Breeding Contracts and Stud Use
Please read this whole page before contacting us in regards to stud or breeding contracts
In order to improve the gene pool and general integrity of ferrets we are willing to work with other ferret breeders in the following ways;
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sell on breeding contracts
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stud use
Although we have done both with friends in the past it has been may years since and this is the first time that we have considered doing so more formally. In order to do this, we need to trust someone with our ferrets and our lines, two of our most cherished things. We must trust each other in such a venture. As such all participants will be required to sign breeder’s contracts to protect the welfare of the ferrets and insure the lines will not become compromised. Additionally, all studs and breeding homes will be severely vetted. If you are not successful it may be due to a personality clash or just that we do not know you well enough or know someone who can vouch for you. In either case pride would not stop us from reconsidering after getting to know you better
I would like to preface this section by saying if you would like to collaborate with us in a stud exchange please contact us to discuss as soon as possible. Our rather unique way of breeding cause us to work several years in advance and only breed a jill a handful of times. We also need to consider if a hob will be used by ourselves that year, so if you leave it too late we may not be able to accommodate it into our breeding program
Stud use must be arranged by February of the year it is planned to take place. This is to ensure we have cage space for quarantine and can write up a stud contract.
Minimum expectations for Stud/Breeding contracts
As well as our minimum expectations for pet owners we expect breeding homes and studs to abide by the following:
All applicants should be prepared to discuss reasons for breeding, breeding goals and experience with us. Examples of pedigrees, pictures and rearing methods for past, planned and potential pairings will be ideal for this discussion. Novice breeders may be asked to “shadow” under ourselves for a period before gaining breeding rights of any ferrets.
Applicants may have to gain permission of a 3rd party breeder to obtain breeding rights for some lines. This is due to contracts that we have signed. We will inform applicants if applicable, but it will be the applicants responsibility to gain their permission before an agreement to sell can take place.
The stud and breeding contracts will include restrictions on home placement, or a need to inform us of any sold on to breeding homes. This is to prevent contract breaches that have already taken place between ourselves and other breeders.
Breeding contract will include a maximum number of litters in a lifetime and a retirement age (for jills) this is to prevent genetic bottle necking through popular sire syndrome and protect the welfare of the jills
Stud and Breeding contracts will include a buy back clause, giving us the right to a kit from any of our lines. The jill owner always has the right to pick of the litter, we would then have second (or in the case of a stud exchange the jill owner would have first and stud owner would have second)
The stud and breeding contracts will have clauses to inform us of offspring health and provide information on the other parent as well as husbandry for all. This is in line with the clause in our pet contract and is to allow us to breed for health and temperament
If at any time, for whatever reason a ferret sold on a breeding contract is to be re-homed it is the owner’s responsibility to contact us first and return them. Exceptions will be on a case by case basis and only to permanent retirement homes at the breeder’s consent
Our conditions for use of our lines
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No hob from our lines may be bred to a full angora jill.
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All ferrets of our lines can only be used in pairings comprising of only healthy ferrets of sound temperament
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No ferret of our lines is not to be used in pairings to close relatives. Cases of such are grounds for immediate return of the ferret to the breeder. For recorded lines this also includes inbreeding co-efficients above 1%. This is an effort to improve genetic diversity and gene pools among breeders, to do this would be to undermine the concept
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Our lines are not to be used in pairings where either parent is less than 9 months old at time of breeding. This is to be sure of the full development of both parties, that the hob as 2 full distended testicles and that the jill is mature enough to cope with a litter. Please note that some lines may not be fully mentally mature until 18 months. Some inherited diseases, Juvenile lymphoma as an example, can present themselves until 24 months of age. This should be kept in mind when placing homes
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Kits from this our lines must have safe, secure housing, appropriate size for a litter. They must be raised on ferret appropriate food (ie raw, ferret kibble etc) and free of pests external and internal (by way of worming or regular worm counts) at time of re-homing
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Kits from our lines will not be re-homed before 8 weeks of age as a minimum
Stud use
All our ferrets are pets and the idea of them not being at home with the rest of us makes us very uneasy. For this reason, we would prefer any ferrets travel to us for breeding. During a stud exchange or using a stud from another ferretry we may need to make exceptions however for general stud use the ferrets will board with for breeding. We appreciate when other breeders take our feelings into regard on this and humor us by allowing us to board their ferrets too. Information on ferret boarding for stud use is in our vasectomised hob page.
Transport must be arranged by the jill owner at their cost. The exception to this is when we are using an outside male in our breeding program in which case the transport of the male to our residence would be at our cost.
Regarding cost of stud fee for us it is pick of the litter unless otherwise agreed in writing before breeding. However, we may take a holding fee at the time of the jill leaving to be returned when we receive our kit. This fee would be arranged before breeding and based on the expected outcome of the litter. This is purely to ensure we receive our pick
All details of a stud use including fees, location of breeding, conditions of the pairing and anything that must be included in the sales contract of the kits (for a gist read the above) will be included in the contract which will be signed before breeding takes place. This will include penalties such as kit/litter repossession and termination of the litter upon breach. You should also be aware that even breeders who do not know each other socially are in contact and your breach of contract will be brought to attention