why do i have to dig everytime?

[metallica fish 0]

My 2 girl ferrets are lovely and always find a rabbit down a hole. But i have to dig them out everytime! Its really doing my head in. They both get hold of rabbits and rip em to pieces. Sometimes spending 2 hours digging them out. And its not nice making a mess of my permission.

 

Anyone got any tips?

 

We use a MK3 finder. But we only have one collor

 

Cheers

[KittleRox 2,147]

what do you normally feed them?

[metallica fish 0]

what do you normally feed them?

 

Dog food everyday, with bits of raw and cooked meat from the kitchen

[terrierjohn 49]

do you feed them in the morning before you take them out

 

a small feed in the morning before going out lessens the chances of the ferrets staying and eating the rabbits

[KittleRox 2,147]

what do you normally feed them?

 

Dog food everyday, with bits of raw and cooked meat from the kitchen

try and feed rabbit,pigeons,etc as much as possible,when I,m struggling I feed cat meat,

I reckon if you feed rabbit as much as possible you get alot less lye ups,

[leepieman123 8]

hi there i would go with a normal feed the night before and the morning you going give them a light feed.i alwys just feed mine the night before and dont feed them til i get home after the day and i dont get many kills.

[watchman 256]

.

[Richie10 345]

Don't feed tinned cat food, it's no good for them. I personally wouldn't give dog food either.

I give mine minced chicken and ferret biscuits, other bits and pieces when I have them.

 

Enter the ferrets on at a time, don't always put in 2 ferrets, only if the rabbits aren't bolting and make sure they aren't hungry and not over fed.

[DogMagic 461]

There are a number of possabilities. You said your 2 ferrets. Do you put them both to ground? On a small warren you shouldnt because they can trap a rabbit. A ferret behind and another in front of the rabbit guarantees a kill.

 

As watchman said, you should leave the warren alone after netting up. Let things settle. The rabbits will of heard you upstairs and though to themselves "lets stay home for the time being shall we?"!

 

Worst of all is a dog sticking its head down the hole as the rabbit bolts. My beagle x does that. He hears a rabbit thumping along the tube and runs in to soon. The answer is to stand the dogs further back so it takes longer for them to reach the warren and hopefully the rabbit will of cleared the tube by the time the dog gets there. If that dont work, tie the fecker to a tree untill the ferrets are out.

 

My ferrets always have food in the cage so they are never hungry. I dont get lie ups. The last time i thought i had a lie up was last week. I dont know why but this rabbit really didnt want to bolt. Locater showed the position. 10 mins later its still there. Off to collect shovel. Get back and locaters silent. Do another search, find it again etc etc. But as its moved obviously the rabbit aint dead. Ground was rock hard so no chance of digging. After about an hour the rabbit finally emerges with no fur left on its arse, its right eye gone, its right cheek bleeding a lot and its right ear shredded.

 

Where do you stand when ferreting? You need to get right back from the holes, you dont want the rabbits to see you (or the dogs!). Also make sure your upwind. If they smell you as they approach the entrance they will sometimes sit in the entrance and sometimes go back down to face the ferret again. A few times iv grabbed a rabbit by its head and dragged it out when its just been sat in the entrance and because the ferrets behind it it didnt go back down.

 

And lastly.........be quiet!

Edited December 16, 2010 by DogMagic

[KittleRox 2,147]

Don't feed tinned cat food, it's no good for them. I personally wouldn't give dog food either.

I give mine minced chicken and ferret biscuits, other bits and pieces when I have them.

 

Enter the ferrets on at a time, don't always put in 2 ferrets, only if the rabbits aren't bolting and make sure they aren't hungry and not over fed.

not trying to start an argument but I feed mines cat meat regularly and they are fit and healthy,

[Jamie m 668]

If they ain't bolting they ain't bolting could be harsh weather and all I didn't have many bolts and dug to a jill 3 times who doesn't usually lie up

[Richie10 345]

Don't feed tinned cat food, it's no good for them. I personally wouldn't give dog food either.

I give mine minced chicken and ferret biscuits, other bits and pieces when I have them.

 

Enter the ferrets on at a time, don't always put in 2 ferrets, only if the rabbits aren't bolting and make sure they aren't hungry and not over fed.

 

not trying to start an argument but I feed mines cat meat regularly and they are fit and healthy,

 

 

Just some advice, take it or don't. Might not be affected now but maybe later.

[stevethefish 80]

It's just the weather, the rabbits are reluctant to bolt everywhere at the moment, not much cover and places to hide. As for feeding them my mate never feeds them for 2 days before we go he reckons they are willing to work harder, however I always feed mine as normal and its hard to tell any difference. Feeding them on tinned meat will not make them kill or eat rabbits any less, they are predators and its instinct, its like trying to stop a lurcher running after a hare while out rabbiting, they just do it by instinct. Just take the digging as part and parcel of the game and enjoy it, better than paying at a gym.....

By the way dont use a muzzle on a ferret like some do, if the come across a longy they are sure to get killed.

A couple of our digs caught on camera, mucky job but worth the effort.

Edited December 16, 2010 by stevethefish

[metallica fish 0]

I feed them lightly before i go.

 

Its strange, because when we use my mates ferrets they bolt the rabbits. And we dont do anything different.

 

They are on the same diet as mine. All i can think is that its their age? Its their first season. Could it be a possibility?

[Jamie m 668]

Yours are probablly working more of the warren if not all