Not only beautiful cats, dogs, fish, or chickens but how many types of animals that are not familiar are also kept as pets. One of them, ferret.
Ferret is a carnivorous mammal from the Mustelidae family.
Ferret, the cute cute and tame with a price of millions of rupiah
Similar to beavers, these animals are tiny, slightly elongated bodies weighing 0.7-2 kilograms (kg).
The characters are active and docile, so they are suitable to be friends to play with.
Although classified as carnivores, ferrets do not like to bite their masters.
Ferret is commonly kept in countries in Europe, Australia, and America.
Later, this animal with black, white, and brown fur began to be bred in China and Thailand.
Afar Prayanto, a ferret breeder from Depok, West Java and owner of Saung Musang Depok, said that ferret is indeed currently popular.
In addition to the cute face that looks cute, this animal is very tame.
"When you bite it sticks, so if we stand, it will hang like that, but it won't bite even if its mouth is teased when it's released," he explained.
Because there are not many breeds, the price of ferrets is quite high.
Afar sells two-month-old ferret puppies from Rp. 4 million to Rp. 5 million per head.
His ferret hunters are animal hobbyists who are interested in participating in inbreeding.
"In a month the demand is a lot, but I still limit it, to keep the selling price from falling and to maintain the quality of the broodstock," he said.
Ginanjar Setiyadi, a breeder from Yogyakarta and owner of Gonjar Per Project, admitted that this American animal is indeed an expensive pet. Because it is very difficult to breed.
"The stress level of these animals is high, the sires often eat their children or are pregnant with wine (empty pregnancy),"
It also took him more than two years to successfully produce healthy puppies. Now he has 16 broodstock.
The man who is more familiarly called Gonjar admitted that he only released ferret to adopters after he was three months old.
Because he wanted to make sure his physical condition was strong and healthy.
The price varies from Rp. 4.5 million to Rp. 7 million per head. "This price is adjusted to the color of the fur, the more unique the more expensive it will be," he explained.
The consumers come from various cities, from Jakarta, Surabaya, to Kalimantan.
Vulnerable to stress, ferret cultivation needs extra attention.
Even though it has a tame character, maintaining a ferret is tricky. In particular, when it will be bred. Animals that are still brothers and sisters need extra attention.
Female ferret often experiences fertilization failure.
In fact, due to stress, female ferrets also eat their children.
It's good, pregnant females are separated from the colony.
Ginanjar Setiyadi, a breeder from Yogyakarta and owner of the Gonjar Pet Project, suggested that this American animal should be bred when it is one year old.
"The goal is to make the male and female ready to be fertilized and fertilized so that they can produce chicks," he explained.
The man who is more familiarly called Gonjar added, to find out if a female is in heat can be seen from her genitals which turn red, swollen, and feel warm.
Before mating, it is better if males and females are given enough food to prevent malnutrition after giving birth.
For feed, you can provide packaged cat food.
This feed should always be available in the cage because the digestive system of this animal is short so it will always want to eat.
As a protein enhancer, this animal is also given boiled fish meat and drinking mineral water.
The size of the cage should also be free for the animal.
At least three times their body size, the ferret can play in a cage.
However, also let the ferret run outside the cage considering that this animal is quite active.
Afar Prayanto, a breeder from Depok, West Java and owner of Saung Musang Depok, added that if the owner should bathe the ferret every two days.
The cleanliness of the cage must also be maintained to avoid disease.
Same as before, for his feed, Afar uses instant high protein cat food which is given every other day in the morning and at night.
Just so you know, Ferrets always sleep during the day.
And only become active again at night and in the morning.
This 30-year-old male chooses to marry a ferret when he is 1.5 to 2 years old.
The goal is that the male and female are ready to mate and avoid becoming pregnant with wine.
After giving birth, the female will experience physical changes, namely hair loss, the body becomes very thin.
Understandably, as long as they contain these animals they tend to eat less and drink more.
To avoid dehydration, you can give coconut water as a substitute for mineral water for the female.
"The female body shape will return to normal after four or five months later," he said.
If the young ferret is not breastfeeding its mother, it can be given pellet pulp. The good is after the age of two months, immune vaccines and rabies.
