ferret crap for remax
Zen and the Art of Ferrets
Version 0.1 1997
So you want to breed your ferret. Do you really think you know enough about them to attempt to breed them? Take this simple test first to see how much you already know.
Did you know
1. That a female ferret, if left in heat indefinitely, is susceptible to aplastic anemia and probable death.
2. That male ferrets canFerret Breeding Frequently Asked Questions be extremely rough on females during breeding, and can cause great bodily harm, and in some cases even death.
3 That not all cases of mating produce young; some just bring a female out of heat or cause a false pregnancy.
4. That you should not even attempt to breed your female ferret unless she has been on a HIGH PROTEIN DIET, such as Totally Ferret, Pro Plan Feline Growth Food, Iams Cat Food, Mazuri Cat Food or Science Diet Feline Growth.
5. That the average litter born to a ferret is 6 to 8 kits.
6. That they are 2/3 the size of the mother ferret at the age of 5 weeks.
7. That you MUST supplement the mother ferret's milk starting when the kits are 3 weeks of age with a soft "mush-like" food.
8. That some mother's milk dries up and you have to bottle feed all those baby ferrets every 3-4 hours around the clock.
9. That after breeding and birthing you could possibly lose both the mother and kits. Caesarian sections and uterine infections are not uncommon in ferrets. After a C-Section the jill may not be able to nurse the kits.
10. That a female ferret can go into heat again 2 weeks after a false pregnancy, or if she has kits, 2 weeks after they have been weaned.
11. That when your female ferret goes into heat after weaning her kits, she is greatly weakened and is not healthy enough to endure another litter or surgery for spaying.
12. That you should not considering breeding any ferret with any physical or internal defects, such as cataracts, stumpy tails, one eye or no eyes, etc.
13. That you should not inbreed ferrets such as Father/Daughter, Brother/Sister, Mother/Son, as these cause defects to show up and weaken future generations.
After reading this if you still think you are willing to take the risk and breed your ferrets here are some important facts you need to be aware of:
"I have a nice hob and jill and I'm thinking of breeding them. It's pretty easy isn't it?"
It's not as easy as some people think. It's far better to do some research beforehand to see what you're getting yourself into. Having a litter of kits is not as easy as having a litter of puppies or kittens. For starters, both the hob and the jill have to be "in season" in order for them to breed.
"Why do they both have to be 'in season'?"
Unlike dogs and cats, ferrets are induced ovulators. What this means is that when the ferrets actually breed, the jill's eggs are released from her ovaries a few hours after the mating. The act of mating helps stimulate the hormones necessary to release the eggs. If the hob is not in season, he won't be able to physically mate with the jill to induce her to release her eggs. If the jill isn't in season but the hob is, the jill could be injured by an overly aggressive hob trying to mate with her.
"How can I tell when they are 'in season'?"
The jills are in season (or "in estrus") when their vulvas become swollen. The vulva becomes engorged with blood and swells to 10+ times larger than normal. It takes approximately a week for the swelling to reach the stage where the jill is actually ready to be bred.
The hobs are in season (or "in rut") when their testicles drop and become enlarged. You will also notice a more pronounced odor emanating from them. The hobs tend to drag their bellies on the ground while they are in season and they leave a trail of urine behind. The hobs are marking their territory when they do this. The slang term for this is "slimming". You will notice eye rings forming, most notably on the lighter colored ferrets. This is due to the secretion of additional oils which the hob's body is producing. When a hob is in season he must be kept separate from the other ferrets. He will undergo hormonal changes in his personality. These changes include his more aggressive behavior towards other hobs, regardless of whether they are whole or altered. He will also begin chasing after all jills and try to mate with them. His behavior towards his human owners, however, will not usually change; except perhaps you might notice he is more of a teddy bear wanting to be cuddled.
"How can I know what hob to breed to what jill?"
First you should try to make sure the pair aren't closely related, i.e., mother/son, father/daughter, brother/sister, etc. Next you make sure there are NOT any known defects in either ferret. Cataracts, monorchism or cryptorchism (males have only one or no testicles descended into the scrotum), over or undershot jaws, one eye or no eyes, kinked or fused tails, polydactylism (having more than 5 toes on any paw), etc. are some of the more common genetic defects in ferrets. Behavioral defects should also be considered. These can include timidness, fierceness or over-aggressiveness, cannibalism by jills, etc. Additionally, age is an important factor in breeding. Both the jill and hob should be approximately 11-12 months old before breeding. Any younger than that and you may not have a successful breeding due to the immaturity of the parents. Furthermore, if the breeding was successful the jill may not know what is expected of her as a mother and this opens up the potential for several problems.
Having gotten through this first round of tests, you next should evaluate the temperaments of both the hob and jill. For the average person, those ferrets which are considered wonderful pets will probably produce equally wonderful kits. Those breeders who are breeding ferrets for the show ring also are looking to reproduce a certain "type" as well as matching temperamental qualities.
"How can I breed to get cinnamon/champagne colored ferrets?"
Trying to breed for certain colors or patterns is sometimes an iffy proposition. If you know the background on the particular hob and jill you plan to breed, including the colors of their parents and grandparents, you increase your chances of being successful in obtaining particular colors or patterns. The dominant phenotypes are albino and sable. If you breed two sables together you will have a litter which is predominantly sable, with a possible albino or two, depending on whether the gene for albinism is present in both the hob and jill. Breeding two cinnamon/champagnes together might produce a litter predominantly cinnamon/champagne but it will depend upon the background colors of the parents. Dark-eyed whites (DEWs) are possibly the hardest color combination to produce. Breeding a pair together seldom will produce DEW offspring. Some of the color/patterns also can produce defects. The kinked or fused tails appear most often in the black/silver colors and the panda pattern. Pandas and blazes also seem to have Waardensburg Syndrome more often than any other pattern. This Syndrome produces deafness or hardness of hearing in the ferrets.
"Is there anything I can do ahead of time to get the hob and jill prepared for breeding?"
Both the jill and hob need to be as healthy as possible before breeding. They should both be fed high protein diets. When the jill first begins to go into season you should start supplementing her diet with KMR or Esbilac powdered supplements. These are available at your pet store. Sprinkle a spoonful on her food everyday. This will help to insure her milk supply will be strong when it comes in.
"Will I need to assist the hob and jill with the actual breeding?"
Not usually. Their natural instincts will take over. Before putting the two together, however, you should make sure that you give both of them a bath to help prevent any type of uterine infections in the jill. It is best to put the jill into the cage of the hob for the breeding. The hob is more likely to be able to perform in his accustomed surroundings rather than being placed in a new place unknown to him. The hob can be rough on the jill when he attempts to mate with her. The hob will grab her by the neck and swing her around in his attempts to subdue her. If the jill continues to resist the hob by fighting back and screeching at him, it is usually best to remove the jill as she is not ready to be bred. You can try again in another day or two and see if the jill is more receptive. Occasionally you may come across a jill who will refuse the hob you have selected for her. In this case, it would be best to either put her with a vasectomized hob or take her to your vet for a hormone shot to being her out of season.
When the hob is successful in subduing the jill, she will allow him to mate with her. The actual mating can take a couple of hours depending on the particular pair. To increase the possibility of the jill becoming pregnant it is usually best to allow the pair to stay together for a couple of days.
They will repeat the breeding several times over the next couple of days.
Allowing the pair to stay together for any longer than 2-3 days possibly will increase the chances of a larger litter, however, it will also increase the chances of kits of differing gestational ages and thereby reducing the chances of survival of the younger ones. When you remove the jill be sure to wash her genital area again to prevent any possible infections for occurring. The hob must be washed again as well. If you use a particular hob for more than one jill it is especially important to keep him clean to avoid the spread of any infections between the jills.
"So now that I've bred the hob and jill, now what?"
The gestational period in ferrets is 42 days. Some jills can deliver anywhere between day 40 and day 44. For the most part, other than continuing to supplement the jills food with the KMR or Esbilac powder, nothing special needs to be done in the beginning. About a week before her due date, however, she should be moved into a breeding cage which has been set up for her in a quiet place. If she normally resides with other jills this will get her away from all the excitement of other jills when they are overly rambunctious. In the breeding cage you can put a small litter box, her bowl of food and water bottle and a dishpan which will be her nesting box. The nesting materials frequently consist of soft materials such as old t-shirts, pillowcases, etc. You will find that the jills will begin to "blow their coats" shortly before giving birth. They also use their fur as nesting material. In most instances the jill will not require assistance in the actual delivery, however, you should be prepared for that occasion when you must help her. With first time mothers comes the likelihood of them delivering the first kits in the litter box. They don't realize what's happening to them and think they have to go to the bathroom. In these cases you need to move the kit back into the nest pan so the jill can attend to it. Here again you may find you need to assist the jill with cleaning off the kits. A soft cloth dampened with lukewarmed water works fine. You have to remember to be extremely gentle; the newborn kits are approximately the size of your little finger. You can wait to see if the jill will bite through the umbilical cord before attempting to cut it yourself. In some instances the kits will be born one right after another and then sometimes it will be quite a wait between births. If at any time you sense the jill is in distress and unable to deliver a kit, you should immediately contact your vet for assistance as a C-section may be necessary to save the life of jill and/or the kits. You also need to be alert to the possibility of the jill cannibalizing her kits. This is not a usual occurrence, but it can happen. There are many theories as to why it might happen, such as undue stress on the jill before birth, but nothing is conclusive at this time. If you witness it occurring, remove the remaining kits from the nest pan and put them with another nursing jill to raise. This is a trait that apparently can be passed from mother to daughter, therefore, kit jills should not be used for later breedings and the mother should not be rebred.
"After the jill has delivered the last of the kits do I need to do anything?"
Assuming that the jill is successfully nursing the kits, you really don't need to do anything other than making sure the jill has plenty of fresh water; continue to add the powdered supplement to her food; and clean her litter box daily. For the first few days it is best to not handle the kits as the jill may become quite nervous. Some jills have such an infusion of hormones running through their systems that they go into "supermom mode" and do not want anyone near her babies. A normally passive jill will suddenly try to nip you when you try to pet her. This is a sign that mom wants to be left alone. It is best to acquiesce to her demands. She will return to her sweet self after the kits are weaned, if not sooner. Most jills, however, are perfectly willing to let you admire their brood after a couple of days and after a couple of weeks they welcome the distraction of someone else to watch the kits so she can get some much needed exercise. It is important to note that the jill should be examined daily to make sure that she is not having any problems with her milk production. Occasionally the jill may experience an impacted milk duct which will cause one of her nipples to harden. You will feel a lump near the nipple when this has happened.
Applying a warm washcloth to the area as well as letting the jill swim in a tub of warm water usually is enough to help the flow of milk begin again.
If you notice the area is blackened you need to take the jill to the vet as soon as possible as mastitis may have set in. By checking the jill every day you can insure that she doesn't develop mastitis. You should clean her belly and nipple area with soap and water daily to prevent any infections.
"When do I need to supplement the jill's milk?"
When the kits are approximately 3 weeks of age they will require a supplement. This can be in the form of a watered down high protein diet, such as Totally Ferret. The consistency of the food should be like mush.
Science Diet's AD is a canned food available from vets which is very palatable for the kits. The mush should be given to the kits every day for the next 3-4 weeks when they can gradually be moved over to regular Totally Ferret or a high protein kitten food.
"When will the kits open their eyes?"
Normally the kits begin opening their eyes around 5 weeks of age.
"When will the kits be weaned?"
Kits are weaned at approximately 6 weeks of age. It's usually a good idea to let the jill dictate when they are to be weaned. Some jills will keep the kits nursing until they are 8 or 9 weeks of age and others let the kits know they are through around 6 weeks of age.
'If a jill has to undergo a C-Section or develops mastitis can she still nurse her kits?"
Occasionally a jill can successfully nurse her kits following a C-Section.
It would be wise to have a surrogate jill available who can handle the nursing chores if the original jill is unable to. With mastitis it is usually better to remove the kits from the jill and place them with a surrogate jill so the kits won't have the infection passed on to them from the mother. Mastitis is treated with antibiotics which are passed through the mother's milk to the kits. This can darken their teeth in some instances. There are cases where jills have continued to successfully nurse their kits while recovering from mastitis, however, it is not usually recommended by vets. This can kill the kits.
"What is a surrogate jill?"
A surrogate jill is any jill who has delivered kits approximately the same time as another jill and in certain situations is used to nurse the kits of the other jill. Surrogates are used when a jill has to undergo a C-Section and can't nurse her own kits; a jill's milk doesn't come in; a jill develops mastitis or even if a jill has too large a litter to be able to take care of all of the kits. It is always wise when breeding a jill to find out if there are any other breeders in your area who are expecting litters approximately the same time. Some breeders regularly breed two jills at the same time so they have a surrogate available if needed. In some instances it is possible to use a jill who has gone through a false pregnancy to nurse kits. Even though the jill is not carrying any kits, her body has gone through all the hormonal changes as if she is, including the production of milk. If at all possible, if you have to place kits from one jill with a surrogate jill, try to establish which kits belong to which jill. You can use something as simple as a drop of food coloring on the kits belonging to one of the jills. You will have to replace this coloring periodically since the kits will grow quickly.
"So, is that all there is to it?"
Breeding ferrets is a long-term commitment in time, responsibility and financial output. After the jill has weaned her kits you are responsible for their well being. Do you have good homes lined up for these kits? The kits will need a series of 3 distemper shots beginning at 8 weeks of age.
The protocol from the manufacture of FERVAC-D (currently the only distemper vaccine recommended by the USDA to prevent distemper in ferrets) is for a series of shots at 8, 11 and 14 weeks of age. The jill can watch her kits in the early weeks when they are totally dependent on her for their existence. From age 3 weeks on, they also depend on you to supplement their mother's milk. You need to handle the kits on a daily basis to get them use to human companionship. Kits go through a couple of stages of "the terrible twos". This usually first occurs around 6-10 weeks and then again around 13-16 weeks. The kits are extremely rambunctious and can be very "nippy".
You must begin training them not to nip. You will be the first experience with human beings they receive; make the most of it. Yes, they are fun to play with. Yes, it's funny when you realize that what sounds like geese in the other room is really the kits talking. And, yes, it is a lot of work of successfully raise kits. But it's also quite enjoyable because they're so cute!
Credits and editors' notes
Many thanks to our friends who taught us, answered our numerous questions and gave us invaluable feedback. We have learned from some of the best, such as Vickie McKimmey, Fran Wiles, Sally Heber, Ellen Byrne, Denise Edens, Georgia Bailey, Pam Grant, Glenna and Bill Hudson and Doug McKay. Thanks to the readers of the electronic Ferret Forum and Ferret Mailing List and the Usenet newsgroup alt.pets.ferrets who contributed responses and comments; and Pam Greene and her invaluable Ferret FAQ. And, of course, special thanks to Drs. Thomas Kawasaki, Jean Wardell, Bruce Williams, Charles Weiss, Pam Slack, Michael Strickland, Alex Wakefield, Susan Brown and Michael Dutton for their help, advice and efforts on behalf of ferrets everywhere.
This informational packet was written as a free service to ferret owners, without direct input from any ferret club, business or organization, except as noted above. We are not affiliated with or responsible for the actions of any person or group that chooses to redistribute this information.
Copyright 1996-1997 by Bill and Diane Killian, Zen and the Art of Ferrets.
This compilation may be freely distributed by electronic, paper or other means, provided that it is distributed in its entirety, including this notice, and that no fee is charged apart from the actual cost of distribution. It may not be used or included in any commercial or for-profit work without prior written permission of the authors.
Fix Your Ferrets-Their Health (and Your Happiness) Depends on It
By Erika Matulich
Of course I think all ferrets are cute, but there is nothing quite so adorable as a baby ferret (called a kit). When I went to pick out Zodiac from her litter, I was absolutely entranced by each and every fuzzy youngster! Their darling paws, ultrafluffy baby fuzz, angelic little eyes, and delicate ears put together a captivating package. How could I just pick one? As I in turn picked up each baby ferret to inspect, Precious, the mommy ferret, patiently retrieved the kit and firmly returned the baby to the nest cage. She had to make many trips, because I kept wanting to see each kit over and over.
Wouldn't Zodiac's own babies, if I bred her, be equally adorable? I understand the temptation to think about breeding your ferret. But the truth is, ferrets who have been fixed-males and females-are happier, healthier pets. Let common sense prevail (as I did) and leave breeding to the experts. For Zodiac's health and my own sanity, I had Zodiac fixed as soon as she was old enough.
How old is old enough?
If you adopt a ferret from a shelter or get one at a pet store, your new pet will most likely be a gib (a neutered male) or a sprite (a spayed female). Pet stores often fix ferrets as early as 5 or 6 weeks of age, though some experts suggest that this "early alter" practice is partially responsible for certain health problems later in life, such as the development of adrenal disease.
Kits from breeders will typically be unaltered. Many breeders require buyers to sign a contract guaranteeing that the ferret will be fixed at 5 months or 6 months of age. Sometimes, in fact, the fix price is prepaid in the purchase, and you are given a certificate to give to the vet.
A ferret who hasn't been fixed is known as "whole" ferret. A whole female is called a jill, and a whole male is called a hob. If you get a hob, plan to have him fixed at about 6 months (or when the testes begin to develop). A jill should be fixed before she goes into her first heat; typically this happens the spring after her birth. (Flower was born in December, but when I rescued her in late March, she was already going into heat, so I had her spayed immediately.) If you notice any swelling of your female ferret's vulva, have her spayed right away. The further your jill is into the heat cycle, the more risky the surgery, so be observant!
The perils of being in heat
Letting your female go into heat is dangerous for her. Unlike humans and many other animals who produce eggs according to a biological clock, ferrets are "induced ovulators": When a female ferret goes into heat, her body is waiting to be bred by a male before it will produce eggs to be fertilized. When she is "bred" (either by a real whole male, by a vasectomized male, or artificially with injections of hormones), her body will produce eggs and she will either get pregnant or have a false pregnancy-all the symptoms but no kits.
Ferrets do not come out of heat on their own; they stay in heat until they are spayed, are bred, or die. Staying in heat for longer than a month causes severe health problems, including aplastic anemia and estrogen toxicity.
I once rescued a beautiful silver female-I named her Crystal-who had been in heat for two months and was already too sick to survive surgery. The veterinarian tried all the options available in this situation. First, we tried to breed her with a vasectomized (sterile) male ferret to see if this false breeding would cause her to ovulate and bring her out of heat. This is often an unreliable method, and Crystal did not respond, so the vet then gave her injections of hCG (a human hormone shot) to stimulate ovulation. Although this works for many ferrets, it did not work for Crystal.
As a last resort, the vet gave her a blood transfusion, fluid therapy, B-vitamin supplements, and antibiotics in an effort to stabilize her enough for surgery. Sadly, it was too late for Crystal; as with most ferrets in prolonged heat, she did not survive. Don't let this happen to your girls-get them fixed!
Avoid the rut
Whole male ferrets cycle through their breeding season by going into "rut." During this time, they mark territory with a mixture of slimy oils and urine, groom themselves with this same blend of "ferret cologne," and go through dramatic weight changes. These ferrets also suffer anxiety and stress. Rutting males can also be quite aggressive, even killing other male ferrets. Female ferrets and humans are attacked less often, but the danger exists.
When Thor showed up on my doorstep, he was a whole (and incredibly stinky) male. He tried to bite anything that moved, and drew plenty of blood from me and the vet who neutered him. Thor is now the sweetest ferret-he loves to cuddle and give kisses on the scars he left on my hand.
Further reasons for fixing
But fixing your ferrets doesn't just make for happier, healthier pets; it makes your life better, too. Hormonal activity is the strongest contributor to ferret odor. Ferrets have tiny musk glands scattered throughout their skin, with heavier concentrations in the face and legs. When ferrets (both male and female) are whole, hormones cause these musk glands to produce lots of smelly oil.
When I worked with whole ferrets at the Fort Worth Zoo, the ferrets were so greasy with musk, they made my hands sticky. Bathing them helped for only a few hours-and did nothing to brighten their yellowed fur, discolored by sebum. When I came home from my zoo volunteer work, my mother made me take off "those stinky ferret clothes" in the garage!
Fixing your ferret will reduce musk production by about 90 percent, because the skin glands shrink. It's actually the single biggest thing you can do to reduce ferret odor. Combine that fact with the serious health and behavioral problems whole ferrets are prone to, and the question of whether to fix your ferrets is a no-brainer!
Why not to breed your ferrets
Breeding ferrets is difficult, usually unprofitable, and best left to the experts. Also, keep in mind that there are many thousands of unwanted and abandoned ferrets in shelters who need good homes.
You should not attempt to breed ferrets unless you are already an experienced ferret owner and are prepared to spend lots of time and money on breeding. You'll need to have a close relationship with a veterinarian familiar with ferrets, because there are often complications during breeding and birth, and kit mortality rates are high.
If you are considering breeding ferrets, do plenty of research long before you start. Join a ferret club and a breeding association. Do some volunteer work at a shelter, and practice with other breeders in your area. In the meantime, be sure to get your pet ferrets fixed!
Subject: breeding ferrets
More important than 'can you breed your ferrets' is - WHY do you want to breed your ferrets?
I was a breeder from 1988 until 1997 and had 1-2 litters a year. I had a specific breeding program developed - a goal, a purpose.
Jills can false, eat their young, have no milk, have only 1 or 2 babies and be unable to get the milk started, get mastitis, or everything can work just fine. As you can see, the bad things out-measure the good things. You need to have a purpose to your breeding other than to see babies born - you can go to another experienced breeder and see that. You need to have a jill with the same age kits (plus or minus a day) in the vicinity in case your jill has problems (if you want to save the babies). You should have a good vet in case of a breached birth or mastitis, or a C-section is needed. It is much more cost effective to have your jill spayed than to breed her.
If your jill had complications, could you afford the vet bills? I had a jill operated on to have two dead kits removed from her reproduction tract in May 1997. It cost close to $300 and the jill had to be spayed. Are you willing to risk your ferret's life on complications? The mating ritual with ferrets is rough, true, but the pregnancy and birth is rougher. Think long and hard before trying to breed ferrets. The male will get aggressive towards the other ferrets, he will smell, and both have to be in season in order to mate. What will you do if the female is ready before the male? Do you know where another breedable hob is or a vasectomized male?
I'm not discouraging you because I don't want someone breeding. I run a rescue, but I'm not going to tell you there are already too many homeless animals in the world. No - I want you to know that breeding ferrets is NOT like breeding dogs and cats. There is a lot more to it. What will you do with the kits? Do you have homes lined up? Are the parents from good bloodlines? Do you know they are NOT related? So many questions....
If you do decide to breed, I am here to help. I also have a booklet on breeding that I sell for $2. All I ask is to think before you act. It is not your life that you are playing with.
To receive a listing of ferret shelters, contacts, vets, suppliers, breeders, clubs, etc., in your state by mail, send a LONG self addressed stamped envelope and $1 to:
STAR* Ferrets
PO Box 1832
Springfield, VA 22151-0832
To review the ENTIRE listing, visit Ferret Central at www.ferretcentral.org/
Visit STAR* at www.thepetproject.com/ptff.html
E-mail questions, corrections, or additions to: STARFerret@aol.com
Pamela E. Troutman, Director
Shelters That Adopt & Rescue Ferrets
When should I spay or neuter my ferret?
Pet ferrets must be fixed. If you adopt a ferret from a shelter or get one at a pet store, your new pet will most likely be fixed already. Pet stores often fix ferrets as early as 5 or 6 weeks of age, though some experts suggest that this "early alter" practice is partially responsible for certain health problems later in life, such as the development of adrenal disease.
Kits from breeders will typically be unaltered. Many breeders require buyers to sign a contract guaranteeing that the ferret will be fixed at 5 months or 6 months of age. Sometimes, in fact, the fix price is prepaid in the purchase, and you are given a certificate to give to the vet.
A ferret who hasn't been fixed is known as "whole" ferret. If you get a whole male, plan to have him fixed at about 6 months (or when the testes begin to develop). A female should be fixed before she goes into her first heat; typically this happens the spring after her birth. If you notice any swelling of your female ferret's vulva, have her spayed right away. The further your ferret is into the heat cycle, the more risky the surgery, so be observant!
Is it true that female ferrets can die if they are not spayed?
Yes. Letting your female go into heat is dangerous for her. Unlike humans and many other animals who produce eggs according to a biological clock, ferrets are "induced ovulators": When a female ferret goes into heat, her body is waiting to be bred by a male before it will produce eggs to be fertilized. When she is "bred" (either by a real whole male, by a vasectomized male, or artificially with injections of hormones), her body will produce eggs and she will either get pregnant or have a false pregnancy-all the symptoms but no kits.
Ferrets do not come out of heat on their own; they stay in heat until they are spayed, are bred, or die. Staying in heat for longer than a month causes severe health problems, including aplastic anemia and estrogen toxicity. Most ferrets do not survive prolonged heat. Don't let this happen to your girls-get them fixed!
Why is my unneutered male ferret so aggressive and stinky?
Unneutered male ferrets cycle through their breeding season by going into "rut." During this time, they mark territory with a mixture of slimy oils and urine, groom themselves with this same blend of "ferret cologne," and go through dramatic weight changes. These ferrets also suffer anxiety and stress. Rutting males can also be quite aggressive, even killing other male ferrets. Female ferrets and humans are attacked less often, but the danger exists. For your sake and your ferrets', get them fixed!
I’d like to breed my ferret. Is this a good idea?
Breeding ferrets is difficult, usually unprofitable, and best left to the experts. Also, keep in mind that there are many thousands of unwanted and abandoned ferrets in shelters who need a good home. You should not attempt to breed ferrets unless you are already an experienced ferret owner. Do plenty of research long before you start. Join a ferret club and ferret breeding association. Do some volunteer work at a shelter or ferretry to get a better understanding of the care involved. Have a close relationship with a veterinarian familiar with ferrets, because there are often complications during breeding and birth, and kit mortality rates are high.
All above articles were written by Erika Matulich
Kit Rearing
Every once in a while a kit, or a litter of kits, may need to be hand reared. Although many sources claim that it cannot be done, it can if you do it right. Ferret kits are extremely delicate, yet hardy. The right combination of formulas, feeding schedules, feeding methods, body temperature maintenance, nesting, and care in general can really make a difference. Hand rearing ferret kits is very time consuming and can be mentally & physically exhausting. The following has been compiled with the help of ferret breeders, shelter operators, veterinarians, and wildlife rehabbers.
COLOSTRUM & COLOSTRUM SUPPLEMENTS
Colostrum is the first milk that a mother mammal produces. It is a thin, yellowish, milky fluid secreted from the mammary glands before and after birth. In animals, it is usually secreted for the first 24 hours or so. It is different from regular milk in several ways. One is that it contains a large number of antibodies which will help the baby fight off a variety of potential infections, from colds to much more severe illnesses like distemper. If the mother has some immunity to the illness, she passes it along to the baby in the colostrum. It contains up to 20% protein - mostly immunoglobulins (mom's antibodies) - along with a simple protein called lactalbumin as well as another protein called lactoprotein. These are very high in nutritional quality. It also contains more minerals and less fat and carbohydrates then regular milk. Colostrum also works as a laxative for the newborn - pushing all of the stuff (cells that line intestines, respiratory, genitourinary systems, etc.; bile; lanugo hairs that covers the fetus in early development; vernix caseosa - that cheesy stuff; etc. that is in the intestines of a fetus. The babies expel this over a few days.
COLOSTRUM PRODUCTS
Nurse Mate ASAP
This new product is supposed to take the place of the mother's colostrum *if necessary*. No one is suggesting it is as good or better than the actual colostrum - it is not. But if there is a situation where the baby doesn't get much or any colostrum, this should help. Before this product (it is probably still being done), goat colostrum was used almost across the board for animals that needed colostrum and couldn't get it from their mothers.
Bene-Bac Give Bene-Bac (a gel/paste made by PetAg) by mouth to animals with diarrhea or that is highly stressed. It is basically the beneficial gut bacteria that is needed for proper digestion. When you feed an animal yogurt with active cultures, the active cultures are the same bacteria that are present in the Bene-Bac. The Bene-Bac is more concentrated than the yogurt. The dosage for dogs and cats is on the tube that it comes in. Give it 2 - 4 doses, depending on the situation and the animal. Bene-Bac has been used in place of colostrum in *some* very young mammals and can be purchased with the one dose powders by PetAg as a colostrum supplement.
FEEDING METHODS
Ferret kits should be fed every 2-3 hours (time varies depending on the method). Ferret kits have a semi-transparent stomach that allows you to kind of see the milk in the stomach. When you feed the kits - don't overfeed them. Their stomachs should feel full, but not hard. Some kits may need a drop of Karo Syrup or Honey added to the formula for a quick energy boost. Do not add this with each formula mixture or give at each feeding. Make sure you have clean and sterile feeding instruments.
With any form of hand feeding there is a chance of aspiration (inhalation of the formula) in the kit. Aspiration in kits is 90% fatal. When a kit suffers aspiration you can "hear" the liquids in the lungs. It makes a rattle when the kit breathes and often times formula or a liquid comes out of the nose. To prevent against aspiration make sure all syringes and feeding instruments are moving freely and smoothly. Syringes have nasty habits of "sticking" and then finally releasing too much of the contents when "freeing up".
Tube Feeding
Ask your veterinarian for a few number 3 1/2 French red rubber catheters. These attach to a syringe and the tubing is inserted via the mouth and into the stomach. HAVE A VETERINARIAN, AN EXPERIENCED FERRET BREEDER/SHELTER OPERATOR, OR WILDLIFE REHABBER SHOW YOU HOW TO DO THIS! This can be tricky and there is a great risk of aspiration of the kit if not done correctly. There has been many successes with this method. Tubing makes the feeding go much faster and it is really the best one for newborn kits. The kits should be tube fed until they will voluntarily take a syringe or bottle nipple.
Syringe Feeding
Some ferret kits do well with syringe feeding, while others do not. This method works well for older kits that are able to hold liquid in their mouths and swallow. They make tiny little attachments for syringes which should fit into the kit's mouths.
Eye-Dropper Feeding
This is done by placing drops of formula in the mouth of the kit. Not a real good method as it is time consuming. Much of it ends up on the kit as half of it is "spit up".
Bottle Feeding
Mix formula and put into a bottle with a nipple. Some people "shave" the nipple to make it smaller and easier for the nipple to fit into a ferret kit's mouth. Bottles and nipples are available and made by PetAg.
Cloth Feeding (from Sukie Crandall)
Soak fine cotton cloth (sheeting or handkerchief cloth) in formula and let the kit suck on the cloth. Another method that is similar is placing a dropper behind cloth while letting the kit suck on the cloth.
Brush Feeding (from Tracy Browne and Mia Emery)
Dip the end of a small paintbrush in the formula and put it up to the kit's mouth. The paintbrush will "hold' the formula and should hold three or four swallows in each "brushload" before "reloading". The kits are in control and actually can "suck" the formula.
Same method, but with a basting brush.
EXCREMENTS
It is necessary to stimulate the kits to go to the bathroom. Their mothers do this by licking thier genitals. The best way to do this is to dip a cotton ball in warm water (warm - not hot) and squeeze out the excess. Wipe the kit's genitals in one direction until it goes. Then wipe it up again (with a new cotton ball) to make sure it is clean. They do start to go on their own, but until that point they should be "pottied" at every feeding.
HOUSING AND BODY TEMPERATURE
Kits should be kept in a group so their body heat will keep each other warm. They can stay inside a small cardboard box in a towel. Place the box on a towel covered heating pad set on low (medium if the pad heats poorly). As the kits get a little older, only put about half of the box on the heating pad so they can move off the heat if they want to. You can temporally warm kits using human body warmth, a hot water bottle covered by a towel, a warm towel put in the microwave, or rice in a bag warmed in the microwave. Many of these methods will need "re-warming" several times. It is important not to overheat the kits. This can led to heat exhaustion or can even literally cook them. On the other hand, being too cold will cause them to slow down and eventually die. Their bodies need to be warm to digest food, so if they are too cold they will starve to death.
The rice bag warmer (from Anne Ryan) is made by taking some dry, uncooked rice and heating it for about 15-20 seconds in the microwave in a ziplock bag (leave the bag unzipped until done heating) then wrap it in a washcloth. It should hold the heat for two or more hours.
All bedding in the "nest box" should be changed daily and the box should be kept clean of any excrement. Unsanitary conditions beg for infection. Feed should never be left in the "nest box" for more than 1-2 hours. Discard any unused feed.
FORMULA RECIPES
Ferret Formula (from Zoologic - Ferret Specific)
Mix together Zoologic Milk Matrix 30/55 at 63% (11.4 volume) and Zoologic Milk Matrix 25/13 at 37% (4.9 volume). The dry powders may be blended together and stored in a closed container following label directions. This allows the blended milk replacer to be reconstituted more quickly when needed. Mix 23.5 grams of powder with 76.5 grams of water or 1.00 volume of powder to 1.5 volumes of water to make a milk of 23.5% solids.
Weasel/Mink Formula (excerpt from "Rehabilitation of North American Wild Mammals: Feeding and Nutrition" by Debbie Marcum)
1 part Esbilac or Zoologic Milk Matrix 33/40 (powder)
1 part KMR or Zoologic Milk Matrix 42/25 (powder)
3 parts water
Start out with 3/4 water to 1/4 formula (the formula is the total concoction above), move to 1/2 and 1/2, then to 1/4 water to ¾ formula, then full-strength formula. Full strength formula should not be started any earlier than 24 hours after the first feeding. An oral electrolyte solution can be substituted for the water if dehydration is a concern.
Striped Skunk Formula (excerpt from "Rehabilitation of North American Wild Mammals: Feeding and Nutrition" by Debbie Marcum)
1 part Esbilac or Zoologic Milk Matrix 33/40 (powder)
1 part Multi-Milk or Zoologic Milk Matrix 30/55 (powder)
2 parts water
Start out with 3/4 water to 1/4 formula (the formula is the total concoction above), move to 1/2 and 1/2, then to 1/4 water to ¾ formula, then full-strength formula. Full strength formula should not be started any earlier than 24 hours after the first feeding. An oral electrolyte solution can be substituted for the water if dehydration is a concern.
KMR
Follow mixing directions on label. An oral electrolyte solution can be substituted for the water if dehydration is a concern.
Esbilac
Follow mixing directions on label. An oral electrolyte solution can be substituted for the water if dehydration is a concern.
Multi-Milk
Follow mixing directions on label. An oral electrolyte solution can be substituted for the water if dehydration is a concern.
WEANING FORMULAS
Formula 1
Milk formula - full formula (one from above)
AD canned food
Mix together and serve to kits warm (not too hot) by syringe, from finger, or from a low bowl (with MANY layers of newspapers or towels underneath). Consistency should be of a thick gravy. Discard unused mixture. Open AD canned food can be stored per label. Milk formula should be discarded.
Formula 2
Milk formula - full formula (one from above)
AD canned food
Chicken or Turkey baby food
Mix together and serve to kits warm (not too hot) by syringe, from finger, or from a low bowl (with MANY layers of newspapers or towels underneath). Consistency should be of a thick, mushy gravy. Discard unused mixture. Store unused baby food per label. Open AD canned food can be stored per label. Milk formula should be discarded.
Formula 3
Completely softened kibble soaked in milk formula (one from above)
AD canned food *and/or* Chicken or Turkey baby food
Mix together and serve to kits warm in a bowl. Consistency should be a thick mush. Discard unused mixture. Store unused baby food per label. Open AD canned food can be stored per label. Milk formula should be discarded.
Formula 4
Completely softened kibble soaked in milk formula (one from above)
Mix together and serve to kits warm in a bowl. Consistency should be a thick mush. Discard unused mixture.
Formula 5
Completely softened kibble soaked in water
Mix together and serve to kits warm in a bowl. Consistency should be a thick mush. Discard unused mixture.
Formula 6
Completely softened kibble soaked in milk formula (one from above)
AD canned food *and/or* Chicken or Turkey baby food
Cooked Chicken
Cooked Egg (scrambled)
Oatmeal (soak in milk formula)
Ferretvite
Mix in blender all ingredients. Serve warm to kits in a bowl. Some chunks of chicken, egg, and kibble are good. Consistency should be a thick mush. Discard unused mixture.
Other Formulas
Almost all the varieties of "Duck Soups" are also good weaning feeds.
PHONE NUMBERS
Zoologic, KMR, Esbilac & Multi-Milk are all made by PetAg - reachable at 800-323-0877.
Order from Jeffers at 800-533-3377 (800-JEFFERS) (colostrum substitute can be obtained there too)
Breeders; Monte Jackson; pugglet@hotmail.com; Kevin & Julie Groninga; Chris Mathis
Dilute Breeding
Since I just posted about a litter of light kits I currently have.... I figure this is a good time to bring this subject up. I will state my beliefs right out loud. If anyone wants to discuss it, pro or con, great... let's just not engage in bashing. I am one who does believe it IS possible to breed for the "fancy" colors and not continue the WS. But I think the only way it is possible is to find "WS clean" dilutes and outbreed them and keep going, a slow process.
No, I do NOT believe in the "Moonie theory" of "keep breeding WS and eventually it will go away"... and will not ever breed a ferret who has WS close in their bloodlines or shows any signs. And IF any of my kits ever pop up with it, there would be full disclosure and I would not attempt those parents again....
I freely admit I screwed up earlier this year when I bred two color dilute lines too closely.... it cost a litter of kits lost to Intrauterine Growth Retardation and I felt like crap. But I also took that and did more research and studying, got more genetic information from Dr Williams and discovered where I made my mistake. I wasn't doing the "math" right on the color dilute percentages in the parents back generations. It was a bad mistake, and I beat myself up over it, but then I quit beating and learned from it.
I know some breeders believe in only breeding standard colors and leaving the "fancy" ones alone... and I respect your decision.
But in my thinking, as long as there is a market for the fancy colors, then someone will always be out there breeding them.... my philosophy is that we can either leave it to unethical breeders who DO continue the WS.... or we work towards lines that are WS clean.
I've never been a person to sit back quietly and play it safe.... I would much rather do one small part to helping create these lines... even if I only get one single bloodline that is color dilutes but healthy, it will be worth the effort.
The type of person I am, I am not doing this for the glory of being "one who has it".... I am doing it for the species.... I don't think any of us can say it wouldn't be wonderful to be able to breed the pretty light colors without the cloud of WS over our heads... I hope to make a small contribution to that goal.
I'll always share any information for genetic study, or with medical research. I've even offered the bodies of the lost litter, or pictures or whatever to research.
I also don't consider them totally "my" lines... because they are a result of all the advice, wisdom, training and patience of many of YOU who are on this list who have listened to my crying and questions and blabberings and been there with your experiences and advice...... it's also the result of picking through the genetics files, and Dr William's brain......
To me, any successes I have in this area, also belong to the entire breeding community at large.... I would never have been able to start this line in the first place if not for a beautiful healthy Black Eyed Marked White Jill that Chris Mathis helped me obtain years ago and my first tentative breedings of her out to base colors.
I apologize for this getting long winded, but I want everyone to know my standpoint and beliefs... and also a little about my ethics.... I have never and will never, attempt to hide a mistake or problem from my fellow breeders. If anything, I will bombard you with it, so I can learn more to prevent it happening again. That philosophy has served me well... over the past years I have learned tons about genetic defects, selective breeding, folic acid and more information that I would type in because of being willing to admit a problem and ask for help.
I also respect and thank those breeders who were the ones who have helped me learn and grow. Most specifically Amy Flemming, Chris Mathis, Vic McKimmey and Bill Killian. More than anyone, you guys have been my mentors and my successes are yours as well.
Susan
Breeding Rules
To: christine mathis ; Kevin & Julie Groninga; Bruce Williams, DVM; Dr. Paul Welch; StarFerret; Troy Lynn Eckart; Chris Mathis; monica fuentes; Bill Zen-Ferret; Ruth Schumi; Vickie McKimmey; diane i; monica; Kristine Lunny; Dr. Dan Danner; ChaoticFer8s@aol.com; Apryl Lucius; monica; Breeders
Okay, this is something we should have on hand to use anyway, and I am asking us to do this now to help someone trying to prevent a bad situation.... all other measures are failing and there is a sick jill in a bad situation. I am hoping maybe a list such as this might hit home since this person is refusing to read long detailed reports.
Like I said, I think this is a good idea for a "checklist" to use for people we meet who think it would be "cool to grab a couple ferrets, let em breed and make money" (HA)
I'll start and it will be obvious what I am trying to do, so please any and all, add on your comments and send em back to me... I am volunteering to organize and compile it into a concise list.
Help me out guys... throw your thoughts on.....
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
What You MUST Have/Know/Do BEFORE You Start Breeding Ferrets.
1. Your ferrets must be on a high quality, specialized diet. This means a high quality ferret food (some kitten foods acceptable) but NOT cat or dog food. Plus supplements such as Nutrical, Nupro, Brewers Yeast, Folic Acid.... also will need milk supplements for the mom and kits.
2. Your ferrets must be free of any genetic, health, temperament or other defects or problems.
3. Your ferrets to breed to each other must not be closely related.
4. You should have a minimum of 4 years ferret owner experience and 6-12 months research, education and learning with breeding.
5. You should have a minimum of 2 jills, one hob and one vhob. (I personally prefer to say 2 hobs as ruts can be unreliable)
6. You must have basic medical/first aid/emergency vet knowledge. 80% (or more) of breeding related medical emergencies do not have time to wait for the vet and YOU must stabilize the animal.
7. You must have a relationship with a vet (or more than one) who has updated knowledge and experience with ferrets AND in the breeding of them.
8. You must have adequate cages for breeding, maternity, birthing, nursery and young kits. These cages are specialized for the needs of the mother and the safety of them and their kits.
9. Knowledge and recipes in hand raising and hand feeding kits.
10. Your ferrets should have traceable bloodlines/family history going back a MINIMUM of 2 generations (the more the better) showing incidents of genetic defects, color dilutions, cancer, disease, life span etc.
11. You must be willing to follow the breeders code of ethics
http://members.home.com/fancifert/ethics.html
Breeding
wzldad@home.com; Wuzzles@wuzzles.com; williams@ex-pressnet.com; TULSADVM@aol.com; Sprite@ksu.ksu.edu; slinky@teleport.com; mf33204@yahoo.com; killian@zenferret.com; kaesler@magma.ca; jbferret@mindspring.com; iversond@dotnet.com; fuentesvet@hotmail.com; fuzzies@bendcable.com; Dgdanner@aol.com; ChaoticFer8s@aol.com; calucius@netins.net; anafuentesc@hotmail.com; QualityFertBreeder@yahoogroups.com; furtulsa@home.com
In a message dated 8/15/01 5:31:04 PM Eastern Daylight Time,
furtulsa@home.com writes:
I'll start and it will be obvious what I am trying to do, so please any and
all, add on your comments and send em back to me... I am volunteering to
organize and compile it into a concise list.
I wrote the attached years ago and still stand by it. I've only had one
person after reading it ask for my booklet on breeding.
If you use it, please give reference to the available guide by me.
Pam
Subject: breeding ferrets
More important than 'can you breed your ferrets' is - WHY do you want to breed your ferrets?
I was a breeder from 1988 until 1997 and had 1-2 litters a year. I had a specific breeding program developed - a goal, a purpose.
Jills can false, eat their young, have no milk, have only 1 or 2 babies and be unable to get the milk started, get mastitis, or everything can work just fine. As you can see, the bad things out-measure the good things. You need to have a purpose to your breeding other than to see babies born - you can go to another experienced breeder and see that. You need to have a jill with the same age kits (plus or minus a day) in the vicinity in case your jill has problems (if you want to save the babies). You should have a good vet in case of a breached birth or mastitis, or a C-section is needed. It is much more cost effective to have your jill spayed than to breed her.
If your jill had complications, could you afford the vet bills? I had a jill operated on to have two dead kits removed from her reproduction tract in May 1997. It cost close to $300 and the jill had to be spayed. Are you willing to risk your ferret's life on complications? The mating ritual with ferrets is rough, true, but the pregnancy and birth is rougher. Think long and hard before trying to breed ferrets. The male will get aggressive towards the other ferrets, he will smell, and both have to be in season in order to mate. What will you do if the female is ready before the male? Do you know where another breedable hob is or a vasectomized male?
I'm not discouraging you because I don't want someone breeding. I run a rescue, but I'm not going to tell you there are already too many homeless animals in the world. No - I want you to know that breeding ferrets is NOT like breeding dogs and cats. There is a lot more to it. What will you do with the kits? Do you have homes lined up? Are the parents from good bloodlines? Do you know they are NOT related? So many questions....
If you do decide to breed, I am here to help. I also have a booklet on breeding that I sell for $2. All I ask is to think before you act. It is not your life that you are playing with.
To receive a listing of ferret shelters, contacts, vets, suppliers, breeders, clubs, etc., in your state by mail, send a LONG self addressed stamped envelope and $1 to:
STAR* Ferrets
PO Box 1832
Springfield, VA 22151-0832
To review the ENTIRE listing, visit Ferret Central at www.ferretcentral.org/
Visit STAR* at www.thepetproject.com/ptff.html
E-mail questions, corrections, or additions to: STARFerret@aol.com
Pamela E. Troutman, Director
Shelters That Adopt & Rescue Ferrets
Well, it's not that we're trying to keep anything a secret, but all too often we get e-mails from people that want this information, but for us to respond in yet another e-mail. Now, I don't know about you, but I already spend about 2-3 hours a day responding to e-mail. It doesn't seem fair to have to spend hours typing an e-mail that really ends up being a book. Folks that are REALLY serious about breeding should take the time to visit the breeders and get the stories first hand. Another problem is that e-mails can be somewhat mis-leading. Often there are mis-interpretations of the contents or confusion about it's meaning. In other words, they're looking for free advice but wanting someone else to do all the hard work.
There are books already on the market that have been available for years. They are difficult to find and sometimes even more difficult to buy or borrow. We spent nearly a year collecting and reading all of these books. We spent time talking with another local breeder, visiting her at her home and asking if she would support us when got started in case we had problems. Her help was invaluable.
Our next step was to make the huge investment in cases, litter, food, toys, medical supplies. Next came selecting and purchasing suitable hobs. Once the hobs were about 6 months old, we began selecting jills. This allowed the hobs to mature before the jills would possibly go into estrus.
Anyway, before I get too long winded.... Trying to convey all the ups and downs and how to's of ferret breeding is NOT something that can be done in a couple of pages. It really requires an in-depth book. There would have to be chapters on the mating habits, sexuality, lighting cycles, proper cages, food. Chapters would be devoted to the gestation cycle, signs to look for (in case of problems). What happens when the kits are born? Should you help the jill, or leave her alone and let nature take it's course? How about breech births, pymetria, cannibalization? Again, not topics that can be discussed on a couple of paragraphs. Weaning kits.... Sure, everybody has their preferred method and not everyone will agree.
Overall, a book on ferret breeding would be like a manual on raising children. Probably not something that can be done in a 1 or 2 page document. We're not trying to protect or withhold information because we don't want the competition. We withhold much information because we discourage breeding for most people because they're generally not financially ready or willing to put in the huge number of hours it takes to be successful while still assuring the health and well being of the ferrets themselves. We've spoken with far too many people that have called and asked us to take in ALL of their breeding ferrets after they've discovered personally that breeding is far harder than it looks. In other words, once they've tried it and found out for themselves, they then rely on someone else to help clean up their mess and take responsibility for their ferrets who are now considered disposable. Over the last two years we've gotten at least three of those calls. We've also gotten calls from people who have had litters and now don't know what to do with them. They don't know how to wean them, they don't know about vaccinations for distemper. They just had dollar signs in their eyes. When they discovered that the cost of breeding and raising the young was more than what they could make from the adoption fees, they just wanted to dump all of them on someone/anyone willing to take them. We've even gotten e-mails asking if it was okay for the hobs to stay with the jills and kits! Almost every breeder we know keeps their hobs cages separately and far away from the jills and litters. Again, they've not taken any time whatsoever to do the first amount of real research.
So, it's better (for us) that we discourage this kind of thing. Of course, there are those that are serious, are financially responsible and are willing to make that long-term commitment. These folks are willing to take the time to visit with us directly. They are willing to buy the REAL medical manuals for ferrets and truly understand how ferrets operate and about all the things that can AND DO go wrong. They will be persistent and will show their willingness to go that extra mile to assure the health of ALL of their ferrets.
To: Wuzzles@wuzzles.com; STARFerret@aol.com; furtulsa@home.com; wzldad@home.com; williams@ex-pressnet.com; TULSADVM@aol.com; Sprite@ksu.ksu.edu; slinky@teleport.com; mf33204@yahoo.com; killian@zenferret.com; kaesler@magma.ca; jbferret@mindspring.com; fuentesvet@hotmail.com; fuzzies@bendcable.com; Dgdanner@aol.com; ChaoticFer8s@aol.com; calucius@netins.net; anafuentesc@hotmail.com; QualityFertBreeder@yahoogroups.com
Subject: Re: Breeding Rules