Ferret kits (babies) from 1 to 15 days old
In the video below you can see a ferret litter growing.
First two weeks of ferret kits (babies) life (from their 1st day to their 15th day). Note the difference!
During this period the babies are growing and gaining weight very rapidly. During the two weeks their weight increase 5-6 times in comparison the weight they are born at.
In this particular litter all kits are sable color. As in this case the babies are nearly identical they are marked with a green antiseptic solution to enable to follow how each of them is growing and gaining weight. If you notice strange dots on them while watching the video - it is the marking.
There are 10 baby ferrets in this litter. 5 boys and 5 girls! It does not happen so often that a number of boys and girls distribute so evenly. So this this another little miracle of mother nature.
At birth ferret kits weight 8-10 g. (28 grams = 1 oz). At the age of 2 weeks males already weight about 70 g. (2,47 oz) and females about 60 g. (2,12 oz).
During the first two weeks of life ferret babies have only two duties – eat mother’s milk and sleep. They are completely dependent on their mother.
If something goes wrong with the mother or her milk – the breeder is in a big trouble. Unlike for cat or dog babies - there is no milk substitute developed specially for ferret babies. It is possible to try to use milk substitutes developed for kittens, however ferret babies at that age are so small and so fragile that successful fostering at that age is nearly impossible. One really needs a ferret mother for that.
If something goes wrong with the mother at that age – the biggest chance to save babies is to find them a foster ferret mother.
Later as kits grow the chances to save their life in case something happens to their mother or her milk (for example mastitis – (an infection of the breast tissue) is better and better day by day.
In addition, it is not only the food that ferret kits need their mother for. In the beginning of their life ferret kits are not able to control body temperature and keep their bodies warm by themselves. They become cold when left without their mother. In order to stay warm for the times when mother has left the nest the kits stick together in a bundle. However if the weather temperature is high they will do the opposite – will spread out instead of keeping together.