Polecats/Dark Ferrets

[patterdalejoel 669]

what a twat that russell summers guy is... scared like a girl of a 7 week old kit, that was smelling his finger.... looks like hes never handled a ferret before with them silvers!

[Jamie m 668]

Wears them gloves for normal ferrets old russ the ferret

[Brimmer 220]

Sakes! That Russel clip is just a feckin nightmare, why would anyone go down that route? Do people really think thats what needed to hunt rabbits? Why complicate something that people have been making less complicated for generations.

[SMART DOG 340]

Sakes! That Russel clip is just a feckin nightmare, why would anyone go down that route? Do people really think thats what needed to hunt rabbits? Why complicate something that people have been making less complicated for generations.

stranger you not fancy a few mini Russells for them hills you work lol

[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

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

 

TBH, My Little Ponies might be a challenge for him...