A Complete Guide to Keeping a Pet Weasel
It is not known exactly when weasels began to be given the name of a deity, which may be related to their living habits. Although the weasel has a divine name, with its cute appearance it is also a good choice as a pet, and interested friends can give it a try. Below, let us take a look at how to keep a pet weasel!
Cage and Nest Box Construction
The cage is made up of a wire cage connected to a nest box. The wire cage should be somewhat large, with a door on top for feeding and cleaning, and a small hole left at the bottom of the side to connect with the nest box. The nest box, for the weasel to rest and give birth in, is slightly smaller than the wire cage and is nailed together from hard wooden boards.
Feed Formula
Weasels are best fed a mixed feed, which should be based mainly on meat feed with some grain feed and vegetables added. The feed formula is 30% animal meat, 10% fish and shrimp, 15% animal offal, 10% soybean cake, 15% wheat bran, 5% chaff, 10% radish, and 5% cabbage. In addition, add 2 grams of salt, 5 grams of bone meal, 5 grams of yeast, and 1 gram of cod liver oil to every 500 grams of mixed feed. During pregnancy, the meat feed can be increased to about 75%, appropriately reducing the amount of grain and vegetable feed, to meet the needs of the fetus's growth and development in the mother's body.
Feeding Method
Feed once each in the morning and evening every day, giving about 40% at 7-8 am and 60% at 5-6 pm. When feeding, cut the food into even small pieces; to stimulate appetite, feeding should be stopped once a week. For young cubs, the feed is best as a semi-liquid, viscous food that is easy to digest and rich in nutrients, such as milk and eggs.
Breeding Method
Weasels generally come into estrus and mate from early March to the end of April, with a gestation period of about 1 month. They give birth only once a year, with 5-10 young per litter. Before giving birth, the female weasel makes a round little nest in the nest box with bedding straw and blocks the entrance and exit with straw. No manual assistance is needed at birth; the environment should be kept quiet and she should not be disturbed, so as to avoid the weasel carrying the cubs around in her mouth or biting the young to death. The cubs are weaned at 30-40 days, at which point they can be separated into different nests and selected for breeding according to their physical condition. Weak cubs need strengthened nutrition and careful management.
Notes: When keeping a weasel as a pet, two issues also need attention. First, feed at fixed times and in fixed amounts, with a variety of feed types, and do not feed spoiled or rotten feed. Second, do a good job of cleaning and disinfecting the environment, cage, and feeding utensils to prevent the occurrence of disease.