From:
"tansyhl"
Date: 2007-07-03 01:53:13 UTC
Subject: [ferrethealth] Re: More thoughts from the Ferret Symposium 2007
To: ferrethealth@yahoogroups.com
--- In ferrethealth@yahoogroups.com, "ossi" <ossifraga@...> wrote:
>
> Danee, thanks a lot.
>
Nelli, I'm not Danee, but as someone with experience breeding, and
had ferrets over 20 years, I hope you don't mind my responding.
> What I'm curious about is whether there may be a difference between
geographical regions or should it be taken as a fact anywhere in the
world?
There should not be any geographical difference. The domestic ferret
is all the same species of animal.
> The reason why I'm asking is that here it's always been a practice
that breeders sell kits at the age of six or seven weeks.
I'm sorry, but in my opinion, that is WAY too young. One of the worst
nightmares I've ever had was several weeks ago when my kits were
about 5 1/2 weeks. I woke up in a cold sweat thinking about how crazy
my jills would become if someone tried to take their kits away at
that age. THey would, without question, have scraped their paws
bloody trying to get to their kits. I can only assume that the ferret
mills like Marshall Farms and Path Valley sedate the jills when they
take the kits, or give them some kind of hormone treatment.
>We haven't really had the chance to see the difference that later
weaning can make. It's only in the last few years that some breeders
insist on keeping kits with mom at least till the age of 8 weeks. But
even them do house kits separately from that time on. This practice
is based on the observation that jills won't feed kits after they are
6 or sometimes 7 weeks old and the kits mean too much stress for the
mom.
I can't disagree with this more. I always keep jill and kits together
AT LEAST 12 weeks. Somewhere around that point it becomes obvious
that the jill is not so interested/worried about the kits. My 2 jills
are STILL NURSING at just short of 10 weeks, though that is probably
not the right word. THe jills have stopped producing milk in the last
week (about week 8 1/2- 9 1/2) but the kits are still sucking. Both
the kits and their mothers seem to need that bonding. My jills have
free roaming of 2 rooms, but still at 10 weeks are always checking
where the kits are, and always sleep with them.
In terms of causing stress, I would think it would be much more
stressful for a jill to be separated from the kits then housed with
them. I would expect stress to manifest itself as weight loss or
behavior indicating stress. Despite a urinary tract infection by one
of my jills, neither has lost an ounce since the kits were born. And
the only time they act stressed (running around frantically)is when
they can't find a kit. Even at 9 1/2 weeks they would drag the kits
back into the nesting areas they liked by the scruff of the neck
(usually with the kit complaining loudly). At 10 weeks they still
seem to "count noses," suckle, and will give a kit a piece of her
mind if she is not happy with what it's doing (they go right up to
the kit's ear and chatter into it). Since my ferrets aren't caged
(both jills demanded to be let out of their baby cages at about 6
weeks) and have a choice whether they want to continue to interact
with their kits, I think I can say what is "normal" or at least what
is less stressful/makes the jills happiest is to stay with their kits.
Valerie shelter mom and sometime breeder
>
Yahoo! Groups Links
<*> To visit your group on the web, go to:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ferrethealth/
<*> Your email settings:
Individual Email | Traditional
<*> To change settings online go to:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ferrethealth/join
(Yahoo! ID required)
<*> To change settings via email:
mailto:ferrethealth-digest@yahoogroups.com
mailto:ferrethealth-fullfeatured@yahoogroups.com
<*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to:
ferrethealth-unsubscribe@yahoogroups.com
<*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to:
http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/