The Marbled Polecat is among the rarest of the Mustelidae family.

In the wild, Marbled Polecats feed mainly upon mice, rats and other rodents. They also hunt for birds, eggs, small rabbits, fish, reptiles and fruit. The Marbled Polecat tends to be a solitary animal as well as nocturnal, and rely on a keen sense of smell to locate the small prey. Polecats tend to store up their food in cases of a slow season, in dens located next to their sleeping areas. The Marbled Polecat prefers to live beneath the ground, in burrows that they dig themselves; or take over during their hunting. This particular polecat prefers to spend most of its life alone, except during the mating season and when the female is raising her young. Like their relative the skunk, the Marbled Polecat emits a strong scent from under the tail in order to mark their respective territories. The Polecat also used this tactic as a means for defense. This fact should be kept in mind before considering the Marbled Polecat as a pet.

It has a long slender body with short limbs, and will weigh only from one to three pounds. With mixed coloring that is both red and brown on its back, it has a dark brown underbelly. Like its fellow polecats, the Marbled Polecat has a patch of darker hair around the eyes that closely resembles that of a mask. Their slender lined body enables the Marbled Polecat to chase their prey into their own burrows.

Found in the dryer areas and grasslands of southeastern Europe to western China, the Marbled Polecat had once been hunted for its fur; also known as 'fitch' in the fur trade.

Marbled Polecats have similar scent glands to that of a skunk, so it is recommended that you have them descented as soon as they are old enough.

The gestation period for the Marbled Polecat is about 40 days past copulation. Five to eight young are born at a time, and they will stay with their mother for approximately three months.