What month is breeding season for ferrets?

A. In general, late Winter to early Spring.

However, if you already own unaltered ferrets, and are asking this question, we REALLY need to talk.

Female ferrets, if not bred, can die from aplastic anemia. No kidding - DIE. But breeding them isn't the solution, because you'd have to keep breeding them, or have them fixed. (Hint: Have them fixed NOW.)

And the breeding, birth, and nursing process are very hard on the female.

If you are asking these sorts of new owner questions, I'm guessing you are probably still feeding them that "junk food" most pet stores sell as "ferret food". That isn't going to give a Jill the nutrition she needs to survive this process and remain healthy. Go read about feeding ferrets a raw diet and toss out the infamous light brown bag. At least get some Zupreem Grain Free and some canned or frozen rabbit.

Unaltered males can become extremely aggressive during breeding season. They stink like you wouldn't believe. They urinate everywhere and then roll around in it. So keeping unaltered male ferrets is generally not a good idea either. Again, go have them fixed now.

Maybe you think you'd really like to breed them. But you better do a lot of reading, because it is a process fraught with problems and expenses. What do you do when a Jill with seven working milk spigots gives birth to ten or twelve babies? And when she gets mastitis ? Have you got homes for all of those babies? You don't think you're going to make money at this, do you ? (WRONG.) Do you have ready access to a qualified ferret vet? Will they give you help at midnight when the birth is going terribly wrong?

There are many ferrets living in shelters and needing homes now because people purchase them on impulse, and then discover that they are a very demanding pet to keep. If you produce surplus ferrets, then they end up neglected in someone's basement, or, if they are lucky, being sheltered by someone like me.

(I fund sheltering ferrets out of my own pocket, and it is getting to the point I don't have room for any more ferrets. I will only take an animal now in order to save it from being destroyed, and I really HATE saying no to an animal in trouble. I also feed them raw meat, carcasses, Wysong Ferret Archetypal, and other healthy stuff - for a house full of ferrets, that costs a fortune!)

Please don't endanger the life of your pet because of a well meant but misplaced desire to have baby ferrets. Have your ferrets fixed, and love them for themselves.

BTW, if you need more convincing, those cute young ferrets will bite, and I don't mean just a little pinch. When they get scared they can latch on for the kill and be difficult to get loose. Once loose, they can inflict a new bite so quickly that you can't react in time to stop them. We are talking deep, nasty, blood dripping puncture wounds. I'm speaking from personal experience on this. In fact, I have two injured fingers from a frightened juvenile at this very moment. This behavior can be discouraged with scruffing and GENTLE shaking, but mostly this is something that they have to outgrow.

Fortunately, properly raised adults don't normally bite. But a Jill with babies can be a very protective animal. Think about this: ferrets kill rabbits. Your hands and your face are pretty much rabbit sized. Ferrets move faster than humans can react. Ferrets move in ways that are almost impossible to anticipate. They have a mouthful of pointy teeth and powerful jaw muscles. How do you think you will fare in a conflict with a Jill who thinks you might harm her kits? How about an even bigger and stronger male who is being aggressive during mating season?

Don't take my Word on keeping intact ferrets and breeding them being a bad idea, take a look at:

<http://www.craftycreatures.com/forferretsonly/ferret_school/ferretschool_breeding.HTML>

<http://www.petplace.com/small-mammals/what-you-should-know-about-breeding-your-ferret/page1.aspx>

<http://www.all-about-ferrets.com/how-to-breed-ferrets.HTML>

Don't get me wrong. I love ferrets, even bite prone young ones and smelly in heat males (well, up to a point ;^) .

I've currently got a juvenile male who was given up because "we decided we didn't like what color he was". I couldn't make this up

• that was the stated reason. All I can say is that he was a lucky

little guy when they gave him up - those folks had no business with a pet ferret (or goldfish, for that matter). He is also the one who inflicted the latest set of bites to my fingers. (Want to bet it was the bite and not the color that they really didn't like?)

But he also rides on my shoulders, grooms me every time I pick him up, and will grow up to be an amazingly sweet and gentle pet.

Funny thing is, since I got him his coat color has changed dramatically. I guess he was willing to do whatever it took to leave where he was and move in with my bunch.

Happy Dooking.