How ferrets are in heat and what you need to know about mating
Ferrets have been on the list of pets for a long time. Today, experienced owners breed predators for profit. However, for good mating, it is necessary to correctly determine the signs of the readiness of the female and the male for mating. Ferrets tend to heat up over the course of several months, so the animals need to be monitored.
Ferrets
A long hunt can be bad for a ferret's health. So the body will quickly be exhausted and the baby may die.
Ferrets breeding features
First of all, ferrets should be knitted if you seriously decide to engage in breeding. The organisms of animals are designed in such a way that prolonged estrus in young ferrets leads to illness or even death of the pet, so ordinary pets and culled individuals are immediately sterilized. The operation is not cheap, but it will not only save the predator from death, but also improve its external qualities.
Pedigree breeding of thoroughbred individuals brings good profit, but the breeding process itself is quite laborious. These predators are prone to inheriting character and diseases from their ancestors, so the future pair must be selected carefully. In the presence of genetic diseases, mating is prohibited.
Most often, a male is taken from an elite nursery for divorce, since these animals have the best characteristics.
The price for renting the animal is high, but buying a couple of thoroughbred pets for divorce at once will cost even more. Private breeders with a good reputation are also suitable for this. It is easy to find them at the exhibitions of decorative animals. Do not use for breeding ferrets whose owners are unknown breeders.
Preparing for mating
A set of measures should be taken immediately before mating ferrets. Mating preparation includes:
- Search for a pair for a pet. Acquiring heterosexual individuals of a rare breed is an extremely costly business, therefore, for breeding predators, one female is most often bought, and the male is brought in for mating for an extra charge. This method of breeding ferrets is practiced by private breeders who have only a few purebred females on the farm. Remember that the male must have a veterinary passport with him. It is better to use for the mating process of the animal, which belongs to a familiar breeder.
- Females must be vaccinated against diseases such as plague or rabies 2 weeks before mating. The veterinarian must note the completion of the treatment in the pet's documents, otherwise experienced breeders will not provide their ferret for fertilization.
- The same goes for the prevention of worms and lice. Also, the veterinarian must confirm that the female is ready for mating.
- It is forbidden to mate 2 ferrets from the same litter. These predators are highly developed living organisms and in the case of related mating, the offspring can be born with defects.Inbreeding is also dangerous because genetic failures can manifest themselves in subsequent generations.
- A place for mating should be prepared. Since mating takes place on the territory of the male and is accompanied by vigorous actions, all fragile or sharp objects must be removed. If mating takes place in a cage, it is better to remove the feeder and drinker for a while, and also remove the tray. Sharp corners can scratch animals.
You should take care of the future nest for the offspring. Usually, it is sufficient to install a closed box with soft rags inside the cage.
The materials in the nest should be natural and not cause allergies: the female will spend several months in the nest.
Signs of readiness to mate
Sexual maturity in these small predators begins quite early: ferrets mature by 7-9 months.
The animals are in a state of hunting 7 months a year: from early spring to early autumn. During this period, you need to monitor the pet so as not to miss the moment when the ferret is ready for mating.
In the male, rut often manifests itself in anxious behavior. The boy begins to mark the apartment and tries to fuck with different objects: toys, things or other animals. An external sign of hunting is enlarged testes.
In the female, the external genital organ, the loop, increases several times. It swells, acquires a bright red color, and after a few days the animal begins to have colorless discharge. During heat, the loop relaxes and becomes paler. Ferrets are mated 2 weeks after the female's loop swells. It is important to remember that prolonged estrus leads to anemia of the internal organs, as a result of which the animal may die.
Unwanted estrus of a female
Breeding breeders often encounter estrus in a lactating female ferret. If mating is not planned in order to obtain offspring, then this can become a problem for the animal.
Some owners eliminate this nuisance by covering the female with a sterilized male. However, this method causes hormonal stress to the ferret as it can cause false pregnancies.
Prolonged estrus is eliminated with medications. To do this, use the Delvosterone vaccine, with which breeders control hunting in ferrets and cats. However, a veterinarian should be consulted before getting a ferret out of heat. Some vaccines and pills for cats are contraindicated in small predators.
Ferret mating process
Most often, mating is carried out on the territory of the male.
At home, the ferret will feel more confident that it will facilitate mating. The mating process itself is quite aggressive, since the animals actively bite and roll on the floor. The partner can harshly drag the female by the withers and scream loudly. However, you cannot interfere with the mating process, otherwise you can frighten off the animals. Many breeders recommend keeping the male and female indoors for one day. This will contribute to high-quality knitting. If the female does not allow the male to approach her, then it is better to change her partner.
Ferrets mate on average for half an hour, but fertilization is not always successful the first time.
Experienced ferrets are usually selected for young females: this contributes to rapid and high-quality fertilization. Old females are added to young males: in this case, the offspring will be healthy.
If ferrets are successfully mated, the female's loop will no longer be visible after a few days. Enlarged external genitals indicate poor-quality mating and such females are given for re-mating.
Pregnancy in pets lasts 45 days, and up to 9 cubs are born in one litter. Females prefer to give birth in closed nests, so the appearance of puppies can most often be recognized by the loud sounds they make when drinking milk.
Additional recommendations for mating animals:
- they should not be bred by inexperienced breeders;
- before mating, you need to find points of sale for puppies;
- do not mate non-pedigree or sick animals;
- immediately before mating, it is required to increase the calorie content of the female's diet.