matt1979 766 Posted January 7, 2015 Report Share Posted January 7, 2015 I have been considering getting some ferrets to do a bit of work with my dogs for some time. I currently have a spare chicken shed and run free which is an 8x4 ft shed with approx 2/3 section of for the chickens/ ferrets and 1/3 for storage and to keep equioment etc. the shed has a run approx 4 ft x 12ft attached to the shed. It would need ferret proofing but wouldn't take a lot to do. My concerns are realistically I have ltd time like most working people. I have kept ferrets in the past and whilst they aren't a great deal of work they obviously need looking after. I would realistically be able to clean and feed daily 20 mins and offer them some work at weekends on a considerable farm with plenty of rabbit population. Is this enough to keep them tame enough and also would you recommend kits or get some adults in. I have never raised kits before but know the work that goes into raising other young animals well. My previous ferrets were rescue ferrets and at the time I was in the forces and a long way from any real permission so they didn't do any real work as such, I don't want to get adults and then they have know working ability. Any thoughts appreciated cheers Quote Link to post
vanman1 411 Posted January 7, 2015 Report Share Posted January 7, 2015 20 mins a day is fine mate,mine are lucky if they get 10 mins during the week when iam flat out. HOWEVER.....i raised them all from kits and some from birth and i do put -A LOT -of time in during the first 6 months of their life, which is why i get away with it i think.The bonding and trust is done in that first 4-6 months imo. My advice would be do some research etc and get kits in. Its easier in a court etc during the summer months,for example i get in from work do the usual family stuff etc,then i grab a cuppa tea and me smokes and sit down the court for an hour.I have 15 min free for all where everything's out then put the older ferrets away and let the kits do what they want for the remainder.This is also when i feed which is also a good bonding tool.It also gives the older ferrets a rest especially if you have a lot of kits tearing about! Like most things in life you only get out what your prepared to put in so i suppose the question is how much do you want it? 1 Quote Link to post
The one 8,511 Posted January 7, 2015 Report Share Posted January 7, 2015 This time of year its a struggle to do more than the basics with the animals as its usually dark when your going to and coming home from work , but you can spend a lot of time with them at the weekend and during the summer . do your research now mate and get kits in during the summer when you have more time to tame them etc , getting adult ferrets in now i reckon you could be taking in some ones elses problems 1 Quote Link to post
matt1979 766 Posted January 7, 2015 Author Report Share Posted January 7, 2015 I guess most days I could spend longer but I was being honest in my assessment of some busy days. I see the point with kits and have always raised dogs from pups and like it this way as you know what you are getting. My thoughts on getting adults in was that they don't need as much attention and hopefully some of the ground work would be done, this isn't because I am lazy as I have 3 dogs all I which are well cared and well exercised 2 x daily without fail. I do get good holidays so maybe waiting til the summer holidays when I get 6 weeks off would be best. Just would have been nice to get some work in this season, whilst my pup is coming on. Cheers for the input atb Quote Link to post
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