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Male Ferret Needed for Breeding (possibly)

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  • 13-01-2007 5:40pm
    #1
    Ferrety
    Closed Accounts Posts: 3 ✭


    Hi everyone,

    We have a lovely female ferret, which we got from DSPCA about half a year ago. She has a scar on her belly, so I assumed she had been neutered. However, Just today we noticed that she has gotten "quite big" down there, so she might be in heat...
    Is it true that once a female ferret is in heat, the only option is to find her a mate and let her breed? Is neutering out of the question now?

    If mating is the only option, does anybody here know of an unneutered male ferret I could borrow for a while?

    We don't really mind, if we had to breed her, because (1) there really seems to be quite a demand for pet ferrets (on the interenet anyway), (2) we can then keep one of her kittens, since we have been looking for a friend for her for the last couple of months. We would get them both neutered afterwords.

    Thank you for all your help in advance!


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    #2
    nando
    Closed Accounts Posts: 206 ✭✭nando


    The problem with female ferrets in heat is that they will remain in heat until they ovulate and so can develop a type of anaemia due the constant exposure to oestrogen, and this anaemia is very serious and often fatal.

    There is no reason why you can't spay a female ferret now no matter how old she is. Also, if she is in heat she can be given a hormone injection to make her ovulate so she will come out of heat and can be spayed.

    However, if you think she is in heat just because of an enlarged vulva then she may not be in heat at all. It is very possible that she is spayed. An enlarged vulva is a common symptom of a hormonal disease that ferrets commonly suffer from called Adrenal-Associated-Endocrinopathy that is caused by a problem with their Adrenal Gland. The other most common sign is alopecia (hair loss) that is symmetrical on their body.

    Bring your ferret to the vet. They can check if it is actually in heat and make arrangements for spaying, or they can check if it suffering from a hormonal disorder and treat that problem.


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    #3
    Ferrety
    Closed Accounts Posts: 3 ✭Ferrety


    Hi nando,

    Thanks for the information! I am arranging to go to the vet already, but decided to post here early in case I had to get her a mate!

    I must say I didn't consider the external hormone injection for ovulation, but that makes sense, of course. I really hope that there is nothing physically wrong with her though :(

    Thanks for the quick reply!


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    #4
    Sigma Force
    Registered Users Posts: 5,132 ✭✭✭Sigma Force


    Contact the DSPCA to confirm she had been spayed. If she has been at least that can be ruled out, hope it's nothing else serious.


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    #5
    Calvin141170
    Registered Users Posts: 20 ✭Calvin141170


    Ferrety wrote:
    If mating is the only option, does anybody here know of an unneutered male ferret I could borrow for a while?
    Hi Ferrety,

    Apparently, an alternative to the hormone injection (or Jill Jab as it's often dubbed) is mating with a vasectomised male. This triggers ovulation and brings the Jill out of heat without resulting in a pregnancy.

    As for finding a male ferret that's had a vasectomy... not sure how you'd go about that!:confused:

    However, before doing anything else I'd head to the vets to make sure she is in heat and not suffering from one of the other conditions that Nando describes.

    Best of luck with it.

    Cheers,

    Calvin!


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