Ferret Coloring And Patterns

Ferrets come in versatile colors and patterns, and this characteristic has a significant impact on their cost. For ferret enthusiasts and breeders, the colors and patterns of a ferret can be crucial, and many people choose ferrets as pets solely because of these characteristics.

Overall, ferrets have about 15-20 different color and pattern variations though some may argue that there are more or fewer. A ferret’s coloring and the pattern it displays are the two main factors that determine its appearance.

If you are unsure about the color or pattern of your ferret or are curious about ferret coloring and patterns, this article is for you. From panda to roan and sable to cinnamon ferret, our small animal veterinarian has compiled a list of all the ferret colors and patterns, so read on.

Ferret Coloring: Vet Explains

Ferret colors and patterns are determined by a number of factors, including climate, age, and parental genetics. It is not uncommon for ferrets to change color as they age, and they also tend to change shades as the seasons change due to shedding. However, the main factor influencing their color and pattern is a genetic inheritance from both parents. The list of ferret colors and patterns is provided below.

Ferret Colors

According to AFA (American Ferret Association), ferrets come in 8 recognized colors which are listed below:

Albino Ferret

Albino ferrets have distinctive pink or red eyes and pinkish noses. An albino ferret has a white undercoat and guard hairs, though occasionally they can also be cream-colored. Because they lack a pigment called melanin, these fuzzy creatures are white in color.

Cinnamon Ferret

Cinnamon ferrets have a beautiful brownish-orange color, similar to a cinnamon stick, though some argue that they are a variety of champagne ferrets and not a distinct ferret coloring. These ferrets have guard hairs that are brownish-orange or slightly reddish-orange and an undercoat that ranges in color from white to whitish-golden. They can have pink, reddish, or beige noses.

Dark-Eyed White Ferret

The ferret coloring of this type have nice white coats with white guard hairs but in contrast to albino ferrets, they have black eyes and typically have a pink nose.

Sable Ferret

Also known as Poley, these ferrets are unique with blackish or warm brownish-colored guard hairs and an undercoat that can be white, cream, or golden in color. Their nose is usually light brown and they have black or brown colored eyes.

Black Sable Ferret

This type of Mustela furo has very common ferret coloring. They have a white or cream undercoat and their guard hairs are black or blackish brown. Their eyes are black or brown and they also have a brownish nose. Black sable ferrets can exhibit different types of patterns like standard and point.

Champagne Ferret

Champagne ferrets are also called sandy ferrets in most parts of the world and they are one of the most popular varieties available. They have guard hairs that can be tan or a light chocolaty color and an undercoat that is white or cream colored.

They have dark red or brown eyes, but the red in their eyes does not resemble that of albino ferrets. Their colors can be seen in a point or standard pattern, but their patterns can change dramatically depending on the season.

Chocolate Ferret

This type of ferret coloring is pretty rare. These types of ferrets have a white undercoat with milky chocolate-colored guard hairs. Their eyes are predominantly brown and the nose is beige or pink with a light brown “T”.

Black Ferret

These ferrets have black guard hairs and a white undercoat. Their eyes are also black and their nose can be either completely black or lightish black with speckles.

Ferret Patterns

Ferret coloring and ferret patterns are distinctly different. Ferrets display a variety of patterns on their fur, which are listed below, but first, it is important to understand how these patterns are expressed on the body.

Patterns representation

• Bib

These ferrets have white patches below their neck.

• Mitt

These ferrets have white feet till the ankles.

• Points

Distinct colored legs, shoulders, tails, and noses.

• Roaning

Ferrets that have white guard hair uniformly scattered through the body.

• Stocking

White legs where white extend to the hip joint.

• Standard/Full

Solid color patch around and between the eyes.

• T-Bar

The color patch stretches from between the eyes to the top of the head or forehead.

• V

A thin patch of color surrounds the eyes and extends around the nose.

Blaze

Any coat color, excluding white, can be expressed as a blaze. The long white blaze extends from the forehead to the back of the neck. The eyes should range from brown to ruby in color. Blaze ferrets can have pink noses or a light pink outline around the nose. All feet should have white tips or mitts.

Mitt

Mitt ferrets do not exist in white colored fur and have white feet with contrasting limb colors.

Mutt

These ferrets have random patterns like roaning, spots, dots, etc, and come in multiple colors.

Panda Ferret

A panda ferret’s fur can be any color other than white, but it does have an entirely white head. Compared to the rest of the body, the area around the hips and shoulders is darker. The tip of their tail quite often has a small white spot and these ferrets occasionally have knee patches.

Point Ferret

Point ferrets have a distinct pattern due to a noticeable color difference between their body and the points on their body. They are also referred to as Siamese ferrets and have dark guard hair.

Roan Ferret

Roan ferrets have a uniform distribution of colored guard hairs over their entire body and don’t exist in white coats. For a ferret to be classified as being authentic roan ferret coloring, between 40 and 60 percent of its body and spots must be covered in white guard hairs.

Solid Ferret

As the name suggests these ferrets have one consistent color all over their bodies. Occasionally, they may have a few white hairs, but most often, they just have a white spot under their chin. They don’t have an entirely white body coat.

Standard Ferret

Standard ferrets have colored guard hairs all over their bodies, with about 10% of them being white, giving some of their body points a lighter appearance. Typically, their face has a T-shaped or full mask.

Striped/Patterned Ferret

These ferrets either have a stripe on their back or have spots or mild distribution of colored hairs on their body and 90 percent of their body must be covered in white guard hairs.

There you go. Now you know everything there is to know about ferret coloring and patterns. Want to learn about long haired angora ferrets? Check out that ferret post here. And then head on over to the forum and share your knowledge with other ferret lovers like you.