They Look So Sweet, but Don’t Get Too Comfortable! – 10 Pictures
Minks are beautiful, adorable animals best known, unfortunately, for their fur. Their fur is used to make hats and coats and for that reason there are a lot of mink farms in the USA. But minks are also very intelligent and cute animals and many have decided to keep them as pets which is understandable when you get to know them better.
Yes, I looove water
Mink is a semi-aquatic mammal, so it loves to spend a lot of time in the water, swimming, diving and hunting fish. They are great swimmers and in that perspective they resemble otters. There are two types of mink, American and European, but they are so similar that it is hard to tell them apart. There are more American minks in the wild since they are fiercer and more adaptable.
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No, I am not a ferret!
If you ever decide to have mink as a pet, don’t expect them to be as easy as ferrets. Even though they are close relatives and look alike a lot, they are very different in behavior since mink is primarily a wild animal and it has to be domesticated. Minks are more intense than a ferret since they are better hunters. They are also stronger and faster and can climb and jump a lot better than a ferret.
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Wanna play with me?
Minks are very, very playful animals, especially those raised in captivity since they were babies. They have a lot of energy and you should be prepared for it, because it can drive you crazy. But even then you are sure to crack a smile seeing your mink run around and jump like there is no tomorrow. They also can develop a deep bond with their owner, even those acquired in adulthood.
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Come on, take those gloves off
Having a mink as a pet takes a lot of dedication and work. Since they are very aggressive and have very sharp teeth they should be handled with gloves on until they are properly trained. However, they are quite trainable and if you devote yourself to this goal, you will see your mink become almost totally domesticated. Still, daily walks are a must if you don’t want your mink to start losing its temper.
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Are we going hunting?
Minks can be trained to hunt. They are natural predators and with some guidance they can become your own personal hunters. They can hunt and kill muskrats, rats, mice, rabbit, squirrels and much more. They can take on a pray a lot bigger than themselves and are very vicious hunters. You don’t want to mess with mink.
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Why do you need a dog for?
Minks are very territorial and aggressive so you should know that keeping them as pets along other animals may cause some problems. They will generally ignore cats and dogs and will not attack them, but if you have some birds or rodents as a pet they will probably try to attack them. Remember, they are fierce predators and have not been fully domesticated.
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You better don’t scare me
Minks have anal scent glands just like ferrets do, but they won’t use them unless provoked. In nature, they use these glands to mark their territory but in captivity you only need to worry about this awful smell if you scare your mink. In this case, they use their scent as a form of defense, like skunks sometimes do.
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Potty? Of course!
If you ever get a mink for a pet, you won’t have to worry about cleaning around your house. They are extremely clean animals and they easily learn and accept your bathroom instructions. Many say that it easier to potty-train a mink than dogs or cats, so at least that Is one less thing you need to think about if you have a mink.
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I want some meat!
Minks are strictly carnivorous animals, so If you don’t plan to go hunting with them then you will have to provide them a lot of meat. Of course, you should avoid giving them just muscle meat, since they also eat organs like liver or kidney and they can also eat bones. You should keep their diet versatile and don’t give them a lot of raw meat. Yes, in nature they don’t cook their meat, but you should do it since raw meat can contain a lot of parasites and bacteria.
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Really? You don’t like when I bite you?
Minks have a really strong jaws and they bite with a tremendous strength and passion. That is why you should think twice about getting a mink, cause bite marks on your hands are sure to happen. If you still decide you want a mink, you should get a very young one, not older than 5 or 6 weeks so it can learn not to bite as hard as it can. Still, it will bite, mainly because that is one of the ways they communicate. You just have to make them understand that you don’t have a thick fur as they do.
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Image sources:
- stockpix.com/stock/animals/mammals/predatorymammals/weasels/2605.htm
- commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Mink_in_the_park_(2).jpg
- animalsdb.com/pictures/mink/
- sybilsden.com/bb/viewtopic.php?t=11438
- ksoutdoors.com/Hunting/Furharvesting/Furbearer-Gallery/Mink-with-Dinner
- youtube.com/watch?v=s8NtPQ_Ti40
- cbc.ca/news/canada/kitchener-waterloo/minks-reward-brant-ontario-1.3564917
- ft86club.com/forums/showthread.php?t=102996
- retrieverman.net/tag/american-mink/
- retrieverman.net/tag/american-mink/
