any chance of a sticky

[muddy210 34]

its that time of year when a lot of new comers will be getting ferts for the first time and come across this site for a bit of help. hows about a sticky from one of the good members on here about looking after ferts and stopping them nipping and all the other fun we have with new kits. possibly save answering the same questions time and again.

 

ill start below please add or correct what i put, i claim to be no expert or have all the answers i just know whats worked for me in the past. please point out anything that you feel needs changing or adding or removing hope it helps someone

 

 

 

 

 

getting ferrets for the first time can be a bit daunting to those who have never had these animals in the family or freinds that have owned them. the myths that surround ferret ownership are numerous and to exhaustive to list here completely.

 

if you are looking at getting ferrets for the first time then a few things that you may need to consider.

1. ferrets are social animals they like to be with their own 2 ferrets are often better housed together than a single ferret
   
2. they can live to be teenagers although this is the exception rather than the rule.
   
3. they breeding cycle is yearly depending where you are in the county this may last feb through to september.
   
4. females are known as jills males hobbs youngster kitts.
   
5. females come into season and if left unmated or without the vets intervention will remain in season for the whole of the breeding period(there are other methods to get jills out of season)
   
6. hobs left together in season can fight if left entire ie not castrated.
   

The above are a few things to consider when choosing ferrets and what sex they will be everyone has their preferences about whats best. Colour, sex size and breeding are all there to take into account but lets consider the humble simple ferret.

 

if you are going to work your animals then ferrets bred from worker to worker will probably stand you in good stead.

 

what you will need to start off with

1. a good secure house for them larger the better with decent weldmesh not cheap wire a ferret will find its way through if its there.
   
2. a good drinker a rabbit bottle and spout works as do chicken drinkers.and simple bowls allthough these tend to get tipped over if not heavy enough.
   
3. food dry food is available and easy to feed and keeps the flie down in summer fresh whole carcass is best with rabbit the top of most peoples list stay clear off dog food and cat food the name gives it away. in the past the old boys used to feed slops a mix of bread and milk these days there is no need for this and its not for a ferret anyhow.
   
4. bedding fleece blankets old shirts tshirts hay paper shreadings all been used to good effect as has wood shavings (dust free)
   
5. shavings for the litter corner people even have litter trays for them .
   
6. As for where to site the ferrets out of direct sunlight and wind is the spot you want to be aiming for the heat is possibly the worst thing for them to deal with weather wise.
   
7. clean ferrets litter area everyday and full clean once a week is a good regime to follow seems to keep them happy and keeps the smell and flies down.
   

getting your ferrets

 

get what you want if you want to be happy with them then thats a good start if you want black ones get black ones if you want white get white at the end of the day they are all ferrets my only advice is get ferrets bred for ferreting regardless of colour worker to worker will stand you in better order then anything else.

 

KITTS ARE GOING TO NIP THERE IS NO GETTING AROUND THIS POINT a kitt nipping is natural its up to us to stop then nipping this is done by handling them as often as is possible ten minutes a day will not work the more you handle them as youngsters the better they will be.

 

my method for this is to feed them some good fresh rabbit let them have a belly full then pick them up and let them get used to you they will possibly start to try and bite your fingers at this point and your reaction is likely to put them straight down dont they will soon learn that if they bite you put them down they get what they want ie back with their playmates. if they dont biteafter ten mins put them down and let them have a run about for five mins then pick them up again this gets them to know thatthey will be put down when you want . try a bit of lactose free milk in the palm of your hand get them licking it from your hand let them know that your hand offers them something nice. if you pick them up and they bite and you flick em or scruff them then they often learn that your hand is the cause of discomfet. after a few days to a week of doing this you should be on the way to getting ferrets that wont nip everytime they see your hands the more time you spend each day handling them the quicker this will happen. also when you go to the hutch to get them out dont be grabbing at them a fast moving hand is often seen as something to grab onto a slow movement from theback of the ferret is often best till they are used to you.

 

other methods that i have used to stop a persistent biter is to offer my finger to the kitt and when it bites to push slowly into the kits mouth as if to cause it to cag this often gets them to release and because of the discomfet felt they learn that the finger doesnt warrent a free feed.

 

when you have a ferret thats not biting in these instances get it used to being picked up in other situations like from grass and mud while you stand over it, if you have someplay tunnels for them let it run through these then pick it up one word of warning here though if you do use play tunnels let the ferret exit fully first because if not you could cause trouble with the ferret being a hole sulker ie it comes half out then when it seas you it ducks straight back in out of veiw and out of reach.

 

cheers muddy

[Tug 168]

Newbies don't read stickies... Fact.

[reddawn 2,173]

in theory it would be great, but ill bet my pound to your penny there is atleast 5 clowns asking questions that you have just answered within a week of this post

[muddy210 34]

we can allways direct them to it instead of repeating ourselves evry time seems same every year same questions same answers just thinking it might be easier

[The one 8,542]

Does anybody read them?. the amount of ferrets for sale posted on here and there's a post stuck at the top saying only post here .And if you keep pinning posts at the top your going to be halfway down the page before you to the first new post

[Rake aboot 4,936]

I`ve tried this before, and still reckon it would work (ish) but tbh, it`s been proved that no matter what you do they will ask the same questions (usually causing me to explode)

 

I have the Tick post at the top of the page, but folk still come on asking about ticks and folk keep advising them to try deadly voodoo.

 

 

 

Lets face it, people are twats,, cept me of course,, and you as well. And mibbe RM2508,, ehh. Naw wait !! he`s a twat,, eh, and so`s Lab,!

 

Bobs awrite,,,, and a few others,, but apart from that lot... folk are twats !

[The one 8,542]

Rake aboot' timestamp='1341936673' post='2709251']

I`ve tried this before, and still reckon it would work (ish) but tbh, it`s been proved that no matter what you do they will ask the same questions (usually causing me to explode)

 

I have the Tick post at the top of the page, but folk still come on asking about ticks and folk keep advising them to try deadly voodoo.

 

 

 

Lets face it, people are twats,, cept me of course,, and you as well. And mibbe RM2508,, ehh. Naw wait !! he`s a twat,, eh, and so`s Lab,!

 

Bobs awrite,,,, and a few others,, but apart from that lot... folk are twats !

 

You better watch RM2508's got Gary tank commander in training now might let him aff the lead

[muddy210 34]

know what ya mean rake like ya say same questions all the time agree with the posts about no one reads just thinking it could be easier to say read sticky then explaine every time about usual problems any way best will in the world we aint gonna change things

 

cheers muddy

[The one 8,542]

this sites like a shooting magazine its the same questions with the same seasons each year it wont matter if there pinned or not each newby thinks there the first to ask them .

[Malt 379]

Great idea in theory, but it won't work in practice. There used to be a half page of realy good sticky threads that covered everything like food, handling of kits, illness, housing, etc, but the same questions still kept coming up time and time again and left little room for anything else.

[ferret100 47]

A Sticky a is great idea, it is a foundation for general knowledge, but it may not cover everything. Every owner has their own views and worries. A regularly updated sticky is great, (new products/diseases/handling/feeding etc), so is always worth a read, but suggestions & previous experience from others can also be invaluable in a thread. Both are worth it, keeps everyone informed of what's going on out there when looking after ferts, regardless of age and experience.

 

Some owners may need reassurance/need vet involvement, handling/feeding guidance. A sticky gives standard info, a thread gives helpful (sometimes) advice, or if needs be, a vet can sort it...(exotics & fert knowledgable vet).

 

Owners need all the resources they can get, whether that be a Sticky, Thread or Vet.

[The one 8,542]

Why do you need a sticky if your on here you have GOOGLE ?.