Mink Wear it Best

29/05/2024

My Black sky. The American mink is perhaps one of the most beautiful pets. Her fur is simply divine, she is smart and easily adapts to the rhythm of human life. She loves to lie next to her owner - it gives her pleasure. Without it, they become stressed. She perceives her owner as her family. Minks protect what they consider theirs. She protects the house perfectly) I don’t recommend getting acquainted with her teeth))))) This is my favorite Black Sky.

07/05/2024

Chuck 2024

25/02/2024

Chuck is enjoying the February sun.

25/02/2024

Chuck. Domestic American mink.

01/11/2023

01/11/2023

Pandora says it's minky Monday again already❤️
Ask us all your minky questions today!

01/11/2023

01/11/2023

Happy ! It’s starting to cool off, but Calliope, our mink ambassador, is enjoying playtime in her pond just as much as in the summer!

American mink have dense, waterproof fur coats that help keep them dry and when swimming, and also help protect them against extremes of heat and cold. Their coats are part of the reason for their widespread success living in different types of habitats across North America. Unfortunately, these perfect coats also put them in danger, making them frequent targets for hunters, trappers, and commercial fur farms.

We think mink fur looks best when it’s on a live, happy mink! Don’t you agree?

01/11/2023

01/11/2023

Happy from Calliope, who has been especially spicy and pointy lately! Anyone who works with wildlife knows about the “October crazies.” Calliope has been meeting the crazies head-on and with full, blood-drawing force. We love her anyway.

Most North American carnivorans —a class of mammals that includes bears, dogs, cats, skunks, and weasels, among others— naturally leave their mothers in September or October. The “crazies” this time of year occur when the reduction in the number of daylight hours and the decrease in temperature trigger an overwhelming instinct to set out and find their own territories.

In the wild, animals would leave their mothers at this stage of development, if not sooner. The cuddly, babyish affection that they would have previously had for their mothers and siblings would be traded for hormonal rage and a strong drive for independence, something that parents of human teenagers have also witnessed!

Unfortunately for nonreleasable wildlife, these hormonal and behavioral changes can be stressful to the animals and their handlers because they have the same instincts as their wild cousins, but don’t actually have the ability to fend for themselves. Wildlife sanctuaries and rehabilitation facilities see a very shap increase in calls this time of year from exotic pet owners whose formerly docile raccoons and foxes have “gone crazy.”

Despite what exotic pet dealers often claim, there is no reliable way to prevent the seasonal madness, other than the fact that some very lucky people end up with exotic animals who don’t have strong dispersal instincts. No amount of training or “love” can erase hardwired instinct, and spaying and neutering have little effect on this behavior since it is triggered by a multitude of hormones, not just reproductive ones.

We love Calliope very much and she will get the very best care even when she’s feeling pointy and sassy, but we hope that when you’re considering an exotic pet (or ESPECIALLY if you want to keep an animal you found in the wild) you will be aware of the fact that even wild animals hand-raised from birth have instincts that can make them unsuitable as house pets.

01/11/2023

🍁🍂 It's officially fall 🍂🍁 Atlas is soaking up the last of the flowers and warm weather before he needs to get out his winter wardrobe!

As the days get shorter this time of year and we experience less and less daylight hours, hormonal changes start to occur in many mammals, that trigger the hair growth of their “winter coats”.

Fur is made of two kinds of hair: guard hairs and underfur. The underfur is what grows thicker during these next few fall months, in anticipation for the cold of winter. Underfur works as an insulator by trapping air against the animal’s body, which then gets warmed by the animal’s body heat, and creates an insulating layer to protect the animal from frigid air outside. Guard hairs are long and glossy and lay over the shorter, downier underfur. Guard hairs are oily, which helps waterproof the animal’s coat by blocking moisture and keeping the underfur dry. This is especially important in mink and other aquatic mammals because they need this type of waterproofing all year long. A mink’s underfur is very dense for this reason and it also aids in buoyancy while swimming and diving.

In North America, the length and thickness of an animal’s fur is greatest sometime between November and March. Then in spring, when the days start getting longer again and temperatures start rising, the animals will then shed or “blow” their undercoats because keeping it would most likely lead to overheating, which can be just as dangerous as freezing.

What is your favorite season or time of year? Let us know in the comments!