This year seems to be a big year for breeders who don't take breeding seriously. I could write a book of rants however today I'm going to quickly address a more controversial topic: re-homing age
You literally see kits being re-homed any time between 4 weeks and 16 weeks so this is clearly a big subject for debate but it is also a big red flag for you to run a mile.
Those who follow our page will know that our latest litter is already weaning at 3 weeks. This isn't unusual, in fact it is a basis of our version of the communication trilogy (see puppy culture) that we make use of this early weaning. They start to wean before their other senses are active, before they are properly walking, before you can even be sure they will definitely make it to being fully weaned.
You see weaning isn't something instant. They don't eat solids and can be pronounced weaned. They are weaned when they no longer suckling from their mother which can vary from 6 to 16 weeks! We picked up our first pup at 9-10 weeks old and the fist thing she and her sister did on seeing their mum was suckle from her while she just looked at us like "can you just get them off me" lol borders are pretty passive mothers. That said after about 7 weeks latest they are not reliant on mums milk and should be, for the purposes of re-homing "weaned". After this the suckling is more a form of comfort.
They still need mum though. She teaches them how to ferret, use a litter tray, gives guidance on how to react to the new and strange. Our girl Glitch was re-homed at 12 weeks and I would say she would have still benefited from an extra week with her mum. Physically she was perfect but mentally a little uneasy still. On the other hand if her breeder wasn't giving mum the chance to teach these things then that might explain everything. The need for their mum is so high at this age that their is actually laws in the UK that mean re-homing a mammal before 8 weeks is a criminal offence. Like tags on a dog this law is more in theory than in practice but it can be seen more as a way to pin down a BYB/puppy/cat/ferret farm. Give the authorities a reason to step in and begin an investigation.
There is also just facts of development. Any kit under 5 weeks will not have good ability to see and hear yet, even if their eyes open early. Their vision is fuzzy for a good few days after opening. A kit under 6 weeks is still reliant on milk for nutrition. Cow, goat or cat milk from the supermarket does not fill this need. The only milk we ever feed a kit is formula because it's the only time that is useful to them. Little known one next but failure to thrive. Most failure to thrives happen by a week old, occasionally a strong soul fights for a bit longer but its clear they are failing. The other time we hold our breath is at 7 weeks and a few days before and after. At this age, particularly with rescue kits, sudden failure to thrive can happen. This is what happened to our little Kida who defeated the odds and was fostered to Cara, with no babies at the time, from a day old. We went out and she had just died in her sleep. Realistically you can't be sure of a healthy kit, or do a good health check, until 8 weeks old.
So we've reached 8 weeks, why do some re-home now and others wait? Well it's complicated, there's 2 things to bare in mind: development and emotional bonding.
Physically is easy to explain. Some lines develop faster than others. I keep saying how I forgot how quickly the line our current litter is from develops. Simply put they are steaming ahead weaning wise, already supporting themselves easily, all ready reacting to stimuli despite being blind and deaf still. They are ahead of the curve. Angora lines on the other hand tend to develop more slowly physically. Like long haired cats you can expect them to be a few days behind a standard in terms of meeting their mile stones. EU lines tend to physically develop at the same rate as a standard but mentally they take longer to mature. This is to the extent that many don't go through a "teenage" stage until their 9-12 months. This can also be seen in the wild where Polecats spend a good few months with their mum, Polecats being solitary they stay "babies" while learning to hunt and survive with mum, even though they're weaned. Interestingly we can see this parallel in cats too, wild felines take months to years to become independent mentally and sexually. Even the Scottish wildcat which can interbreed with the domestic cat only has 1 season and one litter she looks after for the summer and her daughters will not be sexual rivals at all in the time they are together compared to their human dependent cousins who can get pregnant from 3 months (line dependent) and have litters back to back, pregnant as soon as they've birthed the last litter.
Ferrets also tend to start teething between 12 and 16 weeks so some breeders choose to keep them until they are past the start of teething. At the very start of teething they can get very mouthy and the choice to hold them back prevents claims that "the ferret bites" when it is just an owner inexperienced with raising ferrets and the behaviour and development to expect at this age.
Emotionally is a bit more complex. Their is a window up to 16 weeks which we call the socialization period. Anything not seen in this window is a possible stumbling block so a good breeder will want to do as much as possible with their kits while in their care so they definitely get this socialization. On the other hand there is also a period in which domestic species form the strongest bonds with their owner. This period is between 6 and 12 weeks and is stronger the earlier you start is. So we have the options of holding them longer with more socialization and training, more time with mum, but potentially not as strong a bond as they could have, Or letting them go ASAP.
These elements all need to be considered and balanced to decide on re-homing age. Is the breeder who keeps until 4 months with no handling but does tapes and toys and the best diet better than the one who only keeps until 8 weeks but spends all day with them? Unsaid in this argument is of course the breeders attitude to the kits. Like with Glitch ARE they getting the best socialization? IS the breeder putting in the effort handling them or are they just in a cage/run? Does the breeder have space for the litter or are they all in a tiny cage full time (really our nursery cage block isn't big enough for a litter on their feet and they're good sized cages)? Are they getting a good diet? Cut corners do not help you or the kits.
IMO someone who wants rid of litter before 8 weeks old is not looking out for the kits and the money is worth more than their lives. The kits are better off away from such people but if you buy them they'll be more likely to breed again And you are likely looking at a hard road in terms of raising and potentially loosing your kit. It's a sad fact of life that most kits are brought into this world in the UK to make a profit cutting corners, or as it's more convenient than the jill jab or finding a vas hob. At any rate run a mile from anyone trying to make you take your kit home before 8 weeks old.
So why do we re-home at 9 weeks? Well to be honest if we weren't able to start our socialization as early by relying on working with one sense at a time and then building experiences I would keep them longer. As it is we do say to some homes I'd like to keep this one for an extra week, etc. To me personally building that relationship and having a strong bond is really important to me and I want my kits and new homes to experience that bond as strong as they can, that means re-homing before 12 weeks, but socialization is much more important in the long run and training too. Starting the experiences as early as we can and working on training in a practiced manner like we do allows us to do as much as we can in a small period and then after 8 weeks we can start taking them out for walks, visiting the vets, going in cars and public transport. If all goes to plan they will have done as much general socialization as we can by 9 weeks, allowing them to focus on building that bond for the next 3 weeks and then a further 3 weeks specifically socializing in the owners home/lifestyle. If they're not ready to leave at that age their not ready and we are more than happy, as well as able, to keep them longer. Whether that's emotionally, physically, socially or training wise (some kits do need longer for training). I would say that the flexibility is something I look for in a good breeder, they usually say "from X weeks" or "I expect X weeks" so the buyer has a date but they are respecting that the kits are individual