Ferret
The ferret is generally considered to be a domesticated version of Mustela putorius - Polecat. Adult ferret has a typical mustelid (Mustelidae - Weasels (Family)) body form, with comparatively small size, five toes per foot, short legs and a long body. It has a short head, with a short face and short rounded ears. The eyes are relatively small and are forward-facing. Stands with an arched back. The vertebral column is very flexible dorso-ventrally. The tail is long and is densely furred.
Ferret have excellent hearing and senses of smell and taste. Their vision is poor relative to these but they have good binocular vision and good vision at low light levels. They react well to movement at mouse escape speeds. Ferret sleep for long periods (as much as 16 hours a day) but are very active when they are awake.
Adult Colour Variations:
- The most distinct colour forms are the albino (also called English) and the polecat-marked fitch (sable), with black guard hairs. Various other colours are recognized, including several white markings on the chest, face and/or feet.
Sexual dimorphism
- Male is more robust and larger than the female.
- Males about 38 cm long, female 35 cm (including the tail)
- Male weight 1,000-2,000 g, female 600-900 g
Dentition:
- Adult: the dental formula is I 3/3, C 1/1, P 3/3, M 1/2 x2 = 34. Supernumerary incisor are common.
- Newborn: Deciduous dentition I 4/3, C 1/1, P 3/3 x2 = 30.
Vital signs:
- Body temperature 37.8 - 40 C
- Resting respiratory rate 33-36 breath per minute
- Resting heart rate (Pulse/heart rate) is about 180-250 bpm.
Diet:
- Ferret have a fairly typical carnivore digestive system. Ferret have a short intestinal tract and food passes through the gut rapidly. Total food transit time may be as short as three hours in adult.
- They should be fed several times a day (twice a day at the absolute minimum). If a completed pelleted (kibble) ration is given, it can be left available all the time.
- The natural diet of feral ferret includes introduced rabbit as the main prey, also introduced rat and mice, native bird, reptile, amphibians and insects. Ferret were bred for hunting rats and rabbit. When meeting at a carcass, they have been seen to share the carcass.
- Water needs to be available at all times, in a heavy bowl (or e.g. a tray weighted with a brick) or a water bottle.
Housing:
- Housing should provide as natural an environment as possible. They should be able to perform a range of behaviours, including exploring, foraging, playing, hiding and resting, territory marking and grooming.
- Indoor ferrets should be provided with several little trays- preferably one in each room they access, as well as one in their home cage.
- Pipe and boxes, particularly joined together to make a maze, provide tunneling opportunities for play. Ferret-safe toys (not. e.g. rubber which they might eat) should also be provided. An area for digging will be appreciated and some ferret like playing in water.
Obstetric and Gynecology:
Oestrous/Ovulation:
- Female are monoestrous and remain in oestrus until mated, ovulating 30-49 hous later. After weaning their litter they return to oestrus about two weeks later, or the following breeding season. If there are less about five corpora lutea or sucking young, females may return to oestrus 2-3 weeks after the birth of the kits.
Gestation/Pregnancy:
- Pregnancy last 40-44 days, average 42 days. If the jill is mated but does not become pregnant (e.g. after mating with a vasectomised male), pseudopregnancy occurs, lasting about the same time as a normal pregnancy.
Partirition/Birth
- Parturition is usually rapid, with all kits delivered with 2-3 hours.
Litter Size:
- The litter may contain 2-18 kits, average may be 8-9.
Lactation/ Milk Production:
- Lactation last about six weeks.
Newborn:
- Altricial, blind (the eyes are closed at birth), deaf, sparsely furred and helpless. The eyes open at about 34 days and they are able to hear by about 32 days.
- Newborn weight about 8-12 g at birth. Ferret grow rapidly, doubling their bird weight by five days, 10 times their birth weight by three weeks and reaching adult weight by 16 weeks.
- Neonates have a sparse white coat which, except in albino/white ferret, turns grey by about three days old (abundant by two weeks).
- Total food transit time may be as short as one hour in kits on milk.
- They start exploring and eating solid food about three weeks old while the eyes are still closed, and are more active from about four weeks, lively by five weeks and playing a lot by six weeks. They are weaned by 6-8 weeks.
Hand-Rearing Ferrets
- Initially keep at about 26.7 C and 50-60% humidity.
- Make sure each kit is clean (any milk wiped from the face, and urine or faeces produced during toileting removed) and dry before replacing it in the nest box. From about four weeks, provides a larger box in which they can exercise more.
- Milk replacer for kitten or puppies can be used. Kitten or puppy milk replacer with added whipping cream to give 20% fat, e.g. Esbilac puppy milk replacer mixed 3:1 with whipping cream.
- Feed about 10% of body weight
- Feed about 0.5 mL at a feed initially, increasing to about 1 mL per feed by the end first week. If the kit develops diarrhoe, reduce the quantity fed or the strength of milk substitute.
- Initially feed every two hours, day and night. Gradually reduce the number of night feeds over a periods of two weeks. By three weeks, feed every 3-4 hours.
- Just after every feed, the kits should be stimulated to urinate/defecate/ stoke the belly and back legs, and gentle wiping the anogenital are using a ball of cotton wool or a cloth, moistened in warm water. The kit should urinate after each feed, but may not always defecate. Urination and defecation happen at about the same time. Make sure all traces of faeces are wiped off the kit.
- From about three weeks of age (about the same time they start eating soft foods, and moving around), kits will start urinating/defecating without stimulation.
- by three weeks old, start offering small amounts of solid food (e.g. raw meat scraped to from a puree).
- By four weeks, provide food for chewing, reduce the quantity of bottle feeding and provide milk supplement in a shallow dish for the kits to drink.
- By five weeks hand-feeding should no longer be needed, the kit should be eating sufficient milk formula and food by themselves.
- From six weeks, reduce the milk provided, so that it can be stopped entirely at eight weeks (when they would normally be weaned).
Vaccination:
- Vaccination help to protect your ferret from severe infection disease.
- Basic vaccination:
- 10th week of life: Distemper
- 12th week of life: Distemper, rabies
- 16th week of life: Rabies
- For the basic immunisation of the young (kits), at least one vaccination must take place after the kit's 10th week of life. Kit younger than this may still have maternal antibodies. For this reason, the young must receive a booster 4-6 weeks after the initial immunisation. The immunity then lasts for 12 months. The booster vaccines are best administered before mating so that the kits receive the best protection from birth.
References:
JSPCA Animals' Shelter http://www.jspca.org.je/
Komentar
Posting Komentar