Natural Ferret Breeders ry was founded in 2017 as an international association of ferret breeders. The group's previous name was Finnish Standard ferret breeders, but the name was changed 2018 to better suit our goals and ferret enthusiasts around the world. NFB’s aim is to connect breeders with the similar types of breeding goals in the Nordic countries and neighbouring. All breeders under NFB are committed to breed ferrets without patterns or angora, and aim towards more natural typed ferrets.

Breeders can join as members to NFB by committing to the rules set by the group. Membership is a requirement for the certification of the breeder name. Breeders may apply membership by a free-form application, which is submitted to the board by e-mail naturalferrets(a)gmail.com

Members of the board 2022
Jonna Toljamo, FIN, Chairman of the board
Espen Skarsbø Olsen, NO, secretary
Maria Krane, NO, Vice chairman
Kira Karppinen, FIN, member of the board
Erika Ek, SWE, member of the board
Heli Lievokivi, FIN, member of the board
Maja Čonč, SLO, member of the board
Míša Besedová, CZE, member of the board

Treasurer for 2022: Hanna Auvinen

Non breeders are also welcomed as a supporting members without a vote in the board, and we provide offers and discounts via our affiliates. 
You can read more about becoming a support member here.

Breeder agreement

The signatory understands that a member of the Natural Ferret Breeders Association must be a member of the association and comply with the regulations issued by the association

The breeder signing the agreement undertakes to use only ferrets meeting the following conditions:
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  • Acceptable colors: black sable, sable, chocolate, cinnamon, pastel, albino
  • Acceptable color saturations: standard, solid, point
  • Accepted eye colors: brown, burgundy, red (albinos)
  • Acceptable hair length: short
  • Patterns, abnormal hair lengths, or special colors are generally not present in the 3rd generation of the planned litter (litter = generation 0).
  • The deviation is allowed within three generations with the majority vote of the members of the Board for well-founded reasons.
  • If the deviation is susceptible to a waardenburg syndrome, a ferret BAER test is required. (In cultivation, non-WS-colored individuals are always preferred)
  • A maximum of 1.6% is allowed for inbreeding. More than this, litters demand a majority vote of the members of the Board.
  • Breeder pays attention to the nature of ferret and does not use an aggressive or fearful ferret in breeding.
  • The maximum age of a jill to be used in breeding is 5 years if the ferret is healthy. Jills over the age of 4 are required to have at least a veterinarian inspection and a large blood count.​
  • For the breeding of hybrids, the breeder is required to have at least one year of coexistence experience with hybrids of at least the same "level" as the planned kits (eg if the breeder has experience with 50% hybrids, they can plan a litter with no more than 50% ). When breeding hybrids, it is also necessary to comply with local laws in the field of animal protection. The sale of such animals should be approached with caution. 
  • Exceptions to any rules listed above are allowed only with approval of the board majority.

General code of conduct and 

Breeding perspective


​The undersigned undertakes to increase the number of litters subject to the terms and conditions set out in this commitment.

The members of our association grow only basic colored, short-haired ferrets

General Code of Conduct
-Breeders strive for openness and transparency in all their activities
-Activities are based on respect and assistance.
-Members do not comment on the policies of non-association members.
-NFB does not market its ferrets as healthier as any other.
-Breeders are not involved in making decisions about themselves.
-As long as breeder follows the undersigned rules and standards of NFB, memberships in other unions and clubs is permitted. 

Breeding perspectives
-As long as the ferret meets the regulations set by NFB and is healthy, we do not interfere with the animal's appearance (eg head shape, ear shape)
-We try to process animals that do not belong to the lower or upper extremity of the ferret. We recommend that the females used for mating have a minimum of 700g and a maximum of 2500g for males
-All breeders are familiar with the regulations and requirements of ferret keeping and aim always to provide the best possible care to their ferrets.