Female in Heat for Long Time

Question
QUESTION: hi my ferret was in heat for a long time and now shes gone out of heat and shes also shes changed colour on her face. i thought that they never went out of heat till a male mated with them so could you please tell me if this is normal behaviour and when she will go back in heat because i want kitens off her thank you

ANSWER: Hi Matthew:

If your female has been in heat for a long time, you MUST take her to a vet and get her what is called a "jill jab" to bring her out of heat for a while.  

AFTER she has been out of heat for 6 to 12 months, then she will come back in heat again and THEN you can breed her.  

You cannot breed a ferret that has been in heat for a long time because she is probably already anemic (low blood) and will probably die if you allow her to become pregnant. It is important for her to be bred early in her heat cycle so she has strength to go through the pregnancy and nurse her babies. What you have now is an exhausted female ferret who could actually die because she has already been in heat tooo long.

PLEASE, I beg you to get her a jill jab.  At that time the vet can better explain to you when is the best time to know when to breed her when she comes into heat next time. You would certainly be killing her to let her get pregnant this time.

It is very important that you know the mother must have a special diet while she is pregnant so her babies can be born healthy also - I urge you strongly to seek out a breeder or someone who can give you some guidance.  You can't just breed ferrets without a LOT of knowledge about what you are doing or you will simply end up with a lot of dead ferrets - mommy and babies. And that's a very very sad situation.

Sincerely,

Jacquie Rodgers

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: but i dont need to give her the gill jab if shes allredy out of heat do i

Answer
Hi Matthew:

What you must understand, however, is that she will NOT go out of heat on her own. She may look like she is no longer in heat because her body is too weak, but if she went INTO heat and was not given a jill jab, mated with a vasectomized male OR mated with a whole male, she will NOT go out of heat on her own. She MUST have a jill jab, then be allowed to rest before going into heat again if you wish to mate her.

Hope that clarifies it. Don't hesitate to check with a breeder. That would probably be a really good idea if you know anyone near you - or a vet could also help guide you. There is a lot at stake here. It IS a life and death decision for her and only requires a shot to be sure she is going to be safe and healthy.

Please do follow through, okay? If I can help more, don't hesitate to write again.

Sincerely,

Jacquie Rodgers