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Pets Theme Unit
 Life with a Ferret

Life with a Ferret
Reading Level
     edHelper's suggested reading level:   grades 4 to 6
     Flesch-Kincaid grade level:   5.71

Vocabulary
     challenging words:    carnivorous, ermine, escapee, ferret-proof, hobs, houseplants, jills, mocha, personality, mischievous, environment, ferret, mysterious, mystery, fabulous, someplace
     content words:    In Tunisia, North Africa

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Life with a Ferret
By Colleen Messina 		  
1     If you want to ferret out a lively pet, try a ferret. A ferret is playful, curious, and never, ever dull.
 
2     The ferret belongs to a bigger family that includes skunks, ermine, minks, weasels, and otters. But the ferret is a mysterious creature because no one really knows where he came from. Some think that the Romans introduced it as a pet. In Tunisia, ferrets have been kept for a long time as pets and pest controllers. They are popular in North Africa and southern Europe. Wild ferrets do not exist, so ferrets really are a mystery. If a ferret was left on its own in nature, it could not survive.
 
3     Ferrets come in all sizes and colors. Big ferrets weigh several pounds. Small ferrets might only weigh 6 ounces. Ferrets are mammals that look a little bit like a mouse stretched out like salt water taffy. They have a long, slender body, a pointed nose decorated with whiskers, and a bright expression. Males are called hobs and females are called jills. Ferrets can be almost white to sable brown and every shade in between. You might say that you can choose between chocolate and vanilla...or maybe even coffee, caramel, or mocha ferrets!

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