ZeusPolecat
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Everything posted by ZeusPolecat
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Any One Have Dark Polecats As In Near Black
ZeusPolecat replied to fay's topic in Ferrets & Ferreting
Risky talk here but... I've always requested whites, just makes sense to have the ferret more visible. BUT, here I am with 3 out of 3 dark coloured ferrets. I went for the workers over colour. If you've narrowed it down to a working litter that your taking a kit from, then you could go by looks I guess. Unless someone can spot a grafter from a litter of kits that is.... I can't. -
Mixi everywhere 40% of the rabbits Ive caught this season. Now I may be wrong but my understanding of mixi is that its spread by biting insects, like fleas. With these mild winters such insects will be active more often through the winter and on the warmest of winters, they may be active throughout. This global warming stuff is a concern.
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A cold soaking then a bit of cold wind may have caused it to loose too much heat. But generally seems strange. so where exactly does this warmth in winter and cooler in summer come from when its cold in winter and warm if not hotter in summer? Y.I.S Leeview Soil and rock takes a longer time to change temperature than the air above. It doesnt fluctuate as quickly. The insulation effect underground retains heat from previous days or even seasons therefore is more constant/stable. This is especially true at depths of over four feet.
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Ferrets are hardy. Drafts can be a problem. I'd agree with the guys that say a warrens warmer in winter and cooler in summer compared to above ground. A cold soaking then a bit of cold wind may have caused it to loose too much heat. But generally seems strange.
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Can take time, some don't get along at first. Keep trying for short periods of time. There may be some dominance squabbles and sometimes you need to let that run it's course until they've resolved it among themselves - But only let it go on for short periods of time and supervise it if necessary. If it seems to be getting too serious you'd need to break it up. Keep them seperate for now overall and try regular sessions until it quitens down.
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Live alone, dog would be couped up most of the time while I'm at work. One day though...
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Really wish I could have a dog out with me. If it can mark, hold netted bunnies and perhaps catch the odd escapee, it would do me.
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That's a shame. They really do have great characters.
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I'd suggest EBay too. If your having trouble, best contact the seller with a complaint. If it's not resolved you can then contact EBay themselves and I've found them to be great in this regard. Always check the sellers ratings and comments before future purchases.
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Hello Anna. Best thing to do is ask around for your own permission then invite a THL member. If you can find a nice spot with plenty rabbits, I'm sure someone from this forum will be eager to tag along with their gear. It's understandable that people these days are wary of ferret/permission/farm thieves. Good luck.
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Sorry, accident post
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If It's play nipping I usually say 'gentle' if they are going at it a bit rough. Surprisingly my softest jill play nips the hardest but that's only when I start it by roughing her up haha and there seems to be no fixing it other than not picking a fight as punishing her would just be wrong. The problem jill I talked about before turned out to be the softest player with my hands, I guess the time out technique made an impact. With mine, during play, holding my hand still If I feel its too much causes them to let go... Don't know If this will work for other ferrets or If its just the way mine ha
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Some are just Had a jill that took a year to fully quieten down. Her hob litter mate has never bit me in an aggressive way. You need to feel and act like the dominant one, any pussy footing around and they will try to take advantage. They can just sense it, blood pressure, a scent, I don't know. Pick them up with confidence and If they play up use you voice as you would a dog, 'OI' or 'NO', stern. Even my three year olds who are soft as with me will try it on with strangers to see what they are made of. Some people can't handle it and will only show more fear in the future and then be
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http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/10X-MK3M-FERRET-FINDER-COLLAR-BATTERYS-HUNTING-RABBITING-/321275243334?hash=item4acd7f2b46 After reading above, not sure If these are the ideal ones or not? But they've worked for me despite one dud that caused me to think Id broke the collar... Cheap and cheerful I guess.
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A new cage can throw them off... especially something big. Can improve once their navigation is second nature. A lot of the time they will bolt out of bed bursting, If they don't know their way around yet they will go wherever... then that can lead to a bigger problem... Try scrubbing the places you don't want them to go, making sure to remove all smell and moving some of it to the correct place. Can also help to place food/water bowls or used bedding in the areas you want them to stop using as they won't want to pee the bed etc. Keeping in mind scent is one of their primary senses - once a c
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Castrated, yes in theory. I used to have a castrated hob who raped the intact one! But I'd assume that was a one off... I'd hope.
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There's always the possibility but you can do a lot to reduce the chance. One late afternoon mid winter when dusk was setting in, I had a jill that hadn't surfaced for a few hours in a hedgerow and I couldn't find a mark anywhere. Up and down the hedge searching, hoping for a beep. Turns out the warren stretched out into the field a good thirty foot which I'd never have expected as every hole was within 6 feet of the hedge. Almost had the car over with the headlights on the warren when she appeared covered in blood. What I'd suggest if you were particularly worried is don't ferret mid winter a
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Good man The One
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Yeah I really enjoy this insight myself. Athena always seemed like a badass above ground, yet in video three she was being very cautious. I hope to lead in with her brother Apollo next season and see how he handles things. He seems like the keenest but always takes his time pinning them down, lots of digging id imagine.
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Just spent a small fortune to save my hob. His back end started to go, but he went off food and rarely got out of bed also. Thought to be pneumonia. Been having two injections a week for a few weeks and is on the mend. But there's a load of things that could cause a ferret to go weak on the back legs. You could inquire about an XRay to confirm the tumor and possibly a blood test. How old is the jill? If shes young might be worth further investigation. If getting on a bit it may very well be a one way street.
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Thanks. I'm missing it already, can't wait to film some more, It's great to get a little more insight to whats going on underground. Hope by next season I've got more underground cams so I can catch more action and Ill have another bash at a little ferret mounted camera if It doesn't effect their maneuverability too much, I'm keen to keep it HD colour if possible. More cameras above and below will also allow me to tackle bigger warrens as I hate to miss a bolt!
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Yeah I wouldn't want anything smaller. They do take a knock about!
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Dog would be great but not got the time or space at the moment. Would be great to have some slow motion cameras set up around the warren to capture the chase. Maybe one day.
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Short video of me out with the youngest jill for an hour. Little bit of underground footage which is a little more in line with whats expected from the ferret. Might be about the limit of the kind of action I want to show from the underground clips.
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Simon Whiteheads had a go and Its whats I tried initially. For the ferret to move around the camera needs to be tight to the body but all you get is fur on shot and even the the ferret struggles to change direction in the hole etc. Extend it out a bit and the ferret really struggles to get around. Not to mention dirt getting all over the lens. I have some other ideas that I may try next season but I think technology needs to advance a bit further yet. Flexible bendy phones are on the way, who knows whats next...
