a ferret thats an anti

[wingnut 27]

perseverence sometimes pays off mate, i have had a few that refused to work, and in the end turned out a bloody good worker, what i used to do was put it on a line and when was out walking just drop them into holes that were used by the rabbits on the railway banks perferably picking the two/three holers, that looked occupied near enough putting the ferret straight onto the rabbit in these small run throughs, and most the time these rabbits bolted quickly, and perhaps it was just luck but the ferret seemed to bolt a few, through it self or just the fact it was just run throughs and the presence of myself aided it, but 8 times out of ten the penny used to drop and never looked back, and they used to look and act completely different. But like some people have said not all ferrets work and i have had some that even through perseverence not met the grade, which is life. But i wouldnt completely write him off yet try him another season and see what comes of it.

[patterdalejoel 669]

perseverence sometimes pays off mate, i have had a few that refused to work, and in the end turned out a bloody good worker, what i used to do was put it on a line and when was out walking just drop them into holes that were used by the rabbits on the railway banks perferably picking the two/three holers, that looked occupied near enough putting the ferret straight onto the rabbit in these small run throughs, and most the time these rabbits bolted quickly, and perhaps it was just luck but the ferret seemed to bolt a few, through it self or just the fact it was just run throughs and the presence of myself aided it, but 8 times out of ten the penny used to drop and never looked back, and they used to look and act completely different. But like some people have said not all ferrets work and i have had some that even through perseverence not met the grade, which is life. But i wouldnt completely write him off yet try him another season and see what comes of it.

i know what you mean and i have doen that, i have a sandy jill that i thought was less use than a chocolate fireguard, never bothered would bypass rabbits but its sister is a hell of a worker, finding rabbits other have missed. i persevered with this when i wanted to pts sometimes, but one day it just clicked, it found a rabbi, stayed with it scratching it like hell until dug to, all of a sudden she knew her job. im not saying kill all ferrets that dont go down first time, but dont pass on a shit one, in the end its kinder to kill it

[salukiman 28]

keep the ferret feed it look after it. it didnt ask to be a working ferret got as much right to life as anything else

[dave1600d 35]

keep the ferret feed it look after it. it didnt ask to be a working ferret got as much right to life as anything else

................................................my sentiments exactly,,the poor little stinker didnt ask to be born a non worker,,,

[vermin catcher 219]

Mate i had the same problem with a hob from good working stock last year.i kept him back along with a jill from the same litter from my own working strain of ferrets.the jill took a week or two to start actually hunting for rabbits but the hob went in ok but did not actively hunt for rabbits.It was frustrating watching rabbits drop into a warren only to enter the ferret and him disappear and come out different holes and not hunt we would put his litter sister in and within minutes she had emptied the place of rabbits. We used him in shallow small burrows for a few weeks and even then he failed to impress at times but we stuck it out.Then he was used in a small burrow that unknown to us had some young rabbits already born and this was in January but he made a kill.That made the difference to him and he was away like a rocket after that and has now turned out to be a cracker.True not all ferrets hunt and some are pure shite as others have said on here. But they all deserve a fair chance to prove themselves, some take just a wee while longer to switch on as to what is expected of them and should be given that chance.Certainly if you hunt regulary and the ferret is out all the time and still does not switch on within a fair space of time its time to say bye bye.But i find the guys that are very quick to kill a ferret usually are the type that throw in a dead rabbit once a week into the ferrets cage and give it clean water every four to five days or when they remember .And they go out ferreting one Saturday a month and expect their ferrets to be grade one workers.

[The one 8,469]

Got to agree with what you say mate ,but ive found hobs a bit slower to mature and knuckle down any way . But i dont think non workers should be passed on .Its bad enough the amount of kits that are being bred from ferrets that arent worked properly and hard weekly and there being bred for all the wrong reasons .

[vermin catcher 219]

Certainly mate it costs the same to feed a good one as a bad one and i totally agree in not passing off one that isnt making the grade.i would have no hesitation in putting a ferret down that is not up to scratch and i know there are plenty out there that are pish.Where i differ from some of the others that have commented is that ive been at the game long enough and kept good ferrets long enough to know, some do take longer than others to actively hunt and deserve more than one or two outings before their fate is sealed.Ive seen boys practically throw ferrets towards rabbit holes and drop them towards rabbit holes from waist height and then complain when there ferret is reluctant to come back out ,thats not the ferret, its their stupidity.I have also as mentioned met guys that feed the ferret when they can be bothered ,rarely handle them and hunt once or twice a month or less and complain that their ferret is shite.As you know with anything in life,you get out what you put in and ferreting is no different. And i find most of the shite ferrets that are being bred and are producing more shite kits are owned by the same people that are quick to tell others to spade a ferret for not working straight away.