From: Ferret Mailing List <[log in to unmask]> Subject: Ferret List Issue 201 Len, Convienience jills are spayed by reaching into the vagina, pulling out the uterus and ovaries, then cutting them off. Therefore, you wouldn't see any scar. The problem with this method is that it is very apt to leave small portions of ovaries behind which, later in life, could cause the hormones to react making the ferret go into heat. This puts the ferret in the same risk as any unspayed female (aplastic anemia, etc...). This is especially dangerous because it is VERY difficult for a vet to locate the piece of ovary that's causing the problem. Also the uterine stump could grow into a sort of "large ovary", which would have the same results. I won't even go into the problems that spay/neutering at such a young age has. I think we've probably gone into that enough. I'll just say that IDEALLY you should wait until the animal is sexually mature before altering her/him to have the best chance of a long, happy, healthy life. On a related subject, I should mention that descenting at such a young age has it's problems as well. Consider the size of the kits you've seen in pet stores. They get them at about 5 weeks old now. It is VERY difficult to descent an animal that small without removing too much surrounding tissue. This will cause the anal area to be weakened, which will also cause problems later in life. - Nancy Nancy Hartman CIS graduate student [log in to unmask] U. of Delaware President and founder, Delaware Valley Ferret Club Owner of Percy & Bree [Posted in FML 0202]