Ferret Breeding Process Tips and Guide

If you are thinking about breeding ferrets, think again. While you might love your ferret and the idea of having a lot of little baby ferrets running around might appeal to you, a lot goes into breeding ferrets.

They are a lot more difficult to breed than breeding dogs. After all, eventually, most breeders have to get in there and help the male and female procreate among other things, so you have to really love breeding in order to do this job successfully. You probably won’t make much money. You will also need to give all of your baby kits shots when they are first born, too, so this can become a big expense.

Firstly, you will make sure that your female and male are not closely related. This seems obvious, but it can be a huge problem and since a lot of females and males are immediately spayed or neutered, there isn’t a big pool to choose from. When an non-spayed female is in heat, it will be quite obvious. You call a female that is not spayed a “jill.” Non-neutered males are fairly easy to spot.

Female ferrets are polyestrous. They can go into heat more than one time every season. They will typically go into heat from March through August in the Northern Hemisphere. If they don’t mate right away, they will stay in heat this entire time.

If a male senses that a jill is about to be in heat, they will act very restless. They will urinate and drag themselves through it and will make a general nuisance of themselves. They will try to get the females attention at all costs. This can be a fascinating but ugly experience to watch.

They will grab the female by the neck and mount her. They have a “barbed” penis, so once they are together, be careful not to pull them apart and harm the male. The pair will often eat and drink afterwards and will typically go again later.

After they are done, carefully check the female. You don’t want her to have any puncture wounds. If she does, treat them so she does not see any infections down the road. She will need all of her strength if she has become pregnant. Males will often bite and scratch during procreation.

Gestation for a kit or baby ferret will last 42 days. You will notice the about 25 days into it that her stomach becomes enlarged and she will gain weight. She will also try to pluck her hair out at the tail. You will need to be extra careful around her to be sure she stays healthy and safe during this time.

If you have all of the right equipment and tools, the birth will be successful, but you will need to contact your vet before. Your vet can tell you about all the things you can expect and help you better plan for your future ferret babies or kits.

         

More Articles on Ferret Care: