Becoming a breeder

[whipple]

No I am not planning on it. OMG the idea of more babies running around gives me a mini heart attack right now. But what if in the future I wanted to.... I would want to be a very thoughtful and careful breeder. And since the only breeders in Canada are BYB I figured a good breeder can't be a bad thing. Not to mention, there are only 2 breeders in the states who will ship ferrets, and frankly they don;t really have colors I like much

So anyhow, how would you go about that? I'm thinking I would likely have to find a couple of ferrets to start, and I'd have to take a trip to go get them myself.
Can the un-neutered mingle with the "pets"? What about the boys?
How often do the girls come into heat? Do they have to be bred everytime or can you skip one season? With the realization they need something to take them out of heat.

Anyhow, this is just my bored curiousity so I wanna chatter about becoming a ferret breeder

[Heather]

Let's just say it takes more than a casual thread to learn all you need to know. I've been studying for a couple of years now .
##Can the un-neutered mingle with the "pets"?##
Yes and no. Yes, on the off season they can play and mingle, whether they choose to play nicely... or not depends on the ferret. Remember, by keeping our ferrets in the state they're in we keep them in constant kitdom. When you start breeding ferrets, they grow up. They become responsible. When they're in season...probably not.
##What about the boys?##
Not when they're in season, or at least very rarely....it's all about the sex and ferrets who cannot be bred, are no good to them and those that are male are rivals, even if they've lost their manly bits. Hard fighting often results.
##How often do the girls come into heat##
The girls often come into season twice and can if they come in early enough (there were more than a couple this year)may actually come in season three times.
##Do they have to be bred everytime or can you skip one season? ##
Something has to be done. They can be brought out of season by using a "jill jab" or a v-hob. Do they have to produce kits every time? NO, definitely not. Each person may have their own opinion about this, part of my beliefs come from some dog breeders that I hung out with years ago and some comes from my mentor who has been instructing me these last years. I believe that you should never breed a jill until at least her second year, she needs to mature and learn about herself. A jill shouldn't be bred more than twice in her lifetime and she shouldn't be bred 2 yrs consecutively.
Does that help your "bored curiosity"
ciao

[crazylady]

Hi breeding ferrets is very expensive and time consuming lol first you need to search out two ferrets that are not related and whose bloodlines are free from any defects unfixed males will try and mate anything and everything when breeding seasons begins and will fight with other males ! ( breeding season begins feb to september ) females usually come into season 2-3 times per year and they MUST be brought out each season ( by use of a vasectomised hob or jill jab if not breeding ) you cannot skip a season as this will lead to aplastic annemia and each time they are brought out of season you must treat the females as if they are having kits ( give them there own space with nesting area ) as they will go in to what is called a phantom pregnancy ( tummys will swell and they will go through all the motions of having kits nest building) some turn nasty ( these are not really suitable candidates for kits as they may kill and eat there young if you touch either the nest cage or mum ) and you must keep males away from females at this time even if you breed as males will kill kits just so they can re mate her! hope this gives you a rough idea take care bye for now
crazy lady

[Sherry]

I'm so glad I would never even have considered becoming a breeder Even had I done so, this would have disabused me of that idea right quick ;D

[whipple]

Thank you ladies. Like I said, this is a many years down the road thing. I have other things going on right now. But I have had breeding ethics drilled into my head since I was young from dog breeders and being obsessed with one day raising my own flyball dogs.
So I would in no way take this lightly *IF* it were to happen. Besides right now I have two very needy little girls

[shilohismygirl]

I could never be a breeder. It's a ton of responsibility and I don't know if I would really know how to care for breeder ferrets and especially not babies. But, if you're interested, I would say please do a ton of reasearch on breeding-you already know that, I am sure-but research is so necessary for keeping or breeding any animal. It sucks that tons of people don't realize that.

[whipple]

Hence the bybs. I do not ever want to be one, I mean whats the point. If I were to breed ferrets it would be to breed gorgeous, healthy ferrets that will never see a pet store and are well socialized and placed into well loving homes or else they stay with me. AT least with ferrets you could keep all the kits from a litter and not be too overwhelmed. Thats the only reason I havent got into flyball dogs too much, I would be far too picky.

[Heather]

That's so true. Unfortunately, a lot of people figure that you can throw a male and female together produce lots of little creatures and then sell them for buckets of money What they don't realize is that a true breeder, an ethical breeder, is responsible for every last member of every last litter for the length of their little lives. They are also responsible for the health and welfare of every single creature produced. They don't think about the time, research and heartbreak. They don't think of having to possibly destroy a sick kit, or cleaning up the mess of a lost litter, or loosing a litter because mom won't or can't nurse them. They don't think about the vetting bills that are part of raising a healthy kit. They don't think about the money that goes into the special food that is required to prepare the jill, to bring that jill up to prime so that she can produce the healthiest kits possible or the possible loss of the jill herself. The special care and food that's required to bring a hob up to prime. That's a lot of little lives that they're responsible for, because a good breeder will never knowingly burden rescues with the product of their breedings but be willing to take back every last kit born of their litters.
ciao

[Sherry]

Well said, Heather!

[Deleted]

I'd never be able to do it....one I don't think I'd ever be able to let the babies go, because even with the best background and refrences bad things can happen in a home other than yours, you never know what goes on behind closed doors and two I'd probably be way to picky and not be able to find someone "good enough" to take MY babies..... then there's the vetting and other work involved, yikes!

[Deleted]

I think that the people who show an interest in breeding should definitely be encouraged to pursue it. Pet stores and rescues are basically the only places you can find a weasel and as such the cycle never ends. We NEED responsible/ethically driven ferret breeders out there.

So good for you whipple.. it would be hard, but worth it when you consider the good your doing for the future of the pet ferret.

I would advise you to look overseas when checking out potential breeding stock. Europe seems to have far more responsible breeders of "exotic" pets then North America. You might even be able to contact a breeder who would be willing to mentor you and share their experiences

[Deleted]

Breeding ferrets is not a easy job at times. Here something to think about.

Risking the life of intact jill, see below:

*Risk her having a silent heat and not catching it.
*Risk of her getting pyo after visit with a v-hob
*Risk of her getting yo if falsing from a fertile hob
*Risk of her getting other various infections during the pregnancy
*Risk of her getting pregnancy toxemia.
*Risk of her during the delivery process
*Risk of her not being able to deliver kits
*Risk of her needing a c-section
*Risk of her getting enough nutrition to raise her kits
*Risk of her getting mastitis while nursing the kits

Please do your research on breeding and get with a reputable ferret breeder so that they can mentor you. Work with a breeding first, before you even tackle this project.

I hope this helps

[Deleted]

heather are you thinking of breeding??

[Heather]

Possibly
ciao

[Deleted]

Heather, if you ever breed ferrets, I want one