Heat kills ferrets

Question
hi we have a 2 year old female ferret that two weeks ago gave birth to 7 healthy pups. the ferrets are all housed outside in a hutch. Today we had a unseasonally hot day 42 degrees, and when i returned home at 2pm, four of the pups had died and the mum had buried all the pups under the straw on the bottom of the hutch. I retrieved the three surviving pups and the mum, and brought them inside under the air conditioner but an hour later the last three pups had died. We have disposed of the dead pups and put the female back with the male (they had been seperated since the birth) is this the right thing to do? will it help her not feel so lonely? any tips or advice would be much appreciated

Answer
Hi Narelle:

I don't have any personal experience with breeding. I'm sure she will mourn the loss of her babies. If she has never had babies before, possibly she won't know what she is missing, but no doubt after giving birth she will go thru hormone changes that may affect her temperament. Being with her cagemate may or may not help her. You will have to watch her behavior and respond accordingly.

42 degrees Centigrade is over 100 degrees Fahrenheit...that is way way too hot for ANY ferret. You are really lucky all the ferrets didn't die.  I strongly recommend that you keep your ferrets indoors under the air conditioning if at all possible.  Ferrets can get heat exhaustion at only 80 degrees Fahrenheit (27 degrees Centigrade), so that is very far above the conditions they should be kept in.

If you are going to keep your female and male together, you may want to think about getting her spayed, as it certainly wouldn't be healthy for her to get pregnant again right away after just giving birth....unless, of course, you are determined to breed her again in the future. Her body just won't take another pregnancy so soon, even tho she will probably enjoy his company now.  Any female ferret who is not breeding must be neutered because she can die of anemia when she goes into heat if she is not bred.  So, this little lady needs a rest and  a cooler atmosphere to live in immediately. You may want to put a few small stuffies in with her?  Just an idea.

I would think that socially, being together would be easier on her than being alone. The thing you will need to worry about is if he they breed again so soon it could certainly be very very unhealthy for her.

Hopefully you have a vet experienced with ferret breeding who will advise you specifically. I really recommend that you contact the vet and ask what is best to do for the ferret. I would certainly think that a break from breeding would be in order....and definitely kept in a cooler place or have ice, water and a fan to keep the area where they are cool.  You need WATER AND MOVING AIR to create cooler air. The evaporation of the water is what causes cooling. Ferrets don't sweat (even thru their mouths like dogs) so they must have something like wet sheets hung on one side of the cage with a fan on it to cause cooling.  Large ice blocks would probably also help.  Hopefully your vet has more suggestions. Here in the U.S. we keep our ferrets indoors, so we're not used to having to deal with the elements outdoors.

Hopefully that helps a little anyway.

Sincerely,

Jacquie Rodgers