70 FERRET FACTS AND FANCIES. 



again. It is advisable to keep a pail of sand 

 scattered in the bottom of the pen, especially 

 during hot weather. Dirt is not advisable as it 

 soon becomes dust and does not seem to agree 

 with the ferrets. In winter straw is preferred. 

 The pens should be cleaned frequently. The fer- 

 ret is a very clean animal if you will do your 

 part in cleaning the pen and supplying fresh 

 bedding for it. It is also a very healthy animal 

 if the pen is kept reasonably clean. 



Another party who has raised a few litters 

 each season calls attention to the following: 

 Give the female plenty of fresh meat and she 

 will never eat her young unless you have the 

 male so near that they can smell or hear one 

 another. Do not look at the young ones for a 

 week or more because she may become angry and 

 kill them or bite the disturber. The young ones 

 are blind for six weeks and are generally born 

 about May. If weaned early, the mother will 

 generally have another litter. There are gener- 

 ally from five to twelve in a litter and sometimes 

 as many as eighteen. The smaller litters are the 

 strongest, therefore, there is generally as much 

 profit from the small as from the large litters. 



When the young ones start to crawl from 

 their nest, a little bread and milk can be fed 

 every day. Be sure and remove all the bread 



