“The average heart rate of a cinnamon ferret is 225 beats a minute”
A cinnamon ferret gets its name from the brownish/red colors of its fur. Despite being popular as pets, the cinnamon ferret is a rare find in a pet shop. These slender mammals grow to a length of 12 to 16 inches. They have a lifespan of 7 to 10 years.
5 Cinnamon Ferret Facts
- It requires a carnivore diet and eats several times each day
- This animal sleeps up to 20 hours each day
- It shares a similar appearance with the cinnamon panda ferret
- This animal has a lifespan extending up to ten years
- It is usually higher in cost because its coloration is so rare
Cinnamon Ferret Scientific Name
Mustela furo is the scientific name of domesticated ferrets. The cinnamon ferret is one of several domesticated ferrets named for the colors of its coat. Mustela is a Latin word meaning mouse and the word furo translates to a thief. Mouse thief refers to this animal’s habit of hunting small rodents.
This pet ferret belongs to the Mustelidae family and the class Mammalia.
Other domesticated ferrets known by their colors include:
- Cinnamon panda ferret
- Dark-eyed white ferret
- Dalmatian
- Roan
- Champagne ferret
- Pewter
Cinnamon Ferret Appearance & Behavior
This pet ferret has a fur coat with a combination of colors including reddish/brown and white or cream. It has a small pink nose, whiskers, rounded ears, and brown eyes. They are well-known for their long, fluffy tails.
These ferrets weigh two to five pounds. However, the heaviest type of ferret is the bulldog ferret at up to four pounds. Cinnamon ferrets measure twelve to sixteen inches in size. Picture seven and a half golf tees lined up end to end on the ground and you’re looking at the length of a sixteen-inch cinnamon ferret.
A cinnamon panda ferret has fur colors very similar to the cinnamon ferret, but with dark circles around its eyes and more white fur on its head.
A champagne ferret also shares some color similarities with a cinnamon ferret. A champagne ferret has a combination of light brown and cream-colored fur. In fact, some ferret enthusiasts believe the cinnamon ferret is really just a champagne ferret with a few color variations. However, take a close look and you’ll find the fur of a cinnamon ferret definitely has a reddish tone. This is a subtle difference, but helpful in proper identification.
Weasels look a lot like ferrets and belong to the same family. But there are differences between these two mammals that make identification easy. For one, weasels are much smaller in size. Weasels can be six to eight and a half inches long and weigh around seven ounces. Also, weasels have longer tails than ferrets.
Ferrets are fast and can wiggle into narrow spaces. These are two solid defenses it has against owls, coyotes, and other predators in the wild. They also have sharp teeth to defend themselves.
Cinnamon ferrets are social animals. A large group of ferrets is called a business. Anyone interested in a pet ferret may want to consider buying a pair of them or even more than two. One ferret can get lonely even if it gets a lot of attention from its owner. It’s best to have a male ferret neutered before putting it into an enclosure with a female. This prevents the addition of baby ferrets!
Cinnamon ferrets are playful and social with people as well as other ferrets. While they are usually friendly, even a cute ferret can become aggressive when threatened by the family dog or cat. They have sharp teeth that can injure other pets in a household. Also, keep in mind wild ferrets hunt mice and other small rodents. This is a natural instinct for a pet ferret as well. So, it’s best to keep gerbils and other small pets away from a pet ferret.
Though they are not nocturnal, cinnamon ferrets are active in the evening and early morning. This means they are diurnal animals. Ferrets monitor their surroundings in the semi-dark using their excellent peripheral vision. Peripheral vision is essential in helping wild ferrets stay alert to predators in their habitat.
Man playing with a pet Cinnamon Ferret outside on the grass.
©iStock.com/OKrasyuk
Cinnamon Ferret Habitat
Domesticated ferrets like the cinnamon ferret are commonly kept as pets in the United States.
Wild ferrets like the black-footed ferret live in a semi-arid climate in the western central section of North America. Their range stretches from Canada into the U.S.
Wild ferrets live in a grassland, plains, or scrubland habitat. They don’t migrate.
Wild ferrets live in underground tunnels, so don’t be surprised if you see your pet ferret digging and burrowing. Anyone with a pet ferret or two should certainly supply them with toy tunnels and plenty of bedding to dig in and throw around.
Cinnamon Ferret Predators and Threats
All ferrets are carnivores. They have a short digestive tract and need to eat several times a day to stay healthy.
What does a cinnamon ferret eat?
A pet ferret eats food containing animal protein and fat. Some pet owners feed them a diet featuring lean meats and eggs. Fortunately, there are quality foods designed to fulfill the nutritional needs of pet ferrets. These are available at pet shops and online.
Wild ferrets capture mice, rabbits, and other rodents. They also have bird eggs in their diet. Wild ferrets are very fast and strong so capturing a rabbit or mouse is not a big challenge.
What eats cinnamon ferrets?
Well, if someone is caring for a pet cinnamon ferret hopefully this never becomes a concern! However, it’s a good idea to keep a pet ferret away from large dogs or cats that may mistake it for prey.
Some of the predators of wild ferrets include coyotes, hawks, and owls. These animals are all active at about the same time as wild ferrets, making them vulnerable to attack.
While pet ferrets are common in the United States, the black-footed ferret is listed as Endangered with a decreasing population. This is linked to a decreasing population of prairie dogs. Prairie dogs are part of the diet of wild ferrets. Unfortunately, these prairie dogs are routinely killed as pests by farmers. So, a decrease in prairie dogs has led to a falling population of black-footed ferrets.
Cinnamon Ferret Reproduction and Life Cycle
The mating season of ferrets happens from March to August. Female ferrets have an average of two litters each year. After mating, the male leaves the care of the young to the female. The gestation period for this mammal is 42 days. The female gives live birth to three to seven babies. One of the most intriguing facts about this animal is its babies are born without hair as well as blind, and deaf. They nurse for at least the first three weeks of life.
At four to five weeks old, the ferret babies also called kits, open their eyes and ears. They are on their way to having a full coat of fur like an adult ferret. Kits are weaned somewhere between three and six weeks of age. They are able to live independently at six weeks old.
A young ferret in the wild eats mice, rabbits, moles, and other small rodents. Alternatively, a pet like a cinnamon ferret can eat commercial ferret food that contains all of the vitamins, calcium, and other nutrients it needs to stay healthy.
Like other pet ferrets, cinnamon ferrets are prone to various dental diseases as well as ferret lymphoma, a form of cancer. They can also develop blockages in their digestive system. Fortunately, there are small animal veterinarians who are knowledgeable about ferrets and their health issues.
Cinnamon ferrets have a lifespan of seven to ten years.
Cinnamon Ferret Population
These ferrets are rare, and their exact population is unknown. If you walk into a local pet shop in search of a cute ferret with cinnamon fur, you probably won’t find one. A ferret breeder is more likely to have cinnamon ferrets available. Keep in mind cinnamon ferrets are usually sold at a higher cost simply because they are so rare.
Cinnamon Ferret Pictures
View all of our Cinnamon Ferret pictures in the gallery.
Couperfield/Shutterstock.com
Sources
- Vet Tech Prep / Accessed February 7, 2022
- SumoPet / Accessed February 7, 2022
- Quick Pet Guide / Accessed February 7, 2022
- Wikipedia / Accessed February 7, 2022
- Ferret-World / Accessed February 7, 2022
- Pet MD / Accessed February 7, 2022
- Beyond The Threat / Accessed February 7, 2022
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