How old does a ferret need to be beffore it starts working?

[manksie 0]

Hi, Just wondering how old a ferret should be beffore you start to work it?

[Mr Jones 4]

Hi, Just wondering how old a ferret should be beffore you start to work it?

 

Not sure how much you've been out so forgive me if I'm saying stuff you already know....

 

RABBITS - In my opinion you could start them off working on easy holes (small warren network) from 4-6 months, don't expect them to work all day at this age though a couple of hours should be suffice, then just see how they go and increase time and size of warrens gradually. That might be a bit early in other peoples opinions but if you don't have any older ferrets and are eager to get them started then it will do no harm, never heard of a ferret being put of rabbits for starting it too early. However - Remember at this age you want to get them coming to the mouth of the whole and gently picked up etc so important not to spook them at this age as it's hard to change behavior later on....I got a 2 year old off someone and it scampered down back down the hole when you went to pick up and is very frustating to say the least!!! The ferrets I've started on my own are usually introduced about 4/6 months and I haqve had no problems with them what so ever, I think it's better starting them earlier than waiting over a year. If you are using a dog with your ferrets get them introduced asap well before you go out, mind the dog does not chomp it though.

 

RATS - Completly different ball game all together!!! I'd be saying 1 year + anyway. This time you can put a ferret off rats by starting them too early (especially with bitches), even older ferrets can be put off rats if they get a bad bite. I have had a couple of bitch ferrets that were great ratters for the whole of their life but I have had more that were very good to start off with and then did not show the same enthusiasm and vindictiveness as that they did initially. A big doe rat with young versus a bitch ferret is a hard kill for a bitch ferret. However dogs ferrets are not as bad for spooking although the problem here is that most can't fit down a rat hole!! Had some great days ratting with terrier and ferrets, if you ever see your ferret wag it's tail when being entered to a hole then you can be guarenteed there will be a few rats flying out.

[The one 8,481]

Treat them like kids let them mature then take it slow and easy mate you should know when your ferrets ready for a bit of ferreting a few hole preferably with the jill to show the way and then little and often.Then untill the second season i run a older ferret threw to check how they did as no every kitt makes the grade

[ferretmaniac 5]

Last year i tried my kits at 12 wks. They bolted one baby rabbit. But it was only a test run to see how they took to the job

 

fm

[paulhodge 3]

Does it help bring them on quicker if u feeding them on rabbits all of the time or would it make no difference???

[col g 0]

some people might dis agree with me on this but i dont think it makes a great deal of difference to the ferret.the only thing in my opinion that the ferret is getting out of this is the scent of the rabitt.ive fed all my ferrets on rabbits and i honestly dont think it has made them any better at working.some ferrets take to working better than others.youve just got to put the time in with them .just give them the little and often approach to start off with,a couple of small warrens to start with is youre best bet,say like a two or three hole settpreferably with rabbits in.if you have a dog that can mark setts you will probablys stand a better chance as there is nothing worse than entering a young ferret to an empty burrow.i also run my ferret kitts through plastic pipes which are laid out in the garden just to get them used to going into setts and also being picked up after they have left.you could also try tying an old rabbit skin on some string and pulling it through the pipes.this will sometimes encourage the young ferret to chase after the skin and also its getting a bit of a heads up on what its doing

[grdavison 0]

have plenty patience mate as it sometimes takes a good few goes before the penny drops, i had one like that last year and it turned out to be a good worker in the end

 

gary

[max abell 196]

The trouble with starting them to early is you never really know whats down a rabbit burrie ?

we were working three 8month old jills last year they had already bolted quite a few rabbits

befour hand with older jills in days earlier so we decided to put the 3 of them down a 15 holer

put a small trammel net round the burrie coz it had bramble on it

Then a stoat ran out of one hole and down another we then thought OH SHIT luckerly enough

the ferts hassled it enough and it ran through the trammel and gone THANKFULLY but it

could have got nasty if the stoat had got cornered with the jills only being youngsters

and inexperienced with this sort of confrontation

[rabbit tourmentor 29]

buy them in june at 6 weeks start them in september on small buries when the cover dies down more try more buries