Little help

[lift boy 0]

Hi all. Im new to this site so I wonder if some of you guys can Help as the conversation on here is so much better than any other forum that talk about ferrets as pets not working animals. I have just got back in to ferreting after roughly 6 years. I have always owned 1 ferret at a time and because I was young my dad used to get them for me and they were grown on and had all there jabs. Right at this moment in time I have just aquired a pair of 13 week old jills, I have been spending several hours a day with them getting used to kits not big old ferrets. My problem is I am picking up a beautifull very dark polecat style ferret 13 week old kit on friday. I have 1 large hutch. The plan is to get him vasectomized when the time comes. (When ?). Can I keep him with my jills all year round and will he still serve my jills. Its just every different forum tells me different, If i have it from a working ferreter not a woman who puts a santa hat and shades on her ferret who is anti-hunting then i`m sorted. Even the pet style books are pants I quote " ferrets are not a hunting animal" in one book. cheers peeps

[The one 8,511]

I dont think a vet will snip your hob till next year when his plums drop them you will have to wait the required time for him to empty his reserves before you can safely use him on your jills .Them i would keep them together all year round as im finding out my jills are coming into season 3/4 times each and unless you hobs badly marking up or cutting your jills necks i wouldn't remove him

[lift boy 0]

Cheers for the advice, I dont plan to have any litters and I only have one hutch, Should i get my jills neutered or something? I thought by getting a vasectomised hob it would be cheaper than having my jills done every year. And any advice on the distemper jab. Its just the scariest thing ever would be a litter next year as I dont have the time or money for them at the mo,(just bought a house). The lucky thing is i have roughly 240 cres of forest and farm land in my garden. So as to working the buggers im alright. I dont want to come across clueless but I have never had care issues with my ferrets that I owned in the past and I have always bought grown on. Also anyone know a good ferreting magazine, shooting times has stuff now and again, but not enough.

[The one 8,511]

I'd go for getting the hob snipped its the easiest and cheapest operation and ive never had a ferret jabbed for distemper in 40 years mate and im no planning on starting now

[Guest shadowz]

worry is the jills will get pregnant before he can get snipped thou.

The girls can sometimes come into season from dec/jan in some cases.

He cant be snipped until 6 months old or next spring when his bits drop and then need to be kept seperate for atleast 6-8 weeks after that as he can still get them pregnant for that long after being snipped.

[The one 8,511]

They should both come into season at the same time next year as the days lenghtening you will just have to be quick and watch them carefully

[Kay 3,709]

I think you will be ok untill the new year mate, just look for the jills swelling (coming into season) around the new year & check daily , the second you spot either swelling move the hob , if his testes have dropped in the new year get him vasectomised then, but leave him a good 7 / 8 weeks before you atempt to put him with the jills

 

 

You may find once he has been done & ready to be introduced back to the jills he will just serve them & be ok , if however he is ragging them all the time even after he has served them , remove him untill the autumn

[stubby 175]

and they were grown on and had all there jabs.

 

what jabs were they then

[lift boy 0]

Cheers for more info, its not straight forward mind is it? Looks like i will need another hutch then soon, can i introduce him as soon as i get him to the jills and just keep an eye on them until the season comes? Or do I need to keep him away from the jills altogether until he gets sniped. And another thing is when I handle the kits they go mental and want to nip me, as were my old ferrets from before were quite content in my hands. Do they calm down? It`s quite funny at the time mind.

.

[lift boy 0]

Sorry stubby, My dad had a mate with ferrets and he would give me a 1-2 year old that had had a distemper jab and had been sniped or neutered. Cheers

[Kay 3,709]

Cheers for more info, its not straight forward mind is it? Looks like i will need another hutch then soon, can i introduce him as soon as i get him to the jills and just keep an eye on them until the season comes? Or do I need to keep him away from the jills altogether until he gets sniped. And another thing is when I handle the kits they go mental and want to nip me, as were my old ferrets from before were quite content in my hands. Do they calm down? It`s quite funny at the time mind.

.

 

if there only 13 weeks now i see no major issues with any intros

 

as for the nipping feeed them meat & then handle after they have had a good feed up

[lift boy 0]

Cheers for the advice butty, My mate with a pointer is going to get me some rabbits for them. Tell me if what lines i am thinking on is right, If I get my hob friday, keep him with my jills, around dec see if he`s ready for the snip, Get another hutch, get the snip done and then re introduce after 2 months. I just don`t want to balls. I dont want to end up with more kits cos I will end up keeping them,lol. Cheers again for advice that is bang-on. The old boy I deal with and do a bit of ferreting says that advice from the ferreters mouth is pedigree proven through and through, he is spot-on.

[Kay 3,709]

Cheers for the advice butty, My mate with a pointer is going to get me some rabbits for them. Tell me if what lines i am thinking on is right, If I get my hob friday, keep him with my jills, around dec see if he`s ready for the snip, Get another hutch, get the snip done and then re introduce after 2 months. I just don`t want to balls. I dont want to end up with more kits cos I will end up keeping them,lol. Cheers again for advice that is bang-on. The old boy I deal with and do a bit of ferreting says that advice from the ferreters mouth is pedigree proven through and through, he is spot-on.

 

I cant see the ferrets not getting on at this young age , so it should be easy to get them to mix together & then towards the new year just check daily for signs of dropped testes , the males usually come into season slightly sooner than the females .

 

Once you think he is ready get him vasectomised & leave him a good couple of months to make sure , by which time the jills will be in season very probably , then re introduce them

 

I would be looking at getting a second hutch for the end of this year so its ready

[The one 8,511]

Your going to be fine keeping them together just now mate neither will come into season till next year now then get the hob snipped as i reckon his plums will drop first you might not need another hutch so why fill your garden up with hutches ??

[lift boy 0]

Cheers for that, How much does sniping cost roughly? And another thing as reading from your post you seem like a pro what do you think of ferret finders, as I met a guy with a eu polecat the other day who had a 7 metre string attached to the collar and used a ferret finder. But he said its pants working hedges and banks as you cant dig above some of them.