Jump to content

Luckee legs

Members
 View Profile  See their activity

  • Content Count

    295

  • Joined

  • Last visited

  • Days Won

    1

 Content Type 

Everything posted by Luckee legs

  1. Luckee legs
  2. Luckee legs
    Hi all, on a run of hot weather in East Anglia right now and my ferrets keep a low profile when temperatures are above 25C. To keep life tolerable for them I put freezer packs wrapped in old tea towels in sleeping areas and use a garden umbrella for some additional shade. How do others deal with hot weather?
  3. Luckee legs
    Agree with previous comments, you are doing the right thing and there's no rush. Be prepared that it may always be a little tempestuous between them. Ferrets don't always click. I prefer to get kits in pairs so they have always have a companion. Just to be sure the kit is 9 weeks as she should be 3 weeks past weaning completely off mums milk . And Working backwards that's from a mating date in late February which is pretty early IMO. She might be younger, Two of my current Jill's were rescues at about 6 weeks of age, they were very needy for contact, human or ferret. Good luck, hopefully with
  4. Luckee legs
    I take mine to the vet and I got my first ferrets in 1978... It only takes a few ferret keepers to use a vet practice for the vets to learn about them so it's a win win. I'm fortunate to have a private vet practice near me and they are pragmatic, £22 to get in the door, meds on top but are reasonable and when I don't have a vasectomised hob I pay for a bottle of the Jill jab hormone and they store it. I've seen enough cancer symptoms I don't go for that but other injuries are well worth while. About one a year gets an abcess in the mouth or throat from eating bone, there's also the occasional
  5. Luckee legs
    Not the same but similar stuff "duck bites" I use with my whippet pup, it is crack cocaine for them and really gets him paying attention. Top stuff is dehydrated liver which is very cost effective if you have the machine (stinks house out in the oven) but my dehydrator blew up so I've been using either expiry date sliced meat from our village coop, sadly cost of living crisis makes that a bun fight to get, so this is a backup for training only. Other times I use cheap wheat based treats or I'd be down £10 a week just on treats
  6. Luckee legs
    Muntjac are the bane of my life and I have to keep my hounds on leads more than if like. My Collie lurcher can air scent them and has developed a rush in tactic that puts them out of cover every time. It's remarkable as he is nesh with cover, wont ever risk cutting himself and in reality they would be safe if they stayed put. Three serious problems beyond legality, first this is typically on the edge of housing, second they make a lot of noise when overhauled and third the stags are a serious threat to dogs.
  7. Luckee legs
    Planning to go Friday and introduce the whippet pup to shooting, showing and racing. What could possibly go wrong?
  8. Luckee legs
    I really like hobs, castrated they are no problem at all and almost always great to handle. Even entire it's only a couple of months of hulk type behaviour. Could be my approach or ground, but I use Jill's as well because I find hobs typically get the hang of using their power by the second season and inevitably will kill or corner rabbits every outing. I enter a Jill a couple of minutes before a hob to get things moving, not unusual that the hob will find one that hasn't quickly bolted, hopefully without cornering it ?
  9. Luckee legs
    I've always hormone jabbed or used a vasectomised hob. Even then it's not no risk and while they might survive I've had two Jills die of anemia after a second season which I've let go on for too long before doing something about. I don't take chances any more and suggest you don't leave them. For the two spayed ferrets I've owned from ferret rescue, both were long-lived. That said, ask the vet on cost for the op as it's likely expensive and it maybe more cost effective to jab every year.
  10. Luckee legs
    another vote for in season behaviour. I find it's common for a normally content Jill to be enthusiastic about getting out and away at this time of year. For example I let mine run in a small greenhouse for an hour or so each day, not a problem all this winter, they play the whole time. They,ve pretty much stopped playing and Last week I saw a Jill with her head stuck in a tiny gap in the top window vent trying to get out. Down to 10 mins now ?
  11. Luckee legs
    Similar in my part of East Anglia. Overall rabbits down a lot in extensive areas like large farms and Thetford forest although in some small isolated populations they can be locally abundant. Can imagine that's linked to ease of transmission of the virus VHD. Hares common, muntjacs abundant and well adapted to life on urban fringe. Foxes uncommon away from habitation guess they get a kicking off the NV shooters. Badgers though, f... me I didn't see a badger in the East until 1995 and they are now everywhere. A major PIA for ferreting. Greenfinch and Goldfinch definitely swapped in ab
  12. Luckee legs
    Sorry to hear this. I am not far away Lee and I've messaged you. Hope I can help
  13. Luckee legs
    Sorry to hear this. Bloody frustrating, I am sure you are aware but it's not a case of one and done, I have been there and some dogs I've had were looking good in calm situations but never completely solid when sheep ran so I can see potential for a shock collar. Another option, I do canicross with mine and If you run it's worth considering, what I do is jog through sheep fields with the dog on a canicross harness. Gives you the chance to correct the dog as sheep disperse. Just one thing on hitting them, as some have said, it has to be in the moment but also be prepared that a dog with dr
  14. Luckee legs
    And another variation for you. I use normal shavings for litter but keep them out of the sleeping areas. Reason is they stick like crazy to meat. The only problem I ever experienced was with dust extracted shavings, sounds bizarre but I could see the processing had greatly reduced the overall size of the chip so maybe that was the problem. For bedding I use material. This is not no risk as very rarely (3 times in 20 years) I have had ferrets get claws properly stuck in material. Straw is next choice. Hay in my experience is the material that causes respiratory issues and scratching
  15. Luckee legs
    With you on that. I see with my mum that the incentive to get out exercise and interact really helped her quality of life
  16. Luckee legs
    I stopped over at mums and seeing some nostalgia posts appearing in the forum thought I'd take a few pics of photos she has of collie lurchers I had in late 70s and 80s. I am indebted to her for helping me out on those occasions when work or landlords meant I couldn't keep dogs from time to time. She had a soft spot for lurchers and always had a rescue or 2 as well. I still have a first cross collie and they rate each other. He remembers where she stashes old dog toys and leads her on a tour of the house to collect them up each visit. Sadly at 91 and with Alzheimer's she can no longer hav
  17. Luckee legs
    And here. Just one outing on a colder farm left, that's an interesting local variation, just 15 miles from other permission but heavy clay soil, more trees and some North facing slopes really make a difference in soil temperature. Otherwise I am a big believer in climate change. I got my first ferrets in 1976 and we used to go to week one of March so IMO and roughly roughly, rabbit breeding is 2 weeks earlier in 35 years
  18. Luckee legs
    Nice thing to do for Dutch guys. Must admit I thought they had a paradoxical rule that terrier work ok but not lurcher work?
  19. Luckee legs
    Had to dig twice in this Warren, ferret backed away as I broke through (as they usually do in my experience, only this time the rabbit moved forward and legged it down a side branch only to get cornered again
  20. Luckee legs
  21. Luckee legs
    Slow this morning, all does were pregnant and one probably had a litter and was pregnant again. Apart from one farm that's has some North facing fields on clay soil where rabbits are typically later breeding by a week or so, i am almost done for another season Still, always great to see dog and ferrets living their best life, will get at least one more morning ?
  22. Luckee legs
    With you on all of that ?. I also have 2 × 50m Brinded nets, they catch very well, the but is I only put that set up in the car when I know it's needed, I have to use a fishing sack trolley for it and other kit of walking in.. You exposed my mystery no good net as well, bridport just not enough bag as sold. I saw trammel net mentioned later in thread, so I only have one short trammel, and yes it works but it's also easily tangled, my experience is the dog does a good job of minimising escapers from long nets so I don't get much for extra weight and expense of a trammel. A no dog setup probably
  23. Luckee legs
    Over the years I have focused on short nets to strategically place and have had several from Brindred, Rabbit fever and Nelson. Although I have at least 2 of each. It's difficult to say who's work best as there's so many variables. Not least as I've used them in different weights. I find 4oz work best but snag more easily in woods so some are 6 or 8 oz. Products from those 3 businesses OK or better. Anyone not on that list I either haven't used, but at least one business not listed out of politeness was truly shite IMO ?
  24. Luckee legs
    That's a very good deal. I paid £140 including post op antibiotics five years so expect £150 now. I guess that's an independent vet surgery? We are lucky to have one not tied to a big company and they are very fair on ferret pricing, spending money there keeps them aware of ferrets and prepared to handle them IMO. Although they are tough little critters we get the occasional abcess that needs attention and for the coming spring I'm back to Jill jabs
  25. Luckee legs
    Similar experience, I like collie crosses and over the years have had 3 first X greyhound amongst them. While all of them stalked in the day, it's only when it seemed appropriate and a rush would never have caught anything. It's rarely successful but doesn't bother me. Although I don't do a lot of lamping, none of them stalked down the beam, they very quickly suss what the game is about and will trundle out to where the beam is pointing
×
×
  • Create New...