Ferrets often change colors with the seasons, lighter in the winter
than in the summer, and many of them lighten as they age, too.
Different ferret organizations recognize different colors and
patterns, but unless you're planning to enter your ferret in a show,
the exact label isn't particularly important.  Some of the more
commonly accepted colors are described in general terms below, adapted
from summaries written by William and Diane Killian of Zen and the Art
of Ferrets and Pam Troutman of STAR*Ferrets.

    The albino is white with red eyes and a pink nose.  A dark-eyed
    white can have very light eyes and can possibly be confused with
    an albino.  These can actually range from white to cream colored
    with the whiter the color the better.  A dark-eyed white (often
    called a black-eyed white) is a ferret with white guard hairs but
    eyes darker than the red of an albino.

    The sable has rich dark brown guard hairs with golden highlights,
    with a white to golden undercoat.  A black sable has blue-black
    guard hairs with no golden or brownish cast, with a white to cream
    undercoat.

    The chocolate is described as warm dark to milk chocolate brown
    with a white to golden or amber undercoat and highlights.

    A cinnamon is a rich light reddish brown with a golden to white
    undercoat.  This can also be used to describe a ferret with light,
    tan guard hairs with pinkish or reddish highlights.  Straight tan
    is a champagne.

    A silver starts out grey, or white with a few black hairs.
    The ferret may or may not have a mask.  There is a tendency for
    the guard hair to lighten to white evenly over the body.  As a
    ferret ages each progressive coat change has a higher percentage
    of white rather than dark guard hairs.  Eventually the ferret
    could be all white.

    White patches on the throat might be called throat stars, throat
    stripes, or bibs; white toes, mitts (sometimes called silver
    mitts), or stockings go progressively further up the legs.  A
    blaze or badger has a white stripe on the top of the head, and a
    panda has a fully white head.  A siamese has an even darker color
    on the legs and tail than usual and a V-shaped mask; and a self is
    nearly solid in color.