breeding ferrets

[stubby 175]

Ive always been lead to belive about removing the hob from the breeding jill, as he will/could harm/eat the kitts, where I learnt this I cant remember, maybe from my younger days as a kid, or from reading books, but its there, lodged in my brain, TO REMOVE THE HOB, its the advice most people on here, give as advice to newcomers asking what they should do,

 

well, Im about to stop beliving in that, my set-up consists of a ferret court with outside run, plus 3 very large breeding cages, the jills being used are at this moment, seperated in the hutches, one with a litter of five kitts, that are just over a week old,

 

the court houses,a castrated hob, two snipped hobs, and three jills, I can only presume that one of the snipped hob, still had some juices left and mated with a jill, as three days ago, heard those tiny squeaks, and on inspection of one of the nesting boxes, discovered a litter of twelve,

 

one of the other jills is spending most of her time in the outside area, the other acting as a surrogate mum, and the castrated hob, is sleeping in the same box, the two snipped hobs have both been inside the box for a look also

 

its early days yet, but my ferrets do get on extremly well with each other, so unless I start to find kitts missing, they will be left to get on with it, as it seems, this may be another myth to be squashed

[Kay 3,709]

i would have also said remove the hob after mating , but theres always an exception to the rule, keep us updated how they all progress

[dogs-n-natives 1,182]

Just to add my small amount of experience on the subject.

My friends jill was living with his so-called 'snipped' hob, the jill had seven kits which grew up with both parents in the spacious hutch.

[jacob 28]

why take the chance?

[Guest on the hill]

sometimes the hob will eat the kits some times the jill will eat the kits!! they usually stick to what they do the first time arround but as kay allready wrote theres allways an exception to "the rule"

 

you must have good natured hobs =]

[The one 8,507]

Same thing happened to me opened the hutch one morning jills all in a heap with 3 pinkies squirming about the hob was booted out lying sleeping in the run ,Took the pinkies out and checked the jills over and found the one with blood under her tail and popped her in a wee hutch with her young . Hope thats all the live tadpoles he had

[sue 1]

same with me all the years i have been led to believe take the hob out ,now you have me thinking why do we do it .keep us posted how it goes and i hope things go well

[Jack NUFC 1]

i had a double hutch that i seperated using a peice of wood and i had a hob in the bottom and the jill in the top with her litter and she must have pulled away the seperating piece of wood and then took all the kits downstairs into the hob's bed and he would stand above them as if protecting them when the jill moved and they wernt even his kits mysterious critters but you've got to love em

[stubby 175]

well watching them today, the litter belongs to "foxy" yet her sister "vixen" is more the matenal one, vixen drags foxy into the box, then goes and gets "buster" castrated hob, 3 times her size and drags him into the box too,

[wabbithunter_15 0]

i dont think the hob would eat the kits , if you think about it when the ferrets live in the wild the male wont eat all the kits or the ferret population would decrease, of course the hob MAY eat the kits but i would bet more often than not he wouldnt.

[Kay 3,709]

i dont think the hob would eat the kits , if you think about it when the ferrets live in the wild the male wont eat all the kits or the ferret population would decrease, of course the hob MAY eat the kits but i would bet more often than not he wouldnt.

 

Lion males kill cubs off rival males & then once the female comes back into season he then mates her

[leegreen 2,206]

you must have good natured hobs =]

 

You must have well fed Hobs, if your Hobs became at all hungry you may pay the price.

Good luck

[pigeonphill 69]

i dont think the hob would eat the kits , if you think about it when the ferrets live in the wild the male wont eat all the kits or the ferret population would decrease, of course the hob MAY eat the kits but i would bet more often than not he wouldnt.

once mating has taken place they go there own way

[pigeonphill 69]

if chancing a whole litter is worth proving a point its down to you, some hobs wont touch the young but plenty will just kill them to bring the jill back in to season to be able to mate her . hope it goes the way you think it will, best of luck you may need it

[sue 1]

the more i think about this the more im convinced there really shouldnt be a problem leaving the hob in with the jills ,the jills rule the roost and generally put the hobs in there place i dont think the hob would be allowed near the kits by the jills