BREEDING. 73 



until the young are four weeks old; but if the 

 nest becomes dirty, remove the dirt without 

 disturbing the young ones. This should be done 

 when the mother is out feeding. 



Great care should be taken in bedding, as a 

 great many young ferrets are lost in careless 

 bedding. You should have enough bedding so 

 that she can hide her young but not enough to 

 get lost in. Do not let them sweat or they will 

 die. The male should not be with the female in 

 breeding season as he will be sure to kill the 

 young. 



The young ones are born with their eyes 

 closed and will remain that way till they are six 

 weeks old. If the young appear hungry before 

 they come out of their nest, soak bread in new 

 milk and let them suck it and after they have 

 sucked the milk out, take the bread out of the 

 nest. When the young are ten or eleven weeks 

 old, wean them by putting the mother in another 

 hutch by herself. If any of them get weak and 

 sick, try to build them up by putting them in 

 another hutch by themselves and then give them 

 plenty of new milk and bread. 



Breeders have their own individual idea as to 

 the best size for the different animals ferrets are 

 to be used on. There are three sizes — large, me- 

 dium, small. The general opinion seems to be 



