National Ferret Day in the UK Date in the current year: May 5, 2024

The domestic ferret, often referred to as simply the ferret, is a small carnivorous mammal that belongs to the family Mustelidae. Its relatives include polecats, ermines, badgers, otters, weasels, minks, martens, and wolverines. Domestic ferrets do not normally live in the wild, except for runaway ferrets that have gone feral. They are a fully domesticated species, just like cats or dogs.

Sadly, domestic ferrets have received some bad exposure over the years. For example, a lot of people believe that ferrets are aggressive and smell bad. While ferrets are able to release a strong-smelling liquid from their anal glands when scared or startle, its smell is much less pungent than that of skunks and dissipates quickly. They are clean animals that groom themselves, so you won’t have any problems with smell as long as your ferret is healthy and its litterbox is regularly cleaned. As for their alleged aggressiveness, ferrets are not so much aggressive as energetic and playful.

However, domestic ferrets are more high-maintenance than most other pets. Due to being active, energetic and curious, they can destroy things, so “ferret-proofing” your home is a must. Ferrets are obligate carnivores so their diet must be high in meat protein and several important nutrients including taurine, an amino acid that ferrets’ bodies are unable to produce but need to function normally. Female ferrets that won’t be used for breeding must be spayed because they can die if they go into heat and are not mated.

National Ferret Day in the UK was founded by the Ferret Education and Research Trust, a registered charity that promotes the care and welfare of the domesticated ferret. Its main goal is to educate the general public about the domesticated ferret in collaboration with other charities and domestic ferret organizations, as well as to raise funds for ferret welfare organizations across the country.

You can join the celebration of National Ferret Day even if you’re not in the UK. You can learn something new about ferrets and ferret care, consider getting a pet ferret (which is a decision that should not be taken lightly as ferrets are quite high-maintenance pets), donate to a ferret charity or volunteer at a ferret shelter, and spread the word about the holiday with the hashtags #NationalFerretDayUK, #NationalFerretDay and #FerretDay.

If you own a pet ferret, you can celebrate the holiday by posting photos and videos of your furry companion on social media, sharing care tips with new ferret owners, and buying your pet a new toy or treat because it deserves all the love in the world!

The United Kingdom isn’t the only country that has a holiday dedicated to domestic ferrets. In the United States, National Ferret Day is observed on April 2. Created by Carol Roche, a ferret owner from New York City, it is promoted by the American Ferret Association and other ferret organizations across the nation.