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THE BREEDING SEASON
As a general rule the Ferret Society does not encourage pet owners to
breed their ferrets. The ferret gene pool in WA is fairly small,
records of breeding are not well kept, and the tragedy of deformed offspring
due to inbreeding is not rare. Keeping ferrets as pets has had a
sudden resurgence and after several years we are already seeing the problems
of over-supply including abandonment of ferrets and a long list of ferrets
needing homes. If you do intend to breed, however, we do ask that
you research the subject thoroughly and chose ferrets of known parentage.
Unlike cats and dogs, the breeding of ferrets is a much more exacting and
fraught with hazards for the mother and offspring.
Ferrets are photoperiodic breeders which means they come into season
when the length of daylight hours compared to hours of darkness are in
the correct ratio for them. In WA this is between the months of
September and April.
THE HOB
If he is not sterilised, the male ferret, or hob, usually comes into
season first and remains that way until the end of the season or until
he has stopped having access to females in season.
During this time his testes grow, he develops a much stronger odour
and may become quite violent towards other males, human and ferret, even
those that he knows quite well. His coat may take on a ginger hue
and he will be keen to mark his scent everywhere he can with his pungent
urine. He will be also keen to mate with any female ferret available
and if she is unresponsive to his advances, he can be quite rough in his
insistence. He may also become more anxious to escape during this
time in order to find more female ferrets.
Obviously, when he is in season the hob may not be the ideal
family pet nor the perfect companion for other ferrets in the household.
Unless you are a serious breeder, it is best to have your hob sterilised.
This operation requires a short visit to the vet and the problems will
be solved. Without the hormonal excesses disrupting his behaviour,
the hob will be a much more content and sweeter smelling pet. He
will not become fat and lazy and he will still love to play and hunt as
much as before.
A hob may also be vasectomized. This operation simply stops
the hob's sperm from getting from the testes to the penis, so while he
cannot make a female ferret pregnant, he is still very much a male in every
respect. Hobs are usually vasectomized so that they can be used to
bring a female ferret out of season. They still present the same
difficulties as an unsterilised hob when they come into season, so it is
not a suitable operation for all male ferrets.
THE JILL
The female ferret, or jill, may come into season once or several
times during the breeding season. This is shown by a marked swelling
of the vulva from being quite unobtrusive to as much as 50 times its size!
She may also develop a slightly different odour and, like the hob, will
be more determined to escape to find a mate. You may find that she
is bullied by other ferrets at this time, so may need to be isolated from
them until her season is over.
Jills are induced ovulators which means that the ripe eggs stay in
the ovaries until a specific stimulus causes them to be released.
If no stimulus is forthcoming, the jill remains in heat until the
end of the breeding season. If left in season for this length of
time, however, she can develop aplastic anaemia and die. She is also
prone to uterine and vaginal infections, bone marrow disease and a general
lowering of immunity, all of which can have fatal results. The aim, then,
is to bring her out of season as soon as possible which may be done in
one of four ways;
1. Hormone Injection. The Vet will administer a hormone injection which causes the eggs to be released from the ovaries and ends the jill's season. This is safe to do occasionally but using this method for each season appears to increase the risk of tumours, the loss of hair and loss of condition. It is generally used for jills who are recovering from injury or where other means have failed or are not available.
2. Mating With a "Full" Male. Because of the chance of the jill becoming pregnant, unless you are a serious breeder, this is not the best method.
3. Mating with a Vasectomized Male. This is the method of choice for most owners. The jill is taken to a hob when she is receptive to mating. This is usually 2 weeks after the vulva becomes visibly swollen. The hob and jill are best placed together where they can be undisturbed and where the have a fair amount of room. The hob will grasp the jill by the back of the neck with his teeth. She may resist initially and there may be much squealing and chasing. Eventually she will go limp and the hob will drag her away and mate with her. They stay joined together from 10 minutes to an hour. They may mate several times during their time together. The jill is usually left with the hob for 12 to 24 hours. Within 2 weeks of the mating, the jill's vulva should be noticeably less swollen, signifying a "successful dalliance".
4. Sterilisation A permanent method of preventing a jill coming into season is by sterilisation. This is done by a Vet who removes the ovaries under a general anaesthetic. Except in emergencies, a Vet will not perform a sterilisation on a jill who is in season so it is best performed before her first season or during the "off" season. Timing of the operation is important so please consult your Vet or ask a committee member for more specific details.
Female ferrets may also be accidentally brought out of season by rough
play with another ferret, particularly a male, or the scent of a full male
in close proximity. These methods cannot be relied upon to work every
time so the jill's condition will need to be monitored closely. Whichever
method is used, it is best if the jill is allowed to stay in season no
longer than a month at the most.
The Ferret Society has a list of members in different suburbs who have
vasectomised hobs. Contact the Society if you have need the services
of such a hob for your jill. The owner of the hob sets the fee which
may be a small amount of money or a cuppa and a chat. Negotiate the
terms before you bring your ferret to visit.
After a mating with a vasectomized hob, a jill usually goes through
a "phantom" pregnancy. During this time she puts on weight, her nipples
enlarge and she is more sleepy than usual. This condition may last
from 42 to 45 days. She may then have a "phantom" litter. Behaviour
differs between ferrets and may include biting and driving all other ferrets
and people away from her chosen nest site or trying to drag ferrets and
people to her nest site and trying to make them stay there! Whatever
her behaviour, humour her, as this condition only lasts 3 to 14 days and
then her hormones will settle down and she will be her old
self once more.
We hope you find this information helpful. If you need further
details, please do not hesitate to phone the WA Ferret and Ferreting Society.
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