Showing Ferrets for a beginner!

[Sam&Ben]

Hello everyone,

I'm new to the club and am picking up my first ferrets this weekend.
We're rehoming them from the RSPCA.

I'd never heard of ferret showing before!

Can anyone give me some basic info on what you need to do and what type of ferrets can be shown?

Thanks

[basil]

Here`s some info for you.

The health and welfare of your ferrets is paramount and you are responsible for their care and well being.

Here is a brief summary of the judging sheet used at all our shows. All categories are marked out of 5 and the age of the ferret should be taken into account during marking.

EARS - should be clean with no signs of mites or soreness.

TEETH - These should be clean and exibit no signs of tarter build-up. On 1 - 3 year old ferrets the teeth should be white, becomming more opaque and worn after 3 years of age.

WHISKERS - These should be long and unbroken, preferably walrus type in appearance.

CLAWS - These should be nicely rounded and evenly cut. They should not show signs of being recently done. This also gives the opportunity to check feet which should also be clean with soft pink pads.

FUR - Should be clean and free from ticks, fleas and flea dirt. There should be no sores or scabbing on the skin.

TAIL - This should be nice & long with no kinks or twists. Some ferrets may suffer with rat-tail which is hormonal and as such un-avoidable. Marks should not be deducted for this.

WEIGHT - The ferret should not appear to be either overly fat or thin. The weight should appear to be in a reasonable proportion to the ferrets size. Hobs are normally larger than jills so weight will vary with size. Hobs can be between 1kg-2.5kg and jills 0.5kg-1.5kg. Ferrets can increase their body weight by upto 40% during the winter months.

STANCE - Should conform to the natural ferret shape with good muscle tone and nice arched back.

TEMPERAMENT - The ferret should be alert, but remain relaxed and easy to handle. Ferrets that bite may be disqualified at the judges discression. basil.