>From: Hayley Logan <[log in to unmask]> >Subject: Ferrets in heat >I own 2 female ferrets and have to get them spayed/desexed I no it has to >be done and am going to do it very soon as they have started to get a >swolen volva Hayley! Take your girls in to be spayed (desexed) as soon as possible! It is VERY important that you do not let this go! >is $93 australian dollers a normal price?? I just thought it was a little >dear?? Is that each or for the pair. From my experience in Oz, desexes in ferrets are about the same cost as they are in cats - as they should be. Contact your local club (are you in Victoria?). Contact me at [log in to unmask] for information on clubs or vets in your area and I will help you find one (or find somebody that can help you). >also if I bread them - I dont really want to yet cause I dont no much. Learning more about them is a *very* good idea. I suggest that you spay these girls and learn all about ferret care, diseases, etc. After all - you just 14 and have heaps of time to breed ferrets! <g> >Are there many difficulties involving mating, birth and after effects?? Yes, there can be. It seems that you know about estrogen induced anemia (aplastic anemia) if a jill is left in season and not bred. In fact, at least one time while a jill is in estrus (heat; season) she will suffer from a mild case of EIA (from Fox et al's book). There are whelping, infections, nutrition, as well as heaps of other problems - including loss of the kits, or - heaven forbid - the jill. Here in Australia, a friend of mine had a litter where one kit was a runt and was not strong enough to nurse and fend off the other kits for her nipple. Therefore, my friend fed her and I took over while she was at work. Sadly enough, the little girl passed on. No matter how many times a thing like that happens, it is extremely heart wrenching and emotionally draining. Anyhow, there are some ferret breeding and genetic mailing lists to sign up for on eGroups. Just do a search and you should find them. These lists have many breeders (mostly in the US) that are a wealth of information and will be happy to answer direct questions. >Ive been told I can mate them with a desexed male so they have a false >pregency but will this hurt my 2 ferrets?? Actually, it is a vactomised male (meaning the testicles are still there but the tube that delivers the semen from the testicles is snipped and "disconected") or a v-hob. It is pretty stressful for the jills to go thru false pregnancies. Their bodies behave exactly like they are pregnant - trhey get fat, have hormone surges, etc. I have even had jills that went thruogh false pregnancies (and litters) and after they "recovered" they no longer accepted their cage mates. >And - one last question!- how long does it take for a female ferret to >catch that amnemia thing - when u dont get them desexed? According to James Fox et al's Biology and diseases of the Ferret a jill can develop EIA after one month of being in estrus. As all individuals are different, I would imagine the time frame could differ (i.e. 3 weeks, 5 weeks, etc.) >My local vet is a dickhead and doesnt no much bout ferrets so im >travelling a little further to a vet thats had experience with ferrets Let us know how you go! Amy Flemming Flemming Farms Perth, Western Australia http://www.geocities.com/flemmingfarms [Posted in FML issue 3183]