Ferrets are the third most popular pet in the United States after cats and dogs.
The ferret is a descendant of the polecat. B.C. Queen Victoria of England purportedly gave ferrets as gifts to visiting heads of state. Ferrets were often used to pull telephone wires through pipes and tight places where human hands could not reach. The average life-span for ferrets is five to seven years. A group of ferrets is called a business.