wont work sets

[Leeview 791]

and how many dead stoats,weasels or polecats do you find? died from malnutrition? dont ever recall finding one myself

Y.I.S Leeview

[Coneytrappr 30]

I start mine at six months and some pick it up quicker than others. But I've found that a ferret that launches into work at six months is not necessarily the ferret that will be the best worker over time. I've had some late starters that turned out to be very good once they hit their second season.

Yes a ferret may have attained its adult size by six months but in my eyes it is more or less a kit until it goes through it's first season- it knocks a lot of the sillyness out of them.

 

Keep trying your kit, there is plenty of time for it to pick up and you may be susprised. I started a nice albino kit this season and thus far he has taken to it very well...but I am reserving true judgement until next.

 

I would argue that a ferret hunting through a rabbit warren is not the same behaviour as a hungry stoat hunting to feed itself- unless you are of the school which keeps the ferts hungry. My ferrets are never hungry when they hunt, for one thing. I don't want them to hunt for food, I want them to hunt for fun. If they killed just to fill their bellies they would be of no use to me. I want them to go down a warren, find all the rabbits, shift them and if they won't shift then kill them. And then do it again and again and again. I don't want them to sit and have their fill on it.

I've not seen any wild mustelids which have died from malnutrition, but then I've never seen a wild weasel, stoat or polecat co-operating with humans to hunt rabbits, or hunting with the sole same intent that my ferrets hunt.

[FISHINGJIM 0]

i got a ferret a few months back that was 3 months at the time now its six months or so and wont work sets properly it just goes in 1 hole and out another. then i try it in another hole and it just comes out a nother 1 its not working the sets at all. i put it in a 3 holer and it bolted nothing so we put another ferret in and it bolted 2. some 1 told me to put it down behind another ferret would this help it get the idea ov working the warrens??

I DONT USUALLY WORK MINE TILL SECOND SEASON BUT KEEP SENDING HIM BEHIND ANOTHER HE'LL SOON GET THE IDEA

[lurcherchavvy 3]

when i start working a ferret i let them have a mooch about above the sett and let it go down the wholes on its own....always seems to work for me....i dont normally force them i will put them next to the hole......one of my ferrets i have got at the moment is this seasons and it would work hole to hole not going down deep enough.....i did the same let it keep coming up out of each hole let it wander then it finally cracked and started going deeper and started bolting