Fur

[meli]

I have a weird observation. Hocus's fur is a little more course then Pocus's. Pocus's fur is so fluffy and soft. Hocus has soft fur, but its a little bit course at the tips. What can this mean? They both eat the same thing.

[Jaycee]

One of mine is the same way. I am anxious to see what the answer is!

[Forum Administrator]

Well there are a few possibilities:

1. They are just different. Sometimes ferrets have fur that is a certain way (regardless of what they eat) just like some people have frizzy/curly hair regardless of diet.

2. One of your boys is older then the other. If so, and the adult coat already was coming in/came in, before he had a chance to be on the diet long enough to where it would effect the coat

Those are my two thoughts anyway

[meli]

I'm starting to think they come from different litters. Hocus looks a little older then pocus, but not by much. They do have a similar color in the undercoat which is like a cream. Pocus is not white under his dark silver color. Its more of a custard color. He's beautiful..I mean if you guys saw him in person you would think the same. I think however that your first theory might be right on the money.

[Forum Administrator]

The odds of them being from different litters is quite high Petstores place orders for certain colored ferrets (regadless of what litter they come from) atleast the mom/pop shop were I used to work at did.

[buzzonesbirdie]

i know that mine that were older when switched took a few months to get the soft fur that we all know and love of natural fed ferrets. Give them some time and they both will soon enough be soft to touch

[desertram]

we have 2 that have really soft fur and all the others are the reg fur this is just like all of us its in our family tree's and there's too the food also helps with the coat hope this helps

[Heather]

I find that my guys coats change depending on age, time of year (if they're going to shed the coat seems to be coarser), if they've been playing outside and which litter box was rolled in I also noticed subtle differences in coat when they're eating the rats vs just frankenprey. I have to be very careful when feeding frankenprey that they get enough fat. I've never met little creatures that require so much fat to keep themselves in top trim. There is also huge coat differences between my marshals, path valley and breeders ferrets. Odin and Thor's coats are coarser but longer and much more plush than my farm ferrets. My path valley's have the better of the two types of farm ferrets that I have. Napoleon (who has really never known kibble) has the deepest darkest coat with a really nice shine to it.
So, each ferret is an individual as far as their coats go, even within the business itself. Everyone eats roughly the same thing but not everyone process it in the same manner. Just like us
ciao