Black-footed ferret sperm bank cryopreserved in liquid nitrogen.

Description:

Black-footed ferret sperm bank cryopreserved in liquid nitrogen.

Male black-footed ferrets are monitored for reproductive health. Males one year old or less may be sexually mature but lack sperm. Other common problems include abnormal sperm, often with very weak cell walls, and low motility. Electroejaculation is used to collect small beads of sperm both for analysis and artificial insemination. If not used immediately the sperm is kept frozen in liquid nitrogen. The sperm bank also serves as a natural history collection which can indicate changes in the species over time.