breeding ferrets

[horse656]

i'm just wondering what it all takes in to account for breeding ferrets.
there is an ad up that i saw while just searching for ferrets. and well it says breeding ferrets and that they are friendly, but that's all.

so i was thinking RESEARCH the heck out of it and perhaps have one litter and then spay/neuter them? depending on how many litters they have had already. i would totally interrogate the person selling the ferrets.

because i know, that i would be much more suitable then some random person who was like HEEEY. ferrets, male + female= babies which then =money

plus the ferrets in my hands would be MUCH more healthier than someone else because of the raw.
i also extremely doubt my parents would allow me this anyway, it's just my idea that i would like to happy.

[bluemoose]

Well I'm no expert but if it's anything like breeding dogs, you want to know the lines of each ferret before you breed them. You don't want to breed ferrets with genetic disorders. You want animals that have a good health, physical body structure, and temperament.

I've heard ferret breeding is not for the faint of heart. The chapter in Ferrets for Dummies on breeding recommends that most people do not attempt breeding. It's expensive, it can be emotionally crushing (kits can die very easily), the process takes a lot of time, and you really need years of research to be ready- you need to know beyond a doubt what to do in every possible emergency to give both the kits and mother the best chance of survival.

And then there's the aspect of keeping intact ferrets as pets. It's very different from keeping neutered ferrets. Even if you plan to neuter them after, you would still have to keep an intact male for a time and they are in many ways not great pets. Aside from stinking, they can get very aggressive during breeding season. I believe they even have to be kept separated from the rest of the business. And of course if you don't breed the female while she is intact, you will need a v-hob or a hormone injection from the vet and those don't always work well.

It's certainly your choice on what to do but if anything, I'd say get them and then neuter them. Aside from all other aspects of ferret breeding, there are already thousands of ferrets in shelters that desperately need homes. I'm not opposed to all breeding but personally I feel learning to breed properly takes more than just internet research.

[bluemoose]

Just to add, the reason I suspect the ferrets aren't breed worthy is because a reputable breeder would never sell an intact pair of ferrets to any person who was willing to pay for them. Good breeders are very careful about who their ferrets go to and the vast majority of those ferrets are sold neutered or with a neuter contract in the case of kits. They only sell ferrets intended for breeding to someone they know and trust as a fellow breeder.

[Heather]

There are a couple of threads on the forum if you want to try and dig them up. I started a couple of threads and pestered the breeders on this forum until they wouldn't answer my questions anymore There are 2 Heather's on board one in Australia (foxfire) and one in the UK....(Lorelie) both who have been very generous about sharing their experiences in threads. The one in the UK has been generous in the last 2 years by allowing us to watch her little ones via webcam. Last year was heartbreaking as not all went well and this was shared by many who watched this live on the webby. This is not something I would even dream of attempting without a mentor. As is when breeding any creature much research is needed and lineage, structure and genetics of different lines should be studied. Everything that bluemoose has stated is true. Intact ferrets are indeed very different than our farmferrets in both attitude and care and any breeder worth anything will do a ton of prying into your lifestyle and into why you want to do this before ever allowing a couple of her top breeding stock (and it should only be top breeding stock) out to be used as a mated pair. Breed stock is also very expensive in comparrison to pet stock. If you're serious about this do your homework, there is a lot of research to be done before you attempt this adventure. The line "with great joy comes great heartache" must surely have been used to describe breeding ferrets .
ciao