less active, they still want stimulating toys, fun activities, and attention from you!

By Holly

Ferrets from mills (most commonly Marshall Farms in the US - MOST ferrets you see at pet stores are from Marshall's) have really poor health history because they are more focused on breeding cute ferrets and getting the babies out FAST than making sure they are healthy. A lot of these ferrets have poor genetics, and more often than not will succumb to illnesses much sooner than ferrets from respectable breeders. These ferrets typically live to around 6-8 yrs old. HOWEVER, there have been plenty of exceptions to this!

Ferrets from respectable breeders have a much higher chance of having a longer life, since the breeder focuses on HEALTHY background and making sure they develop and mature properly before being adopted out. Usually ferrets from breeders live til they're 8-11 years old.

The next factor is quality of food - MOST ferret kibbles are full of junk that can be very bad for their health :( We have info in the files on what we've found to be the best things you can feed your ferret. High quality kibble, freeze-dried raw, or a full raw diet are great choices.

That said... there are exceptions!!!

There have been Marshall's ferrets on AWFUL diets that happen to live until they're 11 years old.

There have been ferrets with spotless health backgrounds, raised on raw diet and eating only the best, that will pass at 4 years old.

The BEST thing you can do is make sure your ferret has a good health history, and is eating the best food you can provide for it! 😊And then... routine vet visits and making sure it doesn't get into trouble or eat your flip-flop.