On Thu, 13 Nov 1997, Preisig, Kylie KE wrote:
>>I intend to breed my albino jill next time she comes into season, and I
>>was hoping some of the breeders on the list could advise me on how to
>>produce a small litter.
>
>Killzenferrets repl: One method isn't quite what you want to do.  The first
>estrus cycle of the year with its false preganancy has more eggs than the
>second estrus cycle of the year.  If you "false out" the first time the
>second time will be a smaller litter.  The third or so time you might not
>have enough eggs for a successful liter at all.
>
>>I have read on this list (or the FML) messages from breeders saying that
>>the way to produce small litters is to leave the jill with the hob for only
>>a short amount of time.  How long should this time be?  Is there a risk
>>that she won't come out of season at all if you cut the time too short?
>
>killzenferrets repl: What we do is leave them overnight.  You'll be able to
>tell if "she was got" as we put it.  If she doesn't start going out in a few
>days we try for another overnight.  Aplastic aenemia is serious but it
>doesn't happen in just a couple weeks.
 
This is Edward at FNW.  lt is our experience that 3 successive matings
yields 99.9 % estrus relief (takes out of heat; that is, if she was in 2nd
stage estrus to begin with).  Breeders of low or no experience fail because
mating is attempted prematurely, before female is "wetted."
 
One must consider the heavy protein loading of a virgin female of spermic
studding her on her first estrus.  Forcing her to pregnancy is a terrific
burden, when in fact, she is not fully matured herself.  Some compare it to
a 10 or 12 year old girl having triplets.
 
FNW studs virgin females to V1's (V1's being vasectomized males) so that it
provides relief from estrus, allows ovulation, without making her
embryonically pregnant.  Thus she and her whole reproductive system is
cycled through a false pregnancy without the young virgin being starved of
proteins, minerals, etc and other nutrients that her still growing body
needs.
 
Today FNW has done 281 vasectomized matings, which I call aspermic
studdings, aspermic meaning: without sperm.  One vasectomized mating is
equal to 3 consecutive copulations occurring over a period of 3 consecutive
days.
 
To attempt to get small litter sizes by means of manual coitus interruptus
(pulling the male out of the female forcably, prior to ejaculation) may
seriously injure the cervix of the female and possibly rupture the penile
basal muscles of the male, since conjugating (mating) ferrets are physically
locked together, as one may remember when seeing dogs mating on the street.
 
The anatomy of the mustelid male organ is quite different from what humans
understand comparable to the human male's organ.  For example, the ferret's
male member, when tumescent (engorged) displays a downward proboscus or
hooked end.  This hook is believed to be connected internal of the penis by
several groups of delicate muscles to the skeletal bone inside the penis,
and the forceable breaking apart of the male (Whose hooked end, it is
postulated, is essentially hooked inside cervix) may rupture the uterine
wall, the cervix and possibly dislodge the musculature around the upper neck
of the vagina.  This can result in a prolapsed vagina and the internal
ripping of the muscles of the penis.
 
You may draw your own conclusions then about the contemplated process of
coitus interruptus as a means of litter sizing.  Injun say, heap bad
medicine, Kemosabe.
 
May I suggest that you read my previous day's posting on the methodology
employed by FNW to manage reduced litter sizes.  Like fawniks it wurks fer
us.
 
End of Part 1.  For Part 2, see tomorrow's posting from Ferrets NorthWest.
[Posted in FML issue 2131]