Beech martens often cause devastating damage to houses, cars and stables. The martens can often be heard particularly well in spring, because that is when their offspring are born. Find out everything about the marten cubs below.
When are marten cubs born and independent?
Marten cubs are born in March or April, after around seven months of dormancy and a month of gestation. The newborns are initially blind and deaf, develop their eyes after five weeks and are completely independent after six months.
When are marten cubs born?
The mating season of martens is in summer; it extends from June to August. Mating is followed by about seven months of dormancy, the so-called mating period, during which the fertilized egg cell rests in the body of the marten. The actual gestation period only begins in January/February and only lasts a month. Marten felines then have three to four young in March/April.
Excursus
Close time for marten children
In order to protect marten cubs from miserably starving, March to mid-October is a closed season in almost all federal states. This means that martens are not allowed to be hunted at this time. Severe pen alties await the perpetrators if the closed season is violated.
Characteristics of newborn martens
Marten cubs are only 15cm tall and weigh 30g when they are born. At first they are completely blind and deaf. They only open their eyes after five weeks. They are nursed by their mother in the nest for two months.
The Marten Nest
The marten's nest basically looks like a bird's nest; Martens often even use abandoned bird nests. The nests are built and padded from branches, leaves and straw. In contrast to bird nests, hair or leaves are not used for the upholstery.
Raising the young
At the age of six weeks the young get their first teeth, and from the seventh week the mother marten begins to offer them solid food. From the ninth week onwards, the mother begins taking turns hunting with one of her young to teach them hunting and orientation. The little martens only begin to leave the nest when they are four months old. If you have a marten nest on the roof, you will notice their presence now at the latest, usually in June, July or August.
