No. A jill (female ferret) will not die if it not bred from, but it will become very ill (and possibly die) if it is not brought out of season. A jill will stay in season for many months and this will lead to problems such as infection, which can be severe enough to cause death.
There are a number of ways to bring a jill out of season, the most effective of which is having her spayed. She could also be taken to a vasectomised hob so that he will mate her and (in theory) bring her out of season without her producing a litter. However, this method is not fool proof and can present different problems. Firstly, if the vasectomised hob is not proven he may not actually mate the jill. Secondly, if he has been used to mate other jills to bring them out of season there is the risk of cross-infection. Care must also be taken to ensure that the hob was vasectomised at least six months ago because they have the ability to store sperm for quite some time after the operation, which may result in an unwanted litter of kits.
The third option is the ‘jill jab’. This is a hormonal injection administered by the vet. However, there is always a chance that the jill will come back into season after being jabbed so by far the most effective and safe option is to have the animal spayed. This will eliminate the risk of pyometra infection of the womb.
There are three options open to you; a trip to the vets for a ‘Jill Jab’ and spay later, find a ferret owner with a vasectomised Hob to visit your little girl for a few days, or find a vet that is experienced enough with ferrets to spay her whilst in season.
Eastleigh is a little off our patch, so not sure about vets in the area. Drop a line to our Welfare Officer, she might be able to point you in the direction of a local ferret friendly vet.
Hi, My Jill (Polly) Has just turned 6 months (3 days ago), and for the past 2 weeks has come into season. Ive kept many ferrets and have never experienced one coming into season quite as quickly as this. I had planned to get her spayed, in these recent weeks, being fully aware that her body may well not yet be fully developed.
Could anybody please shed some light as to what to do from here. My thoughts would be to give her the Jill jab and then get her spayed once settled down.
Is it possible to get her spayed when in season?
I live in Fair oak near Eastleigh in Hampshire, could anybody recommend a good vet to take her too for this also? Any help or advice on this would be greatfully received.
Many thanks.