Do People Often Lose Ferrets?

[muttley94 74]

Ferrets are sociable animals, treating like pets will not endanger their working potential, unless of course they are tret only like a pet and never worked if that makes sense?

 

Cheers, D.

Yes i see what you mean! handling is good but so long as they are still out doing their job regularly too?

[Bosun11 537]

 

Ferrets are sociable animals, treating like pets will not endanger their working potential, unless of course they are tret only like a pet and never worked if that makes sense?

Cheers, D.

 

Yes i see what you mean! handling is good but so long as they are still out doing their job regularly too?

Next door have two huge hob ferrets that they keep as pets. They let em out almost daily and just let em wander. They live with fields front and side. Heavy bramble, ditches and open meadow. No barriers or closed gaps...

John says that in 30 years of marrage he's never had a dinner that wasn't burnt... Because thats the way they are, always sommat else to do and so, they can let them ferrets out at 5pm and only remember they did about 10, or even the next day! Those pugs always come home...

[pie-eater 377]

Closest I ever came to losing a ferret was 3 years ago, I was doing a small woodland, did the first warren chucked the 2 jills I had back in the box and went to gut the few rabbits I had and lift all the nets. I pick up all my gear and move on to the next warren lay my nets go to get the box of ferrets and realise its a bit light, I hadn't put the lid on properly and both jills had gotten out, I ran back to the first warren and found one of them straight away, the other took me well over an hour to find, I was walking around all the ditch warrens nearby and eventualy got a bleep on my locator, was a huge relief.

[barry lurcher 27]

handle them from young squeaking noise when feeding , have never used locators and never lost any so far in all the years i have hunted , saying that i have had to sit on the box for the odd hour waiting for them ! , best way i have found if they have killed below is stick a rabbit in a purse net and put it down the hole with the peg firmly in the ground and i use a rabbit call on my phone and place that by the hole also got a sqeaker that i carry they always come out

[muttley94 74]

 

 

Ferrets are sociable animals, treating like pets will not endanger their working potential, unless of course they are tret only like a pet and never worked if that makes sense?

Cheers, D.

Yes i see what you mean! handling is good but so long as they are still out doing their job regularly too?

Next door have two huge hob ferrets that they keep as pets. They let em out almost daily and just let em wander. They live with fields front and side. Heavy bramble, ditches and open meadow. No barriers or closed gaps...

John says that in 30 years of marrage he's never had a dinner that wasn't burnt... Because thats the way they are, always sommat else to do and so, they can let them ferrets out at 5pm and only remember they did about 10, or even the next day! Those pugs always come home...

 

Haha oh wow, thats good news though, I'm not sure Id want to just let them out and hope they are still there the next day

 

handle them from young squeaking noise when feeding , have never used locators and never lost any so far in all the years i have hunted , saying that i have had to sit on the box for the odd hour waiting for them ! , best way i have found if they have killed below is stick a rabbit in a purse net and put it down the hole with the peg firmly in the ground and i use a rabbit call on my phone and place that by the hole also got a sqeaker that i carry they always come out

the squeaking when feeding and rabbit down the hole seems like the common method, but I haven't heard using the rabbit call before! good idea! thanks

[dytkos 17,784]

 

 

Ferrets are sociable animals, treating like pets will not endanger their working potential, unless of course they are tret only like a pet and never worked if that makes sense?

Cheers, D.

Yes i see what you mean! handling is good but so long as they are still out doing their job regularly too?

Next door have two huge hob ferrets that they keep as pets. They let em out almost daily and just let em wander. They live with fields front and side. Heavy bramble, ditches and open meadow. No barriers or closed gaps...

John says that in 30 years of marrage he's never had a dinner that wasn't burnt... Because thats the way they are, always sommat else to do and so, they can let them ferrets out at 5pm and only remember they did about 10, or even the next day! Those pugs always come home...

I have left the run gate open accidently a couple of times, ferts escaped but came back/stayed near but its a whole different ball game if you lose them when out rabbiting etc when your not at home.

 

Cheers, D.

[The one 8,470]

I've ferreted under the main perth to Dundee motor way, Under one of the

Dundee roads and under the main St Andrews road and never lost a ferret and I don't think speaking would get a ferret out of there if a rabbit had it boxed in

[ZeusPolecat 185]

There's always the possibility but you can do a lot to reduce the chance. One late afternoon mid winter when dusk was setting in, I had a jill that hadn't surfaced for a few hours in a hedgerow and I couldn't find a mark anywhere. Up and down the hedge searching, hoping for a beep. Turns out the warren stretched out into the field a good thirty foot which I'd never have expected as every hole was within 6 feet of the hedge. Almost had the car over with the headlights on the warren when she appeared covered in blood. What I'd suggest if you were particularly worried is don't ferret mid winter after mid-afternoon unless your prepared. Pack a good torch and If possible have an additional finder (Cheap 2nd hand or something). If very dedicated, you could have a baited trap and a plan to block holes, be prepared to go back the next morning.

Like the guys have said you can train them to come to a certain noise. But I find once I have them out of their regular home they ignore it as they have more interesting things to investigate. It could work with some ferrets but I wouldn't count on it. They are smart for their size but not very obedient, they don't care about pleasing you much.

But really It comes down to the individual ferret, they work differently. You will get to know them and how they work. Perhaps ferret A's great on deep warrens early morning and ferret B's great on shallow warrens mid afternoon.

Edited May 17, 2015 by ZeusPolecat

[muttley94 74]

There's always the possibility but you can do a lot to reduce the chance. One late afternoon mid winter when dusk was setting in, I had a jill that hadn't surfaced for a few hours in a hedgerow and I couldn't find a mark anywhere. Up and down the hedge searching, hoping for a beep. Turns out the warren stretched out into the field a good thirty foot which I'd never have expected as every hole was within 6 feet of the hedge. Almost had the car over with the headlights on the warren when she appeared covered in blood. What I'd suggest if you were particularly worried is don't ferret mid winter after mid-afternoon unless your prepared. Pack a good torch and If possible have an additional finder (Cheap 2nd hand or something). If very dedicated, you could have a baited trap and a plan to block holes, be prepared to go back the next morning.

 

Like the guys have said you can train them to come to a certain noise. But I find once I have them out of their regular home they ignore it as they have more interesting things to investigate. It could work with some ferrets but I wouldn't count on it. They are smart for their size but not very obedient, they don't care about pleasing you much.

 

But really It comes down to the individual ferret, they work differently. You will get to know them and how they work. Perhaps ferret A's great on deep warrens early morning and ferret B's great on shallow warrens mid afternoon.

Thanks for the advice

[slip lead 862]

Before receivers come into play always used a small bell.still do in heavy cover or new setts..