when should i mate my does

[CarraghsGem 92]

hi, im not new to owning or working ferrets, but ive only ever kept hobs, my latest 2 does a silver and a polecat are coming of age and i plan to have a litter from them? they are working well and are of a nice type and have good temperaments, when is the best time to mate them? i would like to ideally have the kits ready to sell june-july, what are their seasons like? do they come into season on a weekly/monthly basis or are they in season 24/7 during breeding season?

 

any advice will be appreciated!

gem.

[The one 8,533]

They will come into season themselves mate as the days lengthen ,They will come into season and stay that way untill there taken out , Your kitts need to be roughly three month oldish and eating etc well for themselve before you sell them so i'd suggest you pop down the library etc and do some reading up

[moses 5]

well the gills come in once maybe twice a year mine have only ever been once . you will see when there vulva swells right up. you can not breed when it suits you its when it suits them but to be honest i would do some more research and maybe try next year as i think you still have a lot to learn about the wellfare of jills and this only gets harder when in season, and in kitt

[Ideation 8,216]

Female ferret = Jill

Female rabbit = Doe

[Wxm 1,638]

Female ferret = Jill

Female rabbit = Doe

 

 

[stubby 175]

Id say, dont breed them both, if its to carry on a bloodline, or to replace your own ferts fine, but your already counting the ££££'s asking when you can sell them

[droid 11]

In fairness to the lad, I'm not sure the situation in Ireland is the same as the one in England, namely massive overproduction of ferrets resulting in Rescues stuffed full of unwanted/unsellable kits.

[CarraghsGem 92]

its very hard to find ferrets of good quality, ive walked away from buying many ferrets because they were too small, too big, had pointy heads, bad temperaments, in poor condition, sorry if i keep refering to jills as does, im still thinking in rabbit speak after selling my flemish giants, the only part of keeping/breeding jills that concerns me is how to judge when to mate her as i no longer have any hobs and i am bringing them to a friends hob, i bred rabbits and most small rodents as a teen, ive been involved in dog breeding and showing for over 15 years, i spend most of spring and summer farming and have more experience with animals than a lot of people, im not a dealer, i only breed enough to replace existing stocks, all my animals have a purpose except the pet rabbits, im not some idiot that thinks breeding is easy, or that its an easy way to make money.

 

gem.

Edited January 25, 2010 by CarraghsGem

[Ideation 8,216]

then look at those vulva's! Edited January 25, 2010 by Ideation

[lorelei0922 2]

you will notice your jill's vulva start to swell... at that point, be sure her cage is kept extra clean (remember those bits are awfully close to the floor!) and that she has a bit more quality food and as always fresh water ... ( to start building her up for growing kits) within a week her vulva will be completely swollen out.. .looking a bit like the tip of your finger...

 

 

Then introduce her to the hob....

[CarraghsGem 92]

thanks your a lifesaver!

 

gem

[Coneytrappr 30]

Personally I would not breed them in their first season, let them prove themselves for another season first.

[johnmac666 2]

Personally I would not breed them in their first season, let them prove themselves for another season first.

 

nor would i breed something that i dont have a clue about

 

not being funny but if you are asking questions like you are , you should have done more research before getting your ferrets, what happens if you cant sell them, no one wants them ?? jill dies at birth , kits get eaten etc not as simple as you may think ,this is how rescues end up with unwanted kits , sorry for being harsh but please re think before you commit yourself, thats me being honest even if it may offend

 

a.t.b john

Edited January 26, 2010 by johnmac666

[CarraghsGem 92]

Personally I would not breed them in their first season, let them prove themselves for another season first.

 

nor would i breed something that i dont have a clue about

 

not being funny but if you are asking questions like you are , you should have done more research before getting your ferrets, what happens if you cant sell them, no one wants them ?? jill dies at birth , kits get eaten etc not as simple as you may think ,this is how rescues end up with unwanted kits , sorry for being harsh but please re think before you commit yourself, thats me being honest even if it may offend

 

a.t.b john

 

im sorry, what makes you think i dont have a clue about ferrets? why because i havent bred a litter of them before?

i know that i can sell any surplus and i take the same risk every year with my border collies and with my shamos and they have a very niche marke

if the jill dies at birth i am more than capable of rearing them, to date ive handreared a litter of pups, 2 kittens, countless lambs, 3 belgian hares and a pony foal, if she eats her young it would be if i had interfered with her litter at too early a stage, i have a full medkit including colostrom, small animal bottles, dopram v, vet nutridrops, heatlamps, snugglesafeheatpad and stacks of other stuff too numerous to mention, im not a complete novice at breeding rearing animals so no offense but your opinion doesnt carry any weight with me

[Coneytrappr 30]

Then if you are that well set up [and it sounds as though you are] I would reiterate my reccomendation that you don't breed until they are further proven. Take that extra step, plenty of lads breed ferrets in their first season without them being properly proven, be one of the better working breeders who doesn't. And I would reconsider breeding the silver.