question???

Question
please... i want to know when to know if a female ferret is unspay (not spay)(it can have babies)    is there another way to know    instead  of her heat   (another way to know)
plase help me   ;;;;;   thank you

Answer
Hi Cesar:

Thank you for your question!  Here in the United States all ferrets purchased in pet stores are supposed to be spayed because it is very dangerous to the ferret for her to not be spayed. An unspayed femaled ferret can die of anemia (blood loss) if she goes into heat and is not mated. So, your question is VERY IMPORTANT!  

You can tell if your ferret is in heat when her vulva, the area just behind where she urinates, will swell up and  you will notice a reddish tinged discharge. At this time, she MUST be either spayed OR mated.

This must be repeated each time the ferret goes into heat. The only other option is to have her "mated" with a vasectomized male ferret. This will fool her body into coming out of heat, but will not make her pregnant, thus giving her body a rest so she doesn't have to have a litter every year. It's important you know the owner or own a vasectomized male yourself so you KNOW he has been vasectomized by a reliable vet because your ferret's life may be in danger if she has too many litters OR if she is allowed to continue in heat and become anemic.

I hope this answers your question. It's a very important question and the owner of every female ferret needs to know her status (spayed, unspayed, etc) and have a plan for her future, then follow through with it. Unfortunately, many female ferrets die because the owner does not take thisi seriously enough.

Thanks for your question.

Sincerely,

Jacquie Rodgers