Reproductive Medicine in Ferrets

Vladimir Jekl; Karel Hauptman

doi:10.1016/j.cvex.2016.11.016

Reproductive Medicine in Ferrets

Vet Clin North Am Exot Anim Pract. 2017 May;20(2):629-663. doi: 10.1016/j.cvex.2016.11.016.

Authors

Vladimir Jekl¹, Karel Hauptman²

Affiliations

¹ Avian and Exotic Animal Clinic, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Veterinary and Pharmaceutical Sciences Brno, Palackeho tr. 1946/1, 61242 Brno, Czech Republic. Electronic address: jeklv@vfu.cz.
² Avian and Exotic Animal Clinic, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Veterinary and Pharmaceutical Sciences Brno, Palackeho tr. 1946/1, 61242 Brno, Czech Republic.

PMID: 28340892
DOI: 10.1016/j.cvex.2016.11.016

Abstract

In the United States, desexing is performed routinely in ferrets at the age of 6 weeks, therefore reproductive tract diseases are not so common. However, in Europe most ferrets are desexed when they are several months old, or they are kept as intact animals. For this reason, diseases of the reproductive organs and a prolonged estrus are far more frequent in Europe than in the United States. This article summarizes and reviews the anatomy, reproductive physiology, management of reproduction (including surgical and hormonal contraception) and reproductive tract diseases in male and female ferrets.

Keywords: Contraception; Deslorelin; Estrus; Ferret; Hyperestrogenism; Neoplasia; Reproduction; Sterilization.

Publication types

Review

MeSH terms

Animals
Estrus
Female
Ferrets / anatomy & histology
Ferrets / physiology*
Male
Reproduction
Reproductive Medicine
United States