BREEDING. 69 



dangerous to the young ones. After they get 

 their eyes open, which will be in about six v/eeks, 

 they can be weaned. Open up the pen on warm 

 days so they can run about and get in the sun. 



The main diet of the ferret is bread and milk, 

 with raw meat occasionally in the form of a 

 rabbit head or a bird, or in fact, any animal. 

 They are especially fond of rabbits and young 

 chickens, sparrows, woodchucks, etc. They 

 should be fed raw meat quite frequently while 

 they are nursing the young, as they sometimes 

 become blood-thirsty and eat the young if they 

 can get no meat. 



One raiser who breeds a few each season 

 writes as follows : A ferret carries its young for 

 six weeks and has from one to twelve in a litter ; 

 the average seems to be from three to seven. 

 The young do not open their eyes for about six 

 weeks, but should be fed milk as soon as they 

 will drink it, which is at about the age of two 

 weeks if a large litter, four if a small one, as the 

 mother's milk seems to practically cease. I 

 heard of several cases where beginners let the 

 young starve to death because they didn't feed 

 before the eyes were open. If a second litter is 

 desired take the female away from the young as 

 soon as they will eat good (about six weeks) and 

 in a week or ten days she will be ready to breed 



