When a female ferret becomes pregnant, she will oftentimes become more tired and will sleep a lot. During pregnancy, it is wise for the ferret owner to develop a diet for the mom-to-be that is high in protein and contains more calories than her normal diet. During the 42 days a Jill remains pregnant, a ferret owner has time to create a nice dark place for her to nest and give birth.



The ideal dwelling for a ferret to give birth and nurse her kits is one that is dark and has a nesting box. You know your ferret better than anyone, so you can determine what she may need in her box. If you want to keep her in her normal cage for the gestation period and birth, cover it with a sheet or place it in a room that is dark and quiet. Pregnant females should be treated to their own dwelling during the time as she may become irritable.

During the birth of your ferret's kits, it is best to have them all in a box or cage that you can peek into from above. Although you will want to check up on the birth to make sure there are no complications, once the kits are born and doing ok it is best to leave them with their mother to nurse and bond. Because your ferret is bonded to you, she will likely not mind your brief presence to check on her and give her food and water, but others should refrain from viewing. After birth, mommy ferret becomes highly protective of her babies. Too many visitors can cause her to bite or even eat the little ones.

Even after she gives birth, your mommy ferret will need to keep up a good high protein diet. You may discuss the best options with your vet, but many ferret owners feed their ferret moms chicken baby food twice a day. At some point, after they develop a bit, the ferret kits will find their way to the bowl and nibble on the food left for mom. This could be chicken baby food or high protein kibble that has been softened with warm water.

Ferret kits will nurse until they are about six weeks old. A ferret's milk is high in protein and fat. To give you an idea of just how good a ferrets milk is for their young, consider this. Cow's milk is about 4% fat. Your ferret's milk contains up to 20% fat at about 3 weeks after birth. This is the primary reason why it is highly important that you make sure your ferret is eating her high protein diet. Nursing her kits takes an enormous amount of her energy and the only way she has to replenish it is through her diet.

At about 3 weeks of age is when kits will readily eat food given to the litter. This will be in addition to nursing. When offering food to kits, it should be moist and should contain all of the essential micronutrients they need. Remember, ferrets need protein and fat in their diets. While you can supplement their kibble with some blended up chicken or beef, and also with a bit of cow's milk, it is best not to supplement too much because the balance of micronutrients could be thrown off.