>Edward Lipinski wrote:
 
>I should like to offer the Doctor the protocol of relating ferret
>prepubescent neutering to non-neutering...
>1.) Rear 10 colonies of ferrets, each colony composed of 6 intact females
>    and two vasectomized males per colony, for a total of 80 ferrets.
 
One vasectomised hob will be able to cope with 6 entire jills.  If you have
a colony with 2 virtually entire hobs you will/could have problems with the
hobs fighting over the 'girls', entire hobs can really make a mess of each
others necks.  If you are really worried about the hob being able to stand
the stress of having some many girl friends you could reduce to group to 3
jills for 1 hob.
 
Mr Lipinski you haven't said anything about the light periods.
 
I try to keep my ferrets as close as possible to normal daylight hours - I
don't think it's working too well as I get a couple of jills coming in
oestrus in November, four of the jills came in oestrus last week.  I really
must get another vasectomised hob.  Carnath is now 5 y.o.  but swears blind
he's quite capable of serving all the entire jills.
 
Regarding natural diets do you have a source for whole carcase - I feed day
old chicks.  Rabbit is paunched before feeding it to the ferrets.  I can't
see the average American ferret keeper feeding their ferrets wild rabbit
complete with fur and bones.  BTW ferrets don't leave much.
 
Could somebody please explain to me why American ferret keepers give their
ferrets hairball remedy?  The feather and fur my gang ingest, but don't
digest, just comes out the other end with no problem at all :-)
 
The diet do dry food and whole carcase seems to suit them well. I have some
elderly ferrets who are doing OK. Cameron, who must be at least 8 y.o. has
an enlarged spleen which does appear to cause him any problems, his back
legs a bit stiff but once he gets going he can still war-dance.
 
Sheila
Bolton Ferret Welfare & National Ferret Welfare Society Newsletter Editor
http://www.btinternet.com/~sheila/ferrets.htm (Last Update 27 Jan 1998)
Waiting at Rainbow Bridge: Jill & Deanna Troi
[Posted in FML issue 2229]