Backyard Breeding Disaster

Question
hi, i had a female ferret and she had a litter of 9 kits.
she had them on a monday but on the Tuesday we found one out in the food area of the cage then on Wednesday she died and so did the other 8 we tried hand rearing one but he died on the Thursday what do i do next time to stop this?

Answer
Hi Kayleigh:

I'm so very sorry to hear all your kits died - that's incredibly sad and truly unnecessary.  This is why I always recommend folks just don't breed their ferrets unless they have read everything they can get their hands on about breeding and ferret husbandry and have a mentor who has experience to help them along thru the first few litters.  Unfortunately, your story is a very common one when people are not prepared for the 'what ifs'.

Ferrets are just NOT like dogs and cats and it is much more complicated to breed them. My first suggestion is that you have your breeding ferrets neutered and NOT try to do any further breeding. If you absolutely insist on continuing to try to breed them, then you will have to dedicate hours and hours to learning all about the particulars.

*Important note:  If you do NOT breed your female, you will need to have her neutered or she will die when she goes into heat, so you must make a decision and then follow thru - either learn a LOT and try again, OR get her spayed.  

Here is a link of ferret breeders who can possibly help you BEFORE you breed next time and AFTER you read everything you can get your hands on about breeding.

http://www.petssquare.com/Ferrets_Breeders.html

You certainly cannot expect someone else to do the learning part for you; and there is a LOT to know about successfully breeding ferrets.  Books have been written about it, so for me to tell you everything you need to know here on these few paragraphs, I just can't do it.  I do hope you will track down some good books and/or information online - join a ferret breeders website where breeders stay in touch and help each other through the rough spots.

Here is a link to some breeders you may find helpful:

http://www.freewebs.com/dlightfulferrets/index.htm

It's always a good idea to have a 'mentor' before undertaking a project like that which requires so much expertise.  I can only imagine how horrible you feel after losing all your babies <sad> and I am sending my thoughts and prayers to comfort you.  

Here's to a positive outcome next time OR spaying/neutering, as I'm sure you meant no harm in trying to breed ferrets, but it's just not *that* easy as cats or dogs are - you must always remember that ferrets are "exotics" and most breeders actually LOSE money unless they are breeding already-proven show stock, and are breeding them to show.  Best left to the experts; OR get a mentor if you are interested in continuing your quest.

Sincerely,

Jacquie Rodgers