Determining Baby Mink ( Kit ) Age by Developmental Stages: Days 1-39

3:30 - 1 day old
3:55 - 2 days old
4:26 - 3 days old
4:50 - 4 days old
5:23 - 5 days old- chin spot becomes more visible
5:54 - 6 days old
6:26 - 7 days old
7:09 - 8 days old
7:47 - 9 days old
8:17 - 10 days old- starting to show fuzz
9:20 - 11 days old
10:13 - 12 days old
10:48 - 13 days old
11:29 - 14 days old
12:09 - 15 days old
12:34 - 16 days old
13:07 - 17 days old
13:58 - 18 days old
14:39 - 19 days old- fur thick enough you can't see skin on back
15:37 - 20 days old
17:18 - 21 days old
20:02 - 22 days old- canines on females first break through gums
22:13 - 23 days old- all of the major teeth on females have broken through the gums. Also crawling has started a little bit more.
24:32 - 24 days old
25:28 - 25 days old- all of the major teeth on males have broken through the gums.
27:07 - 26 days old
27:37 - 27 days old
28:26- 28 days old
29:35 - 29 days old
30:32 - 30 days old
30:52 - 31 days old
33:35 - 32 days old
34:57 - 34 days old
36:23 - 35 days old
37:30 - 36 days old- started walking through lawn, seeing and following a person a couple feet in front of them.
39:23 - 37 days old- first fear flinches started (mostly sound based)
41:10 - 38 days old
43:36 - 39 days old- showing more obvious signs of fear (both sight and sound based)
I now have an EXCLUSIVE CLUB where you can interact with me 1 on 1, see videos I can't share on KZbin due to their CENSORSHIP, and see pictures/read stories about my adventures!
the-mink-man-s...
We also have new merch! To buy my book, hat, or T-shirt follow this link... the-mink-man.m...
If you would like to help support my channel another way, this is a link to my Patreon account. / minkman

[@penpan4949]

I absolutely LOVE that he always says "big yawn" in a cutesy way every time they yawn ❤

[@penpan4949]

Awww and the way he explains to his daughter that the mink was hungry and never got upset at either one of them ❤❤❤

[@ijlayugan4149]

so cute ❤ its what I also say when my cat yawns or just do anything in general. "biiiig stretch"

[@e.o752]

Omg he does??? I do that to my birds whenever they do anything. It’s a huge deal.

[@Spudscave]

That was a treat little Boon n Crocket I forgot how vicious lil Crocket was he turned out a fantastic Mink in the end but Boon was so calm clever and bonded so well with Joseph and the girls he was a special Mink and he’s sorely missed but never forgotten thanks for showing us this trip down memory lane ❤from Glasgow Scotland 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿

[@suzibabcock4365]

It cracked me up when Joseph said of the babies, several days old, that they were "starting to look cute". They were adorable on day one! I love everything about this channel: dogs, mink, little girls, woman, man, knowledge, love. The list goes on! Always a fabulous and entertaining video. Thanks, kids!

[@charliehay1520]

Mink man..first of all I am glad you decided to not only raise and teach The mink but to share it with us all..there really wasn't any good information on mink when I was growing up in the mountains of SW Virginiai remember reading everything I could get my hands on To learn about mink, fox Coyotes and bobcats.. I wished KZbin would have been around back then..thank you again for sharing your mink and dogs with all of us..GODbless you and your family and critters

[@krisr1704]

its really very important for experts of a specific animal to share their info as widely as possible so us rehabbers get the right info and fast to protect all these special animals on our planet ...animals dont have a voice where as someone who knows them can be their voice its sooo important that the correct info gets to the top of the list over any misinformation ...u made great and valid points with the first of ur video and i am not offended at all by any comments u made about people who rehab wildlife ...we are not experts in every animal but we can be if we listen to the experts and stay away from misinformation and are open to others ideas and critiques while holding onto all common sense ... if u want to be a good wild animal rehabber u have to be open to other people who know more than u sometimes ...dont think u know it all b/c when u do that then ur animals will never grow and neither will u .... thanks mink man for pointing out this very important tool to have when u are an animal rehabber and that tool is people who are experts and or close to it for a specific type of animal or many animals ....its been wonderful watching ur channel and learning so much about these beautiful & amazing little creatures !!!

[@JosephCartertheMinkMan]

Yes sometime soon this spring I want to make a basic mink kit care video. Go over each stage in their development, and what they need at each stage.

[@dablaugntximntxub2318]

i’m no expert on mink, but to me i think that thick skin is where the mother would bite to pick them up… the thick patch would help to prevent cuts from the mother’s teeth while being carried…

[@jojobro_zzz]

I love your content Joe, this is a really interesting and educational video.

[@pixie706]

I've bred working ferrets for many years and often wondered why they are so noisy when tiny whether mum is there or not. Also very few vets know much about these animals or are happy to handle them

[@Jannakennels]

Do you have a website?

[@klintbartle54]

Great observations of mink as they progress in age. Thank you for sharing.

[@CambiDred17]

Those full little bellies. So so precious

[@swirlyorange847]

As for that strange floppy flesh on the collar I can only assume that is the scruff of the animal. Typically mammalian animals have this layer or flap of skin on the back of their neck that the mother uses to lift and transport her young but after a while that scruff will dissapear as more muscle develops underneath it. However a small amount of that scruff typically remains in most mammals even through adulthood, this is why animals such as Cats can be held this way for a short time to pacify them but it's not recommended for long durations as pulling on that scruff irritates the muscle and nerves that lay underneath it and can be uncomfortable or painful to the animal.

[@melissaskinner4501]

Loved seeing baby Boon

[@eduugr]

I love how you talk to your animals, you have an awesome connection with them.

[@bunni7984]

Wee little babies! This is very important information! Hopefully wildlife rehab will learn from this!

[@rikugreenlight637]

So cute minks

[@stevenfrost6441]

Very Cool Joseph! ♥👍Thanks for standing up for this amazing little predator! ♥♥👍

[@kathybrandt6060]

It’s fun to watch you and the girls working with the babies. Thank you for showing their life from birth to almost 40 days old.

[@gfyourself]

i see naked mink baby, i click. no seriously, thank you for this. i can't wait to watch almost an hour of mink babies.

[@billknepp1965]

you do an great job with all your animals.. really cool seeing mink this small I've rarely seen them n it's always while fishing... never knew what a truely aggressive predator they are.. gives one a whole new respect for them..

[@chris420x]

that was awesome seeing baby boon, still so sad that he got loose... i hope he is doing well

[@angrybear86]

🥺 his remains were found locked in the neighbor's shed accidentally over the winter 😔😓 horrible tragedy

[@chris420x]

@@angrybear86 i know this now... but thankyou . this was 2 3 months ago

[@gazt657]

Thanks Joe appreciate your time my friend ace video as always love from the UK

[@rosshall641]

Cute little buggers now you have to trian them Joseph and I know you will😊😊

[@opinanlosjovenesrd3477]

These videos are old, they are all trained by now. 🙂

[@humblyrise]

❤ Awesome Video ❤️

[@gazt657]

Cute little thing u wouldn't believe the Terra's they will become love em thanks m8

[@Abishek_Muthian]

I hope Boon is living happily in some forest somewhere.

[@rogerdudra178]

Greetings from the BIG SKY. Cute little minks.

[@tinabarrette963]

Watching from western 🇨🇦

[@misskacy5832]

What formula should a rehabilitator use if they have a kit or kits surrendered to them? For example, squirrel kits need very fatty milk. Thank you for all you do!🙌🤗

[@tommylitchfield3450]

Who would ever think that a tiny baby mink could look so much like a HIPPO before their hair comes in! :)

[@retroreceptionist7571]

That day 3 photo got my heart

[@dogsfromthecity]

As I am watching, I wanted to know how often would u recommend nursing/feeding them per day. How many hours rest in-between until they reach 1 month old.

[@JosephCartertheMinkMan]

I plan on making a video with those kind of details soon.

[@theresastevens3900]

Awesome video thanks😊

[@AFFTFOMSICHTS]

The little squeaks. Imagine snuggling with these little guys 🥺

[@ronaldnoll3247]

I like what you do.

[@meltarin5203]

Awwwwww baby Boon is soooooooo cute ! I miss watching him😢

[@thepearlswirl]

omg I want a mink now🥰

[@nemowindsor8724]

What a great thing to give rehabbers

[@monami5658]

Have you stopped rescuing minks from the fur farms now that you’re breeding them? What makes the best hunters…breed them or rescues! I’m curious 🧐…

[@6709LeftzBehind]

They remind me of hamster babies, but more noodley. Omg when they were about 2 weeks they'd always look around when set down, realise they're alone, and then cry😢 lil babies

[@V1CT0R_2]

Mink are rly interesting creatures

[@sami-je8sz]

فيديوهاتك ممتعة❤❤❤❤❤

[@davidhunternyc1]

That's horrifying that's these cute little things will canabilize each other at such a young age! Ugh!

[@opinanlosjovenesrd3477]

😮When did he say that?

[@davidhunternyc1]

@@opinanlosjovenesrd3477 throughout the video he talks about it.

[@canondead1943]

35:09 so cute! ❤

[@swirlyorange847]

Quick little note here, when a tooth is getting ready to as you said "Peirce the gums" the actual dentistry term for that is "Erupt."

[@niq872]

wow they get big alot faster than expected

[@etrule]

Half way through and it's quite interesting to see how much they grew day by day but just curious if this is a rescue situation and the mom is not around how do u feed them at each different stages? What kind of formula or meat to feed them, how much, how often, and etc. Thanks for the info

[@etrule]

Oh also their housing sitation such as how to keep them warm, temperature, and etc

[@jackspringer9283]

I Completely understand the "cute and cuddly" attraction BUT Before actually acquiring your 1st mink you should read to the point of memorizing the book Joseph has written, realize how much time will be required of you as a caretaker to avoid a disastrous outcome, make yourself an expert in knowledge of care and housing 1st! And reevaluate yourself and your situation yet again..Do not take this light heartedly please!

[@JosephCartertheMinkMan]

They can't be filmed with the mother, because she will attack us. They live with their mother until the around 32 days when I separated Boon and Crockett from their mother for bonding purposes. Before that, they were always with their mother, except for the couple minutes once a day when we took them out to film this video. I will film a basic care video soon.

[@etrule]

@@jackspringer9283 I am not conisdering getting a mink as a pet rather just responding to the video that this is educational for rescue and taking care of a baby mink and what elements that the care giver need to know to help save a little baby mink abandoned or separated from the parent

[@Kelsey-b7x]

Minks area so cute but day area all ways hungry for food 🥩🍖🍗🦡🐾

[@evelyn_r]

"Did you get that, my love?" I was expecting just mink cute stuff, not that sweetness! ❤ aww ❤

[@johnndirangu1053]

Wat is the need of that coin ?

[@evelyn_r]

@@johnndirangu1053 not sure why you're asking me, but it's for scale. most people in the USA have that coin to scale proportions. I have no idea what size it is though, since I'm an Aussie, never been to the USA

[@johnndirangu1053]

@@evelyn_r Sorry for bothering you , I thought you know all about this, anyway am from Kenya, how is Australia 🦘

[@evelyn_r]

@johnndirangu1053 you're not being a bother. It just seemed strange that you asked under my comment rather than directly on the video as your own starter thread. Australia, at least my state, can not seem to work out whether to be cold or hot. It's bouncing between the two. I hope it's nicer where you are and a bit more predictable.

[@johnndirangu1053]

@@evelyn_r We are along the equator, too hot but it's raining now, its called savannah grassland where we have wild animals too in our national parks like lions, elephants, buffalos etc, Wen a you coming to Kenya

[@melonetankberry5211]

thanks for your efforts. hope your hands are better now^^.

[@joycesolol9115]

I love minks❤

[@stevenspirito5672]

Great stuff Joseph thanks for sharing good clean family fun

[@Rossisearle]

Cant beat a hands on specialist...

[@kneedlezkane7665]

Very nice. Cool video!!

[@Knee-ko]

I miss Boon. if you know - you know. ❤❤💔💔

[@BeastOfWarZ]

More great stuff.

[@jeanlyautey264]

Now I want a mink❤❤❤❤❤

[@connor8213]

Cool

[@Flipsidenews]

Gorgeous. So lucky to have mink lovers

[@DemonFox369]

Does a wild mink look the same/grow at the same rate as a mink you have?

[@myujmes]

i would assume so, because his mink are also wild (though there's a couple generations of controlled breeding). to my knowledge there is no domestic mink, just a trained mink.

[@opinanlosjovenesrd3477]

I would think they grow at a slower pace, since you know they would probably receive less parental care.

[@slavomalic1896]

Oh man this litel ears ❤ the nek is soo i mean it's for where mother for Grab the pups exactly on this Spot?

[@marionbowler5440]

It's a beautiful thing 🇨🇦🙃🍁

[@annettebischoff9715]

Cutie babies

[@Linda_Hio]

Love it!! can someone please tell me how long the "pups?" "minklets?" "snack sized?" "LOL" mink stay with their mothers in the wild?.....KITS Thanks Joseph

[@JosephCartertheMinkMan]

3.5 to 4 months old.

[@Linda_Hio]

@@JosephCartertheMinkMan Thank you with the way they grew I'll bet they were the same size as mum by then

[@watjejanssen7535]

so cute

[@Plumbump]

Can’t wait for the giraffe hunting video.

[@bryanduchane2371]

Do you see a big difference in how they act towards you since you handled and fed them from day one compared to others you have?

[@Get7Out7ofthe7Boat]

WHOA !!!

[@CarolCox-fn1to]

Do you have a weight chart for orphaned minks? We haven't been able to find one. Beautifully done video, thank you!

[@JosephCartertheMinkMan]

I don't have a weight chart, I'm sorry. I thought about that once but then I realized the variation between individuals is so extreme it really wouldn't be helpful. A small newborn can easily be half the weight of a large newborn. And obviously the same goes for any other age along their development.

[@CarolCox-fn1to]

@@JosephCartertheMinkMan Thank you, that was really helpful. And not in a snarky way. I can stop trying to find a chart and just go by physical development. 😉

[@88Atwood88]

Damn being so tiny at the start they sure as hell have lungs haha xDD

[@jerztcgbn]

Mink vs Mouse (parallel universe like Predator vs Alien) .. lmao

[@chubbrock659]

I know they’re in the same family but the little babies look like otters almost

[@PotatoeJoe69]

Very surprsing to me how long it took for their eyes to open. Much longer than basically all other mammals.

[@angrybear86]

Teeth first, eyes last. I think it helps them stay defenseless, easier to manage and keep in a burrow easier to keep from eating each other easier to nurse.

[@mikeklein6620]

What is the best way if there is more then one just keep them apart?

[@ijlayugan4149]

theyre so funny and so CUTE

[@57kimbo]

I know it's ferrets but when I fed my litter of 10 I learnt the hard way .......... WASH HANDS !!!!! Yeup even a baby ferret can bite real hard if they want their meat 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣

[@donotenter4842]

To us, this is awesome. To a rat, this is watching the birth of many Lucifers

[@brycehunter3457]

Wow that must of taken a long time to film. Like almost 40 days?

[@superkoolkitten]

It would be interesting to see which group has better eyesight. The group that opens their eyes earlier, around the normal time or later. It might be something to look out for in future.

[@davidfoster3427]

I met up with one of these little critters on a golf course. It waddled rolled up to me crying backed off and came towards me again got real close inches looked at me and waddled rolled away.

[@varanusmaccabeusgaming3004]

OMG THE SCREAMING

[@sylvainrichard1577]

this is so sad to see baby boon and knowing he is nolonger with you...

[@rosshall641]

When do they go to the jugular veins that's natural but do you have to train them Joseph or is it instinct

[@smelma]

I don’t believe mink usually do that, they instinctively try to bite the base of the neck to sever the spinal cord and Joe just lets them hunt.

[@JosephCartertheMinkMan]

It's mostly instinct, with some trial and error learning.

[@johnmallette3143]

tkzz for sharing ,.,.,giving mink at this age a pinky would be out of the question at day 39 ?,.,.peace

[@sakunsok4471]

Why do you put the coin near the baby mink?

[@tracyhill7960]

Are they called pups or kits?

[@Moggiesix]

💜💜💜

[@RobActiveShooterEngh]

Curious as to when your bred your females. We would have just started having kits in the last week or so on my old farm and we started breeding on March 8th every year. We weighed and sexed at 3 weeks, curious what your litter average weight was, they look like good fat little kits. If you're interested I still have a few years worth of data on weight averages across litters from 1 kit to 11, maybe even larger.

[@JosephCartertheMinkMan]

Where were you located? I'm assuming farther north than us, as we start breeding March 1st. Most of our babies are born the last week of April through the first week of May. The earliest birth I've had on my place was April 17th and the latest May 18th. Funny thing is both of these litters were born on the same year.

[@RobActiveShooterEngh]

@@JosephCartertheMinkMan yeah a bit further north than you, just outside Vancouver BC. Our earliest litters, according to my old database in 2005 were April 25 and last were May 30th. Seems the gestation period is exactly the same, which is not surprising, but still cool. One week earlier breeding, one week earlier first whelp and one week earlier last whelp.

[@carlosrivera4660]

You Right. They have no idea what they Doing. They think they know everything. 😂

[@JosephCartertheMinkMan]

Oh man I've had so many bad experiences trying to help wildlife rehabilitatators, and give them accurate information that they refuse to accept. There are always exceptions, but it seems like there are more know-it-alls who refuse to learn than anything else. But I have had people reach out to me who were very open to learning and followed my advice as best they could. So it's not everyone.

[@angrybear86]

33:05 👀 they will consume their siblings if left alone for 1 day. Half the babies would be consumed by the other babies. This is a clue to the ones who developed teeth immediately, the smaller females. The females got their eye sight first. Their teeth first. A mink litter resembles a great white shark womb, and tasmanian devil pouches and stork nests. Truly is survival of who can eat who first. Still adorable, but goodness. The females earlier development is directly indicative of the sibling cannabilosm That was a straight, stop loading the dishwasher while listening to this on auto play rewind that I heard that correctly and leave this comment.

[@mikeklein6620]

Does imprinting work better if you imprint one at a time or the whole litter together?

[@JosephCartertheMinkMan]

MUCH better one at a time! Imprinting multiples is very hit and miss on the results.

[@mikeklein6620]

By the way is there a easier way to contact you for advise?

[@nastashavalentinodefranco2990]

Omg your fingers, and where's the mother.

[@viktoriaw9985]

Omg sooo süß ❤

[@crystalz7435]

it must be terrifying to be born and immediately raised by a being so much larger and different than you

[@abdulsaboorraza6691]

From gummy bear to an apex predator.

[@hofthomecrap9534]

For us non-link owners (NEVER had them before), you don’t ever clearly explain how to ID a male from a female (yeah, yeah, yeah: can’t wait for the M vs F jokes . . .)!

[@angrybear86]

The penis bone is pronounced on the belly. Around 2 weeks old you can tell from the healed umbilical area and the testicles grow females will have nothing but the belly button on their belly. The anal area looks larger on a female because the vulva is there too

[@ASJR]

Ditch the quarters, we can all tell by your hand.

[@annettiasmith5463]

Are minks able to be trained to find scorpions or snakes?

[@niq872]

i read the title mink development kit

[@tracyhill7960]

Tiny whiskers at 10 days

[@monkeybrain32]

Have you ever considered taking one baby away from the litter at birth and bottle feeding so they don't bond with the others just you ?

[@JosephCartertheMinkMan]

Not at birth. They are far too fragile at that age. I typically do what you are describing at 4-5 weeks old.