Determining the sex of Mink

[Tangaroa]

Hi,

Bit of a strange one......
I was looking for some advice on determining the sex of American Mink. I was told that it was fairly simple to tell by looking at the private area...ahem.....however I have either been catching just females (which I understand is unlikely) or it really isn’t that easy to tell.......

Thanks for any help

[valleyforge]

Originally Posted by Tangaroa

Hi,

Bit of a strange one......
I was looking for some advice on determining the sex of American Mink. I was told that it was fairly simple to tell by looking at the private area...ahem.....however I have either been catching just females (which I understand is unlikely) or it really isn’t that easy to tell.......

Thanks for any help

It is fairly simple to sex mink and other small mustelids, even in neonates.

In the male, the urogenital opening (penis) is on the ventral abdomen (belly), whilst in the female the anogenital distance is short ... that is the vulva are located just forward of the anus.

In addition, the male has an os penis (penile bone), which can be palpated (felt), beginning just to the rear of the urogenital opening and extending about half the distance towards the anus.

Both male and females have small nipples, but these are more numerous and obvious in the (particularly mature) female. In the male, only a single pair of nipples may be obvious.

[hedgehugger]

Would mink develop in a similar way to ferrets?
In young males (ferrets) the testicles aren't always obvious until they start to mature, but the fact they are male is still very much evident

[valleyforge]

In mustelids, the testicles descend into the scrotum and swell during periods of male sexual activity ... in ferrets/polecats the breeding season is between December and July (under normal lighting conditions) ... in mink the mating season usually lasts about 4 weeks, beginning in early March.

[poschiavanus]

Originally Posted by valleyforge

...
In the male, the urogenital opening (penis) is on the ventral abdomen (belly), whilst in the female the anogenital distance is short ... that is the vulva are located just forward of the anus.
...

This should work for most mammals, certainly its the standard technique with rodents: and many WABbers can check on at least one species of primate .

[George Hogg]

Also in most mustelids including mink males are much bigger than females

[Tangaroa]

Originally Posted by valleyforge

It is fairly simple to sex mink and other small mustelids, even in neonates.

In the male, the urogenital opening (penis) is on the ventral abdomen (belly), whilst in the female the anogenital distance is short ... that is the vulva are located just forward of the anus.

In addition, the male has an os penis (penile bone), which can be palpated (felt), beginning just to the rear of the urogenital opening and extending about half the distance towards the anus.

Both male and females have small nipples, but these are more numerous and obvious in the (particularly mature) female. In the male, only a single pair of nipples may be obvious.

Thanks valleyforge - it is actually quite easy once you know what your looking for.......