One of the best parts about getting a ferret, or any new pet, is naming it. A ferret is a rather unique pet so it deserves to have a rather unique name. Read on for naming inspiration.
There are many methods you can use to come up with a name. For starters, try a variation of the name ferret. Ferret is derived from the Latin word for thief (furo). So, play around with that, especially if yours particularly lives up to that moniker (for example, Thief, Robbie, Raffles (a famous British thief), Spy, Robin Hood, Bandit, Dodger, etc.) Of course, Ferret or Furo work just as well.
An alternative is to work off the species name, Mustela putorius furo. Mustela comes from the Latin for mouse, so try Mouse, Mickey, Fievel, Despereaux, Ralph or any other famous mouse that comes to mind.
If you have a wicked sense of humor, you’ll have fun working off of the putorius part of the species name as it’s from the Latin for “stench”. Stench, Stinky, Smelly, Skunk are good for starters. (By the way, if your ferret is a bit odiferous and you bathe it often, cut back a bit. They only need bathing once or twice a year generally. However, do clean its ears and its teeth more often, and change its bedding and litter.)
As you probably know, ferrets are closely related to weasels, so you might come up with a name related to polecats, stoats, badgers, wolverines, otters, etc. For example, if you have kids or have always been a fan of Disney’s Winnie-the-Pooh movies, Woozel is an obvious choice (or Heffalump). If you happen to have ties to the University of Michigan, Wolverine is another possibility.
While the uninformed might be tempted to name a ferret after a rodent, such as Rat or Rabbit, remember that ferrets are not related to them and in fact were first domesticated in order to catch them.
One clever way to play off the ferret’s heritage (and sound a little classy too) is to go phonetic: Efiarity (pronounced Eff-ee-are-ee-tee). (Hint: spell the word “ferret”.)
Of course, there are many other ways to name your ferret. You could come up with one based on its characteristics. For example, if it has a different color on the tip of its tail, try Dipstick. Fuzzy, Fuzzball; or Teddy Bear are all common choices. Chase, Turbo, Speedy and the like are all good for particularly active animals. If your pet still has the habit of tasting everything in sight, try Chewy, Nipper and so on. Diva is good choice for a female who is constantly primping.
Because so many owners love to cuddle with their ferret, sweet names like Cuddles, Baby, Fluffy are very popular. Snook-ums, Itsy Bitsy and other nonsense endearments also make great names for your adorable companion.
It’s fun to play off pop culture in coming up with a name for your ferret. For example, the Lord of the Rings movie saga has a plethora of names just made for ferrets: Bilbo, Frodo, Samwise, Pippin, Merry, Gimli. You might try the same for other popular films: Darth Vader, Chewbacca, and Jar-jar or Hagrid, Dobby and Dudley will all provoke smiles.
By the way, themed names are great if you are lucky enough to have a business of ferrets. Who doesn’t like pairs like Scarlett and Rhett, Lucy and Ethel, Ben and Jerry, Starsky and Hutch or Gin and Tonic? Two particularly good pairs of names for ferrets are Calvin and Hobbes (a hob being an unneutered male) or Jack and Jill (jill being a female). For triples, Larry, Curly and Moe or Groucho, Harpo and Chico are equally inspired choices.
Who says there has to be any rhyme or reason to a name? There are unlimited choices to naming your ferret. From cute names like Widget or Dexter to Ami (the French word for friend), you can name your ferret anything that comes to mind. Sometimes a ferret just “looks like ” a Floyd or a Furby.
Keep in mind that the name you choose is going to be around a while. Most ferrets live six years or more, so think twice before you choose an off-color word that may be offensive to the people you live with or to guests (unless of course that is common for your crowd). The same holds true for sticky-sweet terms: Sweetie-pookums may be too nauseating for some.
Once you choose your ferret’s name, it’s a fairly easy matter to get it to respond. All you need to do is to use it often in the first few weeks. “Come here Widget. Would you like some food Widget? Where are you Widget?” Pretty soon, Widget will come when you call.
Whatever you call your ferret, you can be sure that your pet will always have a good name for you. That name is Friend.
