Thinking of taking up ferreting

[Jordb543 9]

Hi all,

 

basically im after abit of advice on how to go about starting ferreting and what i would need equipment wise to get started, i know how to keep ferrets and i could easily knock up a decent run with built in house etc in no time so that isnt a problem,

 

a few questions i have are,

 

do you need to breed a jill? or is this one of those myths surronding a type of animal lol,

 

and are jills better for ferreting?

 

i also intend on taking my plummer/lakeland terrier with me, the bloke i got him from said he was introduced to ferrets and is good with them, but that a good few months back so any tips on reintroducing them would be great, my plan was to introduce him similar to how i have done my mums cats, correct any aggression/unwanted behaviour towards them and reward him ignoring them ,

 

just before anyone tells me to do a search, im guna do one after ive posted this and ill come back to check it once ive sifted through a load of old threads etc

Edited November 24, 2010 by Jordb543

[rabbit.slayer.no.1 3]

well mate before some one says it. you will need a spade hob if you get a jill as she will stay in heat til she mates . but the same go's if you get a hob he has to mate also. its a mine feild lol. any ways dont what ever you do is copy me when i started up earlyer this year , i had a hob and a jill from the same little and a hob and a jill from diffrent ones and to remember which jill was the sister to stop insest i dyed her pink. and ive had stick for is since lol. note to self lesson learned . but for the dog and ferret . your on the money mate keep a eye on them but they may become the best of friends

[Rake aboot 4,936]

Aye

 

Welcme to the ferret forum bud

The welfare of ferrets is as mauch the same as for any small animal. keep them clean ,fed well and genrally healthy and you should have few problems.

 

some people prefer jills for working ,some hobs , I use both, BUT you will get as many different opinions on here as people all think differently,, and you will get some AMAZING advice on this place,, only tiny black eyed whites the size off gerbils are worth working, everything else is shite,,etc etc

You have to find out what suits you, but generally you can have success with any ferret.

 

It is generally preffered to keep more than one ferret and this is where the fun starts.

 

Jill and a hob is a good start,, and this the part that lots of people will think differently about,,,,this is MY advice

 

keep a VASECTOMISED hob (not castrated,,speyed is for jills by the way ! )

This will allow your jill(s) to be served every time they come into season,.The reason for this is a minefield, it can lead to anemea which may kill the jill, she will stay in season longer leading to increase in infection etc.

Hobs will beat the crap out of jills when shagging, try not to be too alarmed, it`s normal

 

Whether you want to breed is another matter,, some folk say if you do not breed a jill she will die etc etc ,,22 years and never lost an unbred jill yet bud It`s up to you on this one though,

 

 

keeping jills on there own,, generally no problem is always handy to have access to a hob though,(see above)

 

keeping more than one hob,,, fine!! done it plenty,, you will have fights ferrets do sometimes kill each other (rare)

especially in the breeding season (spring) If it`s a problem split them up. it`s common sense really.

 

This is just a start,, but one thing I will say ,is if you have a problem or query ,bring it here,, if it`s stupid, we`ll all take the piss out off you, if it`s genuine, you will get all the help you need,,, you will have to learn fast what info is bollocks from numtys but you`ll pick it up soon enough

 

As with all your animals though,, If you are worried about it ,take it to a good vet !!! it`s a small life not a toy and should be treated as such,, though if your anything like me,, you will love the wee buggers tae bits anyway

 

ATB

Edited November 24, 2010 by Rake aboot

[Rake aboot 4,936]

Aye

 

Just read the second post,,, Hobs do not have to mate !! it will not do them any harm to live a Godly celibate life

[Jamie m 668]

Rabbit slayer no 10000001 what are you talking about your half right and probably keen as mustard but a spayed hob what are you on about no ofence

[the ratcatcher 1]

you dont have to breed either hob or gill if you dont have a hob you can take the gill to the vet for an injection that will bring them out of season i personally havent done this but my mate as for a few years and his gill is still goin strong and a great little worker again for working then i use both hob and gills and both have given excellent results so i think its a personal choice the hobs tend to be bigger and gills smaller but they work just as good as each other as for the dog i keep a couple of hobs that i use just for teaching the dogs i let them run round in my garden with the dogs and i am usually out there at first the dogs tend to go towards them but i just tell them to leave and they do its just a question of common sense and i never take anyones word when they say the dog is a worker or good with ferrets ive bought a working dog before now that knew nowt i had to teach it to catch and to kill again i had someone bring a dog to my house he said it was ferret proof it nearly wrecked my cages trying to get at them

[rabbit.slayer.no.1 3]

i ment the hob has to be VASECTOMISED. sorry it was later last night

[KittleRox 2,147]

When you build your ferret court/hutch/run make sure its escape proof.

I have two ferrets and keep them in a traditional style hutch which I lined with respotek (the stuff they use in wet rooms etc)for easy cleaning.

I also have an reasonably new flight which I originally had budgies in that I am converting at the moment for the ferrets to play around in,

 

Awe the best with your new hobby,enjoy,

[Jordb543 9]

Thanks for all the advice,

 

had a snoop around ebay for ferreting stuff and the prices and everything there seem pretty good so chances are i will get alot of my kit off there,

 

do any of you keep you ferrets outside year round? and did you do so last year? i know the weather was pretty bad in alot of places, i live right on the coast so frost and snow dont really get a huge foothold never more then a week tops and the temps are never close to the worst places in the country, so i figured they would be ok out in the winter?

[Jordb543 9]

When you build your ferret court/hutch/run make sure its escape proof.

I have two ferrets and keep them in a traditional style hutch which I lined with respotek (the stuff they use in wet rooms etc)for easy cleaning.

I also have an reasonably new flight which I originally had budgies in that I am converting at the moment for the ferrets to play around in,

 

Awe the best with your new hobby,enjoy,

 

nice looking hutch and great looking dog whats its breeding?

 

do your ferrets live outside year round then?

[johnny boy68 11,726]

Thanks for all the advice,

 

had a snoop around ebay for ferreting stuff and the prices and everything there seem pretty good so chances are i will get alot of my kit off there,

 

do any of you keep you ferrets outside year round? and did you do so last year? i know the weather was pretty bad in alot of places, i live right on the coast so frost and snow dont really get a huge foothold never more then a week tops and the temps are never close to the worst places in the country, so i figured they would be ok out in the winter?

I keep my ferrets outside all year round just make sure they've enough bedding and there water dosen't freeze though isn't always easy,I just keep spare water bottles and swap the frozen ones for fresh when needed.

Nice to see somebody taking the time to research keeping ferrets before getting them and not knowing whats required

[Jordb543 9]

I keep my ferrets outside all year round just make sure they've enough bedding and there water dosen't freeze though isn't always easy,I just keep spare water bottles and swap the frozen ones for fresh when needed.

Nice to see somebody taking the time to research keeping ferrets before getting them and not knowing whats required

 

Thanks mate, i have a good idea on how to keep them but never had them as pets or workers so thought best to ask and get a better idea

 

i know a cool little trick to stop your water freezing, if your using those water bottles for rabbits etc just make a sleave out of bubble wrap and some tape, then just slide it on the bottle, make sure its at least 3 layers thick and you shouldnt have any problems, bin doing it with rabbits for years and always worked

Edited November 24, 2010 by Jordb543

[the ratcatcher 1]

Thanks for all the advice,

 

had a snoop around ebay for ferreting stuff and the prices and everything there seem pretty good so chances are i will get alot of my kit off there,

 

do any of you keep you ferrets outside year round? and did you do so last year? i know the weather was pretty bad in alot of places, i live right on the coast so frost and snow dont really get a huge foothold never more then a week tops and the temps are never close to the worst places in the country, so i figured they would be ok out in the winter?

 

 

i have had ferrets for more than 30 years and all have been outside all year round i feed flesh so they use the fur and feathers for bedding and i tend to give more bedding come the winter

[Aaron_butcher 17]

in the winter i just chuck a few socks over the water bottle and they get an old towel and an old thermal vest to curl up in. maybe a bit of tarpaulin over the front to if its pissing down or snowing.

Good luck mate.

[KittleRox 2,147]

When you build your ferret court/hutch/run make sure its escape proof.

I have two ferrets and keep them in a traditional style hutch which I lined with respotek (the stuff they use in wet rooms etc)for easy cleaning.

I also have an reasonably new flight which I originally had budgies in that I am converting at the moment for the ferrets to play around in,

 

Awe the best with your new hobby,enjoy,

 

nice looking hutch and great looking dog whats its breeding?

 

do your ferrets live outside year round then?

Thanks for compliments,the pups 1/2 collie,1/4 bull,1/4 grey,

I have always kept my ferrets outside with no problems.Make sure the sleeping quarters are free from draughts and dampness,as the other guys have said give them plenty of bedding.I also drill some 1/2 inch holes around the top of sleeping compartment to allow air to circulate.You can,t see it in my pictures but the sleeping compartment is

built seperately from the main hutch so it can be lifted out for easy cleaning,

 

P.S. Don,t buy any pet shop crap,waste of money,