Ferret Breeding At Home

Ferret breeding is not as easy as it sounds. You can’t just put a jill (female fuzzy) and a hob (male fuzzy) together and be done with it. It’s a huge responsibility that shouldn’t be taken lightly.

I know baby ferrets are too cute to be healthy, but please think twice before you start breeding your fuzzies just because they’re so adorable.

As you’ll read below, it’s not all rainbows and butterflies.

Preparation

Before your ferret breeding adventure begins, you need to make sure you have the right supplies.

You’ll need to dedicate more space to your fuzzies as you need more ferret cages. You’ll also need more litter boxes, blankets, food and water bowls, toys. Not to mention extra food, litter and vitamin supplements. It’s also a good idea to feed the jill you’ll use for breeding some extra food and supplements as she’ll need the extra energy.

This really goes without saying, but make sure the ferrets you intend to breed with are not related. Birth defects will occur if you ignore this obvious rule.

One very important note; never, ever put two unaltered males together. They will fight to death when there’s a jill in heat.

Some Privacy Please

Watching ferrets breed is not a pleasant sight. As a matter of fact it can look downright brutal. The hob is very rough with the jill, grabbing her by the neck. Expect a lot of screeching from the jill.

Oh, I almost forgot to mention the smell. Although altered ferrets don’t smell that bad, your unaltered breeding couple will. Especially the hob. You see, in an effort to appear more attractive to the female, he likes to cover himself in his urine (I sure am glad I’m not a ferret).

Click on the link if you want to watch a video of two ferrets breeding (nothing kinky, it’s just the rough foreplay).

42 Days Later

If all goes well, 42 days later you’ll have a litter of kits. Now the hard work starts.

It’s not uncommon for a ferret mom to eat her babies. Which maybe natural, but it’s something I would have great difficulty with witnessing. So if any of the kits die, or are born dead, you’ll have to remove them asap. If the mother refuses to feed her kits, you’ll have to feed the entire litter by hand…are you ready for such a daunting task? Keep in mind that the average litter has 10 kits.

To prevent the above from happening, don’t touch the kits the first week. Don’t even change the blankets.

You’ll want to take all fuzzies to the vet to have their health checked and to get their first shots. And it’s a good idea to start nip training and housetraining.

So Now What

2 months later, at the earliest, your kits will be ready to leave your home. It’s your responsibility to find new owners who will take good care of their new pet. Animal shelters are filled with “throw-away” pets, I’m sure you don’t want one of your kits to end up as one of them.

Separating the kits from their mom too early will result in some very weird and flaky behavior in the kits.

Think Ferret Breeding Will Make You Rich?

Think again. With all the supplies, extra food, supplements and vet bills, you’ll be lucky if you break even. And then I’m not even counting the huge amount of time you’ll spend taking care of the fuzzies.

At least, that’ll be the case if you want to breed ferrets responsibly. If you’re planning on starting one of those impersonal ferret farms (of which there are far too many as it is), you might turn a profit. But it’ll be at the fuzzies’ expense.

Nadia Lawson

Hi there, I'm Nadia and I'm a girl with a peculiar passion - I spend my days navigating the playful, furry world of ferrets. From their whimsical antics to their curious natures, I've dedicated my life to understanding these charming creatures. Through my blog, I hope to share insights from my ferret-filled life, creating a community for all who hold a soft spot for these wonderful weasels.

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