Red Eyed Variety

The albino ferret comes in two varieties. The one you’ll usually see at the pet store is a red-eyed white. These are not really true albinos, because if you breed two red-eyed whites, you won’t always get white offspring. Their coats range from pure white to dark cream tones, and if you plan to enter your albino in show competitions, you’ll want as white a coat as possible. Also, the eyes aren’t really red. The color comes from the blood vessels of the eyes showing through the surface. Albinos also have adorable pink noses.

Dark Eyed Variety

The other variety of albino ferret is the dark-eyed white, which can have black, brown, burgundy or blue eyes. Dark-eyed whites may be pure white, or may show a pattern on their coat of colored guard hairs, either mixed into the coat or forming a stripe, patch or colored tail. Dark-eyed whites are becoming easier to get in the United States but they have long been common in other countries, such as Australia.

Rumours

There are a lot of rumors about the albino ferret not being as strong and healthy as ferrets of other colors. It’s true that in the wild albinos don’t tend to live very long, but that is more a function of their color causing them to be seen easily by both predators and prey. Wild albinos of any species can’t hide and can’t sneak up on prey when their color doesn’t blend in with their environment.

An albino ferret doesn’t have those disadvantages cutting its life short because it is bred and raised by people. When albinos get enough to eat and a safe place to live, they are just as healthy as ferrets with colorful coats.

For hundreds of years, an albino ferret has been considered superior to a colored one by hunters, called ferreters, who use ferrets to flush rabbits from their warrens. A white ferret can be easily seen when it pops out of a rabbit hole, so the hunter doesn’t lose track of his ferret or accidentally harm it.

The Albino's Royal History

The albino ferret also has a surprising royal history. Queen Elizabeth I of England raised albinos, and one of her ferrets is included in a famous portrait of her. The ferret was given black spots in the painting, perhaps to make it look more regal. Queen Victoria also kept albinos and often gave albino kits to people as special gifts. So treat your albino beauty with special care, she may be related to royal ferrets!