Working Homes ?

[Ideation 8,216]

Where are the pet owners? As i said mine ARE pets - but i only keep working animals as pets - pets that work. If that makes sense - it's just nomenclature. They are pets in that they have names, are handled, played with and enjoyed. However they are selected for their working ability and worked very hard and kept in peak working condition. Same as the dogs . . . . working pets, pets that work etc etc Don't make them less good at their job than anyone elses just cos of the way i refer to them.

[Green Island Hunter 28]

mate i agree with you, just because you have a working ferret, does not mean you keep it in shit conditions and forget about it till you show it a hole. like i said, mine get handled everyday ect.

what my point is, too many are getting bred from as pets and not for work, the ferrets original use.

its getting harder to find good working ferrets.

not all ferrets work a warren where they want to find every rabbit thats in their and dont come out till its empty, its these ferrets that i strive to have, the old fashion ferret if you like.

[scothunter 12,609]

mate i agree with you, just because you have a working ferret, does not mean you keep it in shit conditions and forget about it till you show it a hole. like i said, mine get handled everyday ect.

what my point is, too many are getting bred from as pets and not for work, the ferrets original use.

its getting harder to find good working ferrets.

not all ferrets work a warren where they want to find every rabbit thats in their and dont come out till its empty, its these ferrets that i strive to have, the old fashion ferret if you like.

maybe you should change where you get your stock,as there are an abundance of workers around here. or better still breed your own. simples.....

[Ideation 8,216]

Yes there is a massive difference between going down a hole ad bolting some rabbits and really working the big warrens.

[Green Island Hunter 28]

mate i agree with you, just because you have a working ferret, does not mean you keep it in shit conditions and forget about it till you show it a hole. like i said, mine get handled everyday ect.

what my point is, too many are getting bred from as pets and not for work, the ferrets original use.

its getting harder to find good working ferrets.

not all ferrets work a warren where they want to find every rabbit thats in their and dont come out till its empty, its these ferrets that i strive to have, the old fashion ferret if you like.

maybe you should change where you get your stock,as there are an abundance of workers around here. or better still breed your own. simples.....

 

i have my own strain, they do me well. but, for some, its getting harder and the odd time in the last few years i have found it hard to get a good out cross, but fine at the moment, as i have explained in my earlier posts.

[johnny boy68 11,726]

Working home or pet home who's gives a shit as long as its a good home......my dog lives in the house does that make her a pet!?!?She gets worked 4-5 times a week with the ferrets,the ferrets are moddycoddled by missus and the kids everyday does that make them pets.... it makes them well looked after working ferrets

One persons look on it differs to anothers

 

 

John

[scothunter 12,609]

Working home or pet home who's gives a shit as long as its a good home......my dog lives in the house does that make her a pet!?!?She gets worked 4-5 times a week with the ferrets,the ferrets are moddycoddled by missus and the kids everyday does that make them pets.... it makes them well looked after working ferrets

One persons look on it differs to anothers

 

 

John

well said

[stubby 175]

i finding this a bit strange, being on a hunting site and in the ferreting section, with so many pet ferret owners?

each to their own, but is their not a site, for pet ferret owners?

the statement made by the one, is spot on.

 

 

Ive often said this in the past, but as there is "no certification" required to call oneself a hunter, and as this is an open forum, theres not much that can be done about it, plus when you think about it, for a "pet" keeper to prefer visiting this site, rather than a pet site, says alot for this forum as a whole

it also, I think helps bridge the gap between worker keepers and pet keepers, too many "anti's" out there, for us to try alienating pet owners too

plus kay for one, gives lots of good advice, to new keeper/ferreters, rather than jumping on the offence and say'ing she cant as she only keeps pets, which alot of working ferreters do

[ferretertom 7]

Cant see the point in killing a good healthy ferret myself surely it would be just as easy to give it a 2nd chance give it to a ferret rescue or put it up free to a good home i thought those days when ferreters did things like that were over.

In my experiance every ferret works just to what degree. Some take to it easyer than others it takes patience.

Just because someone keeps a ferret as a pet maby in the house doesnt make them bad owners.

To be quite honest ive see pet ferret living in huge ferret courts with tubes and everything a ferret could want.

On the other hand ive see old ferreters keep ferrets in filthy rabbit hutches that are far to small being fed on bread and milk and ive heard of storys of them being muzzled or even having their mouths stitched up for working

I no what id prefer of course its not always like this.

Edited June 20, 2010 by ferretertom

[Green Island Hunter 28]

Thanks everyone for their input.

Its been interesting.

 

Dan.

[runforyourlife 361]

But what do they get out of Having A Working Animal as a pet and no using it ?? A classic example is the border collie half of them in pet homes go stir crazy being cooped up and no working they have to be rehomed .

 

Why no stick to budgies ,rabbits etc

 

 

Do you mean no working? or do you mean no walking??

[The one 8,463]

Not working , half of them return to be rehomed are in that state due to fustration border collies require more than a walk .I dont know what you call it where they run down a track and pick up a tennis ball and come back i watched 2 minutes of that at yorkshire and had to come away the collies at the side where going daft .

 

I work my ferrets three times a week and two of my jills leap frog over each other in the front of the cage when they see you and im sure its fustration they want out more

[stubby 175]

one last point, most ferreters, while try out a number of kitts, pick one or two that reach the mark and sell the rest on, some may keep them all if they have the space, my whole strain is built from two jills that did'nt reach the mark (in their previous owners eyes) thus I picked them up, at the time, for pets, having the intention of ferreting, but being truthful with the breeder, I then started working them a year later, they have got to be the best workers ever, most people from here that Ive taken ferreting, have remarked on what a good job they do, they work each warren in turn, before moving onto the next, I dont even need to pick up and enter into a new hole, they simple move from one end of warren to the other.

 

had their breeding had the attitude of no to a pet home, cull instead, I would have lost out, maybe I would have picked up some "pet shop types" and maybe, after a poor start at ferreting with pet type, never got into ferreting, maybe just stay a pet keeper

 

so, I'll always glady sell/give on to a pet home, you never know, it may just start another on the lines of ferreting