Is a Ferret a Rodent? Are They Considered Rodents?
When people see ferrets for the first time, they consider ferrets to be cute animals and also consider them to be strikingly similar to hamsters. Seeing something as adorable and small as a ferret will naturally make you think you have seen a rodent. A lot of people always wonder how something as small as a ferret could be a predator or carnivore. Well, ferrets are carnivores. Also, they are about the size of a guinea pig and half as big as a regular cat. This is, therefore, one reason a lot of people ask if they are rodents. The truth remains that a lot of ferret owners are not comfortable with their pets being referred to as rodents because ferrets can have rodents for lunch.
Are Ferrets Rodents
A major difference between ferrets and rodents is spelled out on their faces. When a look is taken at the teeth of rodents and those of ferrets, you can tell if ferrets are or are not rodents.
One thing stands rodents out. The presence of two big front teeth does. These teeth keep growing. Rodents, therefore, have to make them shorter by chewing. Rodents make use of their two big front teeth for chewing, eating, and even protecting themselves. Their meals are majorly made up of plants such as hamsters and seeds. These diets are for herbivores, but there are omnivores rodents of which rat is one.
There are no similarities between the teeth of rodent and those of a ferret. Ferrets have canines that are similar to those of cats, dogs, and other predators. A look at the teeth of cats and ferrets shows a lot of similarities.
Hamsters are not known to interact with their owners as dogs and cats do. When you play with your ferret, and it begins chasing you around, always bear in mind that that is the predator attribute of your pet being exhibited. An attempt to play with a hamster the same way you play with a ferret will probably make the hamster flee.
Ferrets are adorable. That, however, does not mean they are rodents. The only thing that connects ferrets to rodents is they prey on rodents. Ferrets are weasels and are best fed with raw meat of birds and rodents. This explains that ferrets are not rodents.
It is so interesting how ferrets are being trained to help in terminating rodents. Keeping ferrets and rodents in the same room might not end well.
People that own ferrets get allergic when others refer to their pets as rodents. This might not be considered an insult because lots of people do not know how to classify ferrets.
If you come across a dog breed that is not too common, you do not go ahead to ask the owner of the dog if that dog is a cat. In the same way, you should not call ferrets rodents.
