Ginette
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Everything posted by Ginette
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Where should I keep a ferret????
Ginette replied to border bunny demolisher's topic in Ferrets & Ferreting
I would definetly say you should read as much as you can in books or on this site before getting a ferret as housing is only a small part of keeping ferrets (note the plural!). They need to be kept dry, well fed, need company if not another ferret then ALOT of your time, and basic hygiene. The whole cage/hutch/court issue is personal choice but the bigger the better. Moxy's pics are brilliant and your ferret won't judge your joinery too much as long as it can't escape. Good luck! -
Went out ferreting for first time ever today. My kits are around four months now and it was their first go at it too. I picked a big warren that looked empty, not a dropping in sight and the holes were full of leaves, to give them a fun taste of things. I was very glad for the locator as my boy was making regular appearances but there was no sign of the jill. She seemed to be circling one area and out popped a rabbit. And best of all my net held! So us virgins called it a day after playing in another small warren and shared a very nice rabbit for dinner. Well chuffed!
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looking forward to seeing the pics. I'm in the middle of building one myself and can always use more inspiration.
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Welcome to the site! Glad to see traditional crafts/skills being kept alive, both the hunting and good woodwork!
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Welcome aboard and good luck gettin back into the good life. Look forward to hearing of your spoils to come!
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Welcome Terrie, I hope you find this site as helpful as I do!
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Great lookin ferrets! Have to say though I'm jealous, all the pics I have of my ferrets are too fuzzy coz they refuse to stay still.
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I agree it may not have been travelers. But when my dad's lurcher went missing last year it was suspicious that the morning after the travelers had moved on too. specially since he lives on west coast where all the locals knew the dog. A good dog is a bloody hard thing to replace, in more ways than one!
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Glad to hear you're making progress with them. I've had three rescue ferrets in the past and have proved to be affectionate with time. I like the idea of locking those responsible in a shitty cage, and maybe we could also go at the people who break ferrets teeth with a pair of pliers?!
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Please no-one shout at me! Five years ago we got a long legged JR terrier. We trained her the basics: sit, down, stay etc. But now I'm starting out in ferreting and wonder if its too late for her to start. She's great at catching mice but she's yet to catch a rabbit, I think she's too slow coz they always get ahead of her. Any advice would be welcome! Oh she did catch a pheasant once, it was blind in one eye and had a broken wing.
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I think we'll have snow a good bit this year, we're overdue a hard one. Better start stocking up on thermals! Had my kits on the snow yesterday, they thought it was great, so I'm hopeful for these two.
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Our zoo includes, 2 ferrets, 1 JR terrier (useless), 3 cats, 15 hens and 4 ducks, oh and the wild man of the woods called my husband!
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Great looking pair! Bet they'll repay you hundredfold for taking them in. And a bargain to boot!
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I don't know about birds of prey, but my chickens (don't laugh!) seem to be affected by the temperatures as well as sunlight as to when they'll moult.
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Hate to burst bubbles, but how valuable is the ferret? It could just be hormones but other disorders have same symptom, parvo being the worst! Might be worth seperating if you're worried, and if he's worth it maybe a trip to the vets. yeh, yeh I know, bunnyhugger all the way, but I lost three ferts to parvo last year, caught it off a new hob I introduced. He was a skinny bugger but put it down to neglect as his previous owner had 'accidentally' broken his eye teeth and fed him sops. Two weeks later his hair started falling, his hind legs started going and then his digestion and kidneys. I
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either that or heat stroke (as said earlier) coupled with not enough water would have killed them both fast and at same rate. The sun can be a real killer, as seen at game fairs! If it was poisoning surely there would have been at least one symptom e.g vomit or diarrhoea, abdominal swelling, skin discoloration etc. Seriously weird! Were they maybe in contact with any strange animals? Strays etc?
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we once had a rhodie hen who'd been de-beaked poorly. When we got her ahe could barely feed. We were able to trim her beak back a bit with a pair of (strong) nail clippers. Just be wary that chickens beaks like dogs nails have a quick that shouldn't be cut past, or it will bleed!
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I think these anti's should try engaging more with the countryside they claim to love so much. Animal rights activists are all in favour of free-range farming right? Well there is nothing worse for my free-range flock than the bloody fox! Where I live the bloody things come out at day just to claim a bird, I shit you not! We've seen it in the garden, in the afternoon and many a time it's been chased off by our JR terrier. It has no bloody fear! Foxes need to be controlled! No hunter plans to wipe out the population, then what would he do next year? Hunting keeps the environment in balance,
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maybe your ferret bites you best coz it's playing! If they lock-on then maybe try blowing up it's nose, it'll have to let go to breath. Sometimes pressing the sides of the jaws requires both hands which are not always available. But time and patience are a must, especially while they get to know you. Maybe it relaxed in your mates arms coz she was relaxed and confident handling it. Sometimes quick movements are seen as an invitation to play! Good luck!
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After reading some of the newest posts on this site, I should maybe qualify myself. I want to get started in ferreting, I am not an anti-, nor a bunny-hugger. I have some experience dispatching as I've kept fowl for five years, and last year had the misfortune of having to destroy three ferrets with parvo. My mistake completely and I learned the hard way to quarantine any new ferrets, too much trust for my own good! So if anyone can pleeease give me a helping hand to start, it would be appreciated.
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depends what time you set out! I'm up beside Fraserburgh, but could work something out.
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Hi Guys! I want to start out in ferreting but don't know anyone in the area. I live in Aberdeenshire and would travel. I basically want a taste before I start out myself. I've kept ferrets 3 years but having just got some kits I want to work them. Anyone willing to let me tag along would be my new god, and I'd obviously muck in! Cheers!
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Also beware of tinkers! I have nothing against the travelling folk, but there is one lot that are trouble. Last year my dad's lurcher (bloody good worker) went missing same time the tinkers moved on. If you knew the area of Scotland near Oban where he lives then you'd know that there's no question what happened to the dog. He was tagged and all the local farmers knew him, so it wasn't that he'd simply run off. If you see tinkers, keep your dogs close!
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WHOA down boys! Okay it seems this may be a sticky area. When I said that ferrets must be allowed to roam free, I merely meant some regular out-of-hutch/court time. Mine get out once a day for about an hour and I'm currently building a court so even that may not be REALLY necessary coz its gonna be big! BUT if a ferret is being worked regularly I class this as the best roaming they could have! Duh, they love it! I was merely referring to some of my experiences. I got a jill a few years back from a fisherman. When he was offshore a few weeks at a time his ferrets were not even so much as ha
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I think a certain amount of freedom is needed for any animal if it's to be kept humanely! My ferrets get free roam and I even let them loose in the woods where I live, as long as there'e one person to keep track of each ferret. I think it's probably good to hone their instincts. A ferret kept locked up is more likely to go feral I think from shere cabin fever and boredom! Ferrets love play and often need lots of room to do so properly. Plus if they assosciate you with freedom and fun, they'll only love you all the more and (maybe) look more faviourably upon your hands.