They hold the dirt on their chests when they are digging, and they back out of the hole and leave a furrow of dirt. These trenches are usually made during the winter, perhaps when ferrets are digging after hibernating prairie dogs. Adult ferrets have a long, thin bodies, usually between 18 and 22 inches long. Their tails are four to five inches long, and they weigh between one and two and one-half pounds. Black-footed ferret litters are born in May or June, usually in a litter of three or four kits.
Young ferrets look like mice when they are born and their eyes are shut.
When they are six to eight weeks old, the mother starts taking the kits out of their burrow. Before winter, the kits are on their own, and they leave their home territory and their mother. Struggles remain for the black-footed ferret. But with help, one of the world's rarest mammals is receiving a boost. Go to the species index page.