Polecats/Dark Ferrets

[chook1 184]

My simple take on this would be that all ferrets are simply domesticated Polecats, and some of the lines will have true wild Polecat in them from not so many generations ago. As with most animals, some domesticated/dark ferrets will show different behavioural trends to most others (and not always the ones with the most 'wild' Polecat blood).

I often recieve photos, road casualty 'Polecats', or sometimes just a vague description of an animal, and am asked 'is it a true Polecat?', and often I can say that it definitely isn't, but I can never say that it definitely is. The truth being that Polecats and 'Polecat ferrets' are so alike genetically that at present I'm not aware of any method that can accurately seperate them.

So Rob, it's up to you if you want to call it a Polecat, or simply a dark Ferret, because no one can prove otherwise (though I bet someone will!).

that's not the point of the thread, I'm not arsed what I call it to be honest because to me it's a stinker!

 

the point of the thread was that I've always done what lots of other people have done on here and dismissed them as bog standard ferrets. Every other ferret I've ever had has either been a normal polecat coloured ferret or an albino and bar one or two minor personality differences they've all had exactly the same traits and have acted and looked exactly the same. This is a very dark coloured one that acts completely differently. I'm sure 99% of the people on here (myself included before this weekend) dismiss them as normal ferrets without ever actually seeing one of these 'different ones' in the flesh and witnessed the way they act.

 

Easy rob!

I put that line in to simply emphasise the fact that it could quite easily have a lot of 'true' Polecat blood, but there's no way of telling for sure! ........

 

And if they're stinkers.........clean the f***ers out more often

No worries, I wasn't being stroppy all I was getting at is I'm not trying to convince myself that it's a polecat so I can call it a polecat...I'm just sharing my experience of what I'm seen in my new addition. It'll be fascinating to see what it's like in the field compared to a normal ferret.

 

Dog n Natives talks about his from the past, but mine differs in that it's not even remotely tense when being held, if anything it's completely the opposite. When you're holding it it's more cat like than ferret like, it just chills out completely and when you stroke its head it looks up at you like a cat does.

 

The way it eats is weird aswell, it sort of grabs food the way a dog would do if it hadn't been fed for about a week.....in a proper aggressive sort of way. I really need to film some of these things I think.

 

My two eat in the way you describe, and put away far more food than I can remember any of my previous Ferrets doing.

 

 

My sandy hob does that with food, he snatch's it like he's never been fed before and runs - hides it then comes looking for more

if he finds the jill with hers he nicks that also and runs off with that. It's just the way he's always been.

[SINDASOX 256]

Back many years ago when the Vincent Wildlife Trust were doing their polecat survey i used to send details and photographs to them whenever i found a polecat roadkill, some good info on their site, here is a link from their site.

 

http://www.vwt.org.u...rt.pdf?sfvrsn=6

 

 

SINDASOX

[Brimmer 220]

Read through this from start to now Rob, will be nice to hear how the working goes on, hope it goes well, sounds like a young animal to me, one of this years and nothing to worry about, it will settle soon with the right handling.

 

Know exactly what you talk about with the eyes watching you, thats a trait you get with black eyed animals, there eyesight is way better than that of an albino ferret (not that it matters below the sod.).

 

Most ferrets/polecats are basically the same animal, only colouring and eyesight setting them apart. All traits are passed down by breeding. myself i seem to keep going back to the albino's, easy to handle and do the job below the sod well with no drama's, pick up easy, and are easy to spot in cover.

 

Every year i still try all manner of poley/ cross ferrets, they all do the same job below the sod, but are harder to handle on top, i put this down to the eyesight alone, the black eye's having better eyesight.

 

From ferret to ferret they can all be different, will be good to hear if this young animal offers anything different to a team.

[tiger82 43]

One day I was out working the ferrets with a friend we entered 2 ferrets to ground hob and jill albinos and a wild polecat kicked both their asses and sent them fleeing out. I have never kept a wild polecat prefer white or silver easier to see ticks or fleas and get rid of them and they make cracking workers too..

[jhiggins 48]

I recently bought two polecat Jills and have noticed similar thing. Yes they are much thicker set than my ferrets and yes i have found that when picked up, they just sit there as stiff as a board! the skin in oily as you say and seems much thicker than my ferrets.

 

I took the plunge and worked them both yesterday, both accepted a collar no problem and both seemed to work very thoroughly. I found that their speed around a warren was incredible but found that they seemed to revisit the same areas a lot, typical of young ferrets in their first trip i suppose. They did shift a few rabbits, and i only had problems getting one of them to come out. I could not believe my luck as, like you, i posted on here to ask people if anyone else was working them and was met with nothing but "They're not real" or "they will never work"!

 

 

I wish you all the best with them! I will try and get some pics of them working up soon

[fieldsportsman 107]

i know someone who has a jet black ferret, meant to be pole cat decendent, how true it is i dont know

[stealthy1 3,964]

Have you any pix of your polecat you could put up Rob?

[rob190364 2,594]

Have you any pix of your polecat you could put up Rob?

I've got a couple but they're not great, I'll take some tonight and will stick them up.

[stealthy1 3,964]

Have you any pix of your polecat you could put up Rob?

I've got a couple but they're not great, I'll take some tonight and will stick them up.

 

[Kay 3,709]

The behavior you describe sounds very like the behavior of a couple of hybrid kits i took in years ago , skitty , they darted back & forth , snatched at food & took off to the nearest place of cover at the slightest sound , they also from moved about very low to the ground , commando style if that makes sense

 

The only experience of a polecat i had was one i looked after before it was released , he was nothing like the above description, he was never active in the day , was terrified of everything , ate whole carcass only , wouldn't drink from a bottle , a very different if not beautiful animal , he was very active at dusk & thats when he would venture into his run

 

Just my own personal experiences from day to day care & observing them

[Hywel 53]

Fascinating post! And I agree it does sound strange... I get mobbed by ferrets whenever I open their hutch... It terrifys my fella when he attempts to feed them for me the odd time

Exactly, I've never seen a ferret do anything else! Even when I've got kits in the past that have had no handling whatsoever, they've all been straight to the front of the cage aswell. When I approach the cage he'll leg it into the nest box, then peep out of the nest box for a couple of minute...slowly make his way out and then once he's out he'll be fine. It's proper cautious though. When he's peeping out if I put my hand to his face he won't dart back in or nip or anything, he'll just sniff my hand but stay where he is for a while. It's really odd because when you're holding him he's soft as a brush and yesterday was sat on my knee without me holding him for a good hour, I put him back in the hutch, went in to get his food and when I came back out (slowly and quietly), he bolted into the nest box as soon as he saw me.

 

Rob, PM me and we can discuss further

[ferret100 47]

OK, I'm going to attempt to start a decent thread on Polecats (or dark ferrets) if that's at all possible....and before you groan and start typing "they're not polecats, they're dark ferrets", read the thread and try and input something worth reading...

 

I got an animal from Redtail on Sunday after my hob had passed away. If you'd have asked me about polecats before Sunday I'd have said exactly the same as most of you on here.....they ain't polecats, they're dark ferrets and they're just a money making scheme.

 

Now bare in mind, Redtail gave me this animal so I'm not trying to justify any payments or anything.....and I will never breed any animal so I'm not trying to put a price tag on any future litters....nor am I trying to make out it's some sort of super ferret, if it performs as well as a normal, decent ferret I will be happy.

 

Whether it is a polecat or not there are definitely some very noticable differences between this animal and every other ferret I have ever owned (approximately 12-15 ferrets). I know it's based on only 2 or 3 days of one animal, but the differences I've noticed so far...

 

....the fur is more oily and has a stronger smell.

....it eats like a feckin horse!!!

....it's more timid than any ferret kit I've had in the past, it's still getting used to me but when I approach the cage it runs into the nest box rather than straight to the front of the cage like ferrets normally do.

....it explores with more caution than ferrets I've ever seen before, they normally just bumble around, eyes down and exploring, this one is constantly looking around and up in the air before it goes into a new area.

....it seems to have much better eyesight than ferrets, it's hard to explain without seeing it but if you're walking past, it will look you in the eye and it's eyes will be completely fixed on you as you pass (as in it turns its head to follow you).

....it doesn't wriggle or scratch or anything when you hold it, it just sits completely still and if you sit it on your knee if will curl up and go to sleep like a cat.

....and the thing that is swaying me towards the opinion that it is actually more than just a dark ferret is the fact is just isn't vibing with my jill. Every single other time I've introduced a hob and a jill in the yard they have done exactly the same, they've had a sniff and then started the usual bouncing around and playing and after a bit would go into the nest box and curl up and go to sleep. With this one there's none of that, they sniffed each other but haven't played or anything once, they seem to give each other a bit of a wide berth and just tolerate each other with my jill just giving him a nip on the neck if he gets in her way. When they go in the nest box they curl up at opposite ends of the box. If he pokes his head out of the nest box and she's eating, he'll watch from a distance and as soon as she steps away from the dish he'll dart in and grab a mouthful and then run off.

 

I'm not saying it's definitely a polecat, what I'm saying is it's definitely different to any other ferret I've ever seen or owned. What are peoples thoughts on this? Again, I know it's only based on one animal but if it isn't a polecat and is just a dark ferret, how do people explain why is acts so differently to what I've seen before? I've probably not explained or emphasised the differences very well, but it is a very different animal to a normal ferret.

 

And I know it's a bit too much to ask but can we keep the flippant, dismissive comments to a minimum please....if you're adamant it's just a ferret then see if you can come up with a reasonable, sensible reason for why it's doing any of the above.

 

I'll try and film a few of these behaviours later just so any of you that haven't seen this 'type' can see what I'm on about. It'll be interesting to see how any of the above changes as it gets more used to its surroundings, my jill and me.

 

I have some male hybrids, as in EU Polecat x domesticated ferret.

 

At 7 weeks old they were the size of an average ferret jill and smelt like a hob coming into season. They were timid but prepared for a row. They live with my ferrets just fine now. They were more difficult to nip-train (still nippy now for no real reason) and seem to have a temper at times. They have better eyesight and aren't easily distracted with surroundings. They are built much stronger than ferrets and generally seem to only do what pleases them. Mine have been handled by children (supervised) and have been no bother, but they aren't exactly of the same temperament/behavioural pattern as ferrets.

 

Yours should settle down soon, he'll need plently of handling, but he'll adjust in time. He might not ever act like a ferret, but pretty close.

 

We all know what a polecat coloured ferret looks like. The noticably dark colour has come from people trapping EU polecats and breeding them with domesticated polecat coloured ferrets to sell to people for 'showing' classes for a profit. Nonetheless, to get a 'dark ferret', EU Polecat has been bred recently into the genes.

 

IMO, if was a true EU Polecat, he wouldn't stay still and sleep on your lap, imagine he's a hybrid. Same as humans, kids can pick up more genes from one side than the other, best you can hope for is he has more ferret genes than EU polecat. ATB with him. Put this vid on cause this makes me laugh!

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IkENZ6ye_Us

[rob190364 2,594]

OK, I'm going to attempt to start a decent thread on Polecats (or dark ferrets) if that's at all possible....and before you groan and start typing "they're not polecats, they're dark ferrets", read the thread and try and input something worth reading...

 

I got an animal from Redtail on Sunday after my hob had passed away. If you'd have asked me about polecats before Sunday I'd have said exactly the same as most of you on here.....they ain't polecats, they're dark ferrets and they're just a money making scheme.

 

Now bare in mind, Redtail gave me this animal so I'm not trying to justify any payments or anything.....and I will never breed any animal so I'm not trying to put a price tag on any future litters....nor am I trying to make out it's some sort of super ferret, if it performs as well as a normal, decent ferret I will be happy.

 

Whether it is a polecat or not there are definitely some very noticable differences between this animal and every other ferret I have ever owned (approximately 12-15 ferrets). I know it's based on only 2 or 3 days of one animal, but the differences I've noticed so far...

 

....the fur is more oily and has a stronger smell.

....it eats like a feckin horse!!!

....it's more timid than any ferret kit I've had in the past, it's still getting used to me but when I approach the cage it runs into the nest box rather than straight to the front of the cage like ferrets normally do.

....it explores with more caution than ferrets I've ever seen before, they normally just bumble around, eyes down and exploring, this one is constantly looking around and up in the air before it goes into a new area.

....it seems to have much better eyesight than ferrets, it's hard to explain without seeing it but if you're walking past, it will look you in the eye and it's eyes will be completely fixed on you as you pass (as in it turns its head to follow you).

....it doesn't wriggle or scratch or anything when you hold it, it just sits completely still and if you sit it on your knee if will curl up and go to sleep like a cat.

....and the thing that is swaying me towards the opinion that it is actually more than just a dark ferret is the fact is just isn't vibing with my jill. Every single other time I've introduced a hob and a jill in the yard they have done exactly the same, they've had a sniff and then started the usual bouncing around and playing and after a bit would go into the nest box and curl up and go to sleep. With this one there's none of that, they sniffed each other but haven't played or anything once, they seem to give each other a bit of a wide berth and just tolerate each other with my jill just giving him a nip on the neck if he gets in her way. When they go in the nest box they curl up at opposite ends of the box. If he pokes his head out of the nest box and she's eating, he'll watch from a distance and as soon as she steps away from the dish he'll dart in and grab a mouthful and then run off.

 

I'm not saying it's definitely a polecat, what I'm saying is it's definitely different to any other ferret I've ever seen or owned. What are peoples thoughts on this? Again, I know it's only based on one animal but if it isn't a polecat and is just a dark ferret, how do people explain why is acts so differently to what I've seen before? I've probably not explained or emphasised the differences very well, but it is a very different animal to a normal ferret.

 

And I know it's a bit too much to ask but can we keep the flippant, dismissive comments to a minimum please....if you're adamant it's just a ferret then see if you can come up with a reasonable, sensible reason for why it's doing any of the above.

 

I'll try and film a few of these behaviours later just so any of you that haven't seen this 'type' can see what I'm on about. It'll be interesting to see how any of the above changes as it gets more used to its surroundings, my jill and me.

 

I have some male hybrids, as in EU Polecat x domesticated ferret.

 

At 7 weeks old they were the size of an average ferret jill and smelt like a hob coming into season. They were timid but prepared for a row. They live with my ferrets just fine now. They were more difficult to nip-train (still nippy now for no real reason) and seem to have a temper at times. They have better eyesight and aren't easily distracted with surroundings. They are built much stronger than ferrets and generally seem to only do what pleases them. Mine have been handled by children (supervised) and have been no bother, but they aren't exactly of the same temperament/behavioural pattern as ferrets.

 

Yours should settle down soon, he'll need plently of handling, but he'll adjust in time. He might not ever act like a ferret, but pretty close.

 

We all know what a polecat coloured ferret looks like. The noticably dark colour has come from people trapping EU polecats and breeding them with domesticated polecat coloured ferrets to sell to people for 'showing' classes for a profit. Nonetheless, to get a 'dark ferret', EU Polecat has been bred recently into the genes.

 

IMO, if was a true EU Polecat, he wouldn't stay still and sleep on your lap, imagine he's a hybrid. Same as humans, kids can pick up more genes from one side than the other, best you can hope for is he has more ferret genes than EU polecat. ATB with him. Put this vid on cause this makes me laugh!

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IkENZ6ye_Us

anyone who needs to wear gloves to handle ferrets should stick to guinea pigs and hamsters......IMO!

[Jamie m 668]

OK, I'm going to attempt to start a decent thread on Polecats (or dark ferrets) if that's at all possible....and before you groan and start typing "they're not polecats, they're dark ferrets", read the thread and try and input something worth reading...

 

I got an animal from Redtail on Sunday after my hob had passed away. If you'd have asked me about polecats before Sunday I'd have said exactly the same as most of you on here.....they ain't polecats, they're dark ferrets and they're just a money making scheme.

 

Now bare in mind, Redtail gave me this animal so I'm not trying to justify any payments or anything.....and I will never breed any animal so I'm not trying to put a price tag on any future litters....nor am I trying to make out it's some sort of super ferret, if it performs as well as a normal, decent ferret I will be happy.

 

Whether it is a polecat or not there are definitely some very noticable differences between this animal and every other ferret I have ever owned (approximately 12-15 ferrets). I know it's based on only 2 or 3 days of one animal, but the differences I've noticed so far...

 

....the fur is more oily and has a stronger smell.

....it eats like a feckin horse!!!

....it's more timid than any ferret kit I've had in the past, it's still getting used to me but when I approach the cage it runs into the nest box rather than straight to the front of the cage like ferrets normally do.

....it explores with more caution than ferrets I've ever seen before, they normally just bumble around, eyes down and exploring, this one is constantly looking around and up in the air before it goes into a new area.

....it seems to have much better eyesight than ferrets, it's hard to explain without seeing it but if you're walking past, it will look you in the eye and it's eyes will be completely fixed on you as you pass (as in it turns its head to follow you).

....it doesn't wriggle or scratch or anything when you hold it, it just sits completely still and if you sit it on your knee if will curl up and go to sleep like a cat.

....and the thing that is swaying me towards the opinion that it is actually more than just a dark ferret is the fact is just isn't vibing with my jill. Every single other time I've introduced a hob and a jill in the yard they have done exactly the same, they've had a sniff and then started the usual bouncing around and playing and after a bit would go into the nest box and curl up and go to sleep. With this one there's none of that, they sniffed each other but haven't played or anything once, they seem to give each other a bit of a wide berth and just tolerate each other with my jill just giving him a nip on the neck if he gets in her way. When they go in the nest box they curl up at opposite ends of the box. If he pokes his head out of the nest box and she's eating, he'll watch from a distance and as soon as she steps away from the dish he'll dart in and grab a mouthful and then run off.

 

I'm not saying it's definitely a polecat, what I'm saying is it's definitely different to any other ferret I've ever seen or owned. What are peoples thoughts on this? Again, I know it's only based on one animal but if it isn't a polecat and is just a dark ferret, how do people explain why is acts so differently to what I've seen before? I've probably not explained or emphasised the differences very well, but it is a very different animal to a normal ferret.

 

And I know it's a bit too much to ask but can we keep the flippant, dismissive comments to a minimum please....if you're adamant it's just a ferret then see if you can come up with a reasonable, sensible reason for why it's doing any of the above.

 

I'll try and film a few of these behaviours later just so any of you that haven't seen this 'type' can see what I'm on about. It'll be interesting to see how any of the above changes as it gets more used to its surroundings, my jill and me.

 

I have some male hybrids, as in EU Polecat x domesticated ferret.

 

At 7 weeks old they were the size of an average ferret jill and smelt like a hob coming into season. They were timid but prepared for a row. They live with my ferrets just fine now. They were more difficult to nip-train (still nippy now for no real reason) and seem to have a temper at times. They have better eyesight and aren't easily distracted with surroundings. They are built much stronger than ferrets and generally seem to only do what pleases them. Mine have been handled by children (supervised) and have been no bother, but they aren't exactly of the same temperament/behavioural pattern as ferrets.

 

Yours should settle down soon, he'll need plently of handling, but he'll adjust in time. He might not ever act like a ferret, but pretty close.

 

We all know what a polecat coloured ferret looks like. The noticably dark colour has come from people trapping EU polecats and breeding them with domesticated polecat coloured ferrets to sell to people for 'showing' classes for a profit. Nonetheless, to get a 'dark ferret', EU Polecat has been bred recently into the genes.

 

IMO, if was a true EU Polecat, he wouldn't stay still and sleep on your lap, imagine he's a hybrid. Same as humans, kids can pick up more genes from one side than the other, best you can hope for is he has more ferret genes than EU polecat. ATB with him. Put this vid on cause this makes me laugh!

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IkENZ6ye_Us

anyone who needs to wear gloves to handle ferrets should stick to guinea pigs and hamsters......IMO!

Russel the ferret legend he waits them to handle normal ferrets : /

[patterdalejoel 669]

i have seen similarities with what you are saying in a jill ive got here, that was sold to me as sme half blood EU bollocks, but tbh, i saw her, liked her and bought her. she seems to have a lot more "concentration" for want of a better word, she will look around and stare very calmly and intently at everything around her from her elevated view when handled, when the other "ferrets" are wriggling and messing about. when i bring food to the hutch at feeding time, everyone else is bouncing around with excitement, but most of the time she is just calmly looking intently at the carcass of whatever. she is a lot more food agressive, i have other ferrets i could take the food off them they were eating no probs, but i would have less fingers if i did it with her, evn after i know she is full to bursting.

 

these are some of my observtions of a dark ferret i have, who's dad was a wild ferret, wether just a wild ferret, polecat or mix of the 2 ill never know but to me shes a ferret, im not saying she is anything different just some correlation with what OP has said.