SPORTING ANSWERS

Reality bites in ferret world

FERRETING

Q When my ferret had a litter for the first time, I went to check on her, but she bit me. Is this behaviour normal?

A If you have never bred ferrets before, you may notice a sudden change in their demeanour. This is caused by a massive change in hormones when they reproduce. They may lash out, but they are instinctively protecting their offspring.

Over the years, I have had the gentlest of ferrets turn into savages when their kits arrive. This behaviour wanes the older the kits get.

By the time they are eight weeks old, they are ready to go to new homes and their mother will have become less aggressive.

I’m a bit old school when it comes to breeding my ferrets. I have had the luxury of making mistakes and learning from them. When I started, I used to interfere, poke, prod and look when I should have left the jill to her own devices in the safe, private space of her nesting chamber.

I now leave the nursing jill well alone for the first three to four weeks. Nothing I do will change the sex or colour of the litter, so why risk your