Ferrets For Rats Only.

[Guest vin]

Anyone ever kept a ferret and just used it for rats and nothing else ?

 

Mine have always been purely for rabbits and on the odd occasion when stumbled upon a rat/stoat/weasel have been bolted and occasionally the odd rat battered etc etc.

When I was a young lad we used to do a lot of ratting before the smokers were even a thought in our minds etc etc..but same again the ferts were always rabbit hunters 1st and foremost.. we preferred little jills at that time. . . the hobs tended to be too big.

 

I've just got myself a little hob and jill off an old mate and I'm thinking they might be the start of little Rat Pack. .

 

 

[The one 8,487]

Same here mate mine will bolt most stuff they come across in a warren but i wouldn't use them solely for rats a good working jills too valuable to loose on rats where a trap will operate 24/7

[stealthy1 3,964]

Used to ferret anything as kids, but not rats any more, the ferrets were chewed to bits, not enough room for them to manoeuvre. Would rather smoke the rats to the dogs these days.

[Chicken_man 1,651]

Good idea Vin, was thinking the same thing. A couple purely for ratting.

A mate has a good Jill he uses on rat's, it's a good way, quieter than a smoker.

Must have steady dogs though.

Atb

[stones 23]

Used to do it alot when I was younger... spent many happy hours with a bag of ferrets and two russells had three hutches one for the two hobs one for the rabbiting ferrets and one for the ratters... all my best ratting jills seemed to be sharp faced albinos for some reason had some good ones that never quit and they were out at least 3times a week... happiest days of my life... no job or mortgage to worry about and when it came to a choice between double geography /history or a day out at the rats... it was a no brainer B-)

[Frolicking Ferrets 33]

I've done both rabbiting and ratting with my ferrets and small ferrets are no good for rats, rats are very aggressive when scared and have injured my small jills and smaller hob, my big hob Jimmy has been used for ratting many times and hasn't come out with any injuries so far. If you're wanting a ratter then a big hob would be better suited.

[krawnden 1,036]

I've done both rabbiting and ratting with my ferrets and small ferrets are no good for rats, rats are very aggressive when scared and have injured my small jills and smaller hob, my big hob Jimmy has been used for ratting many times and hasn't come out with any injuries so far. If you're wanting a ratter then a big hob would be better suited.

 

I agree a big hob can be best option, but it depends where you're ratting. If you're just going through a farmyard where rats are under old pallets, between feed bags, bales etc a big hob is great. But if you're talking about bolting them from their holes a big hob's almost certainly too big.

[gnipper 6,508]

What I'd class as a big hob just about get through rabbit tunnels and would have no chance in a rat Warren.

[lifelong cumbrian 1,826]

We used to bolt them for terriers when we were kids, on the odd occasion the ferret got a bit of a pasting.

[Guest vin]

size is the issue. I thought mine was massive, but it was just the wife trying to make me feel better.

[Bosun11 537]

Large Hob's can't rat....! They cant get down the holes and plenty don't have the heart for it. Average size, wiry Jill's were always best Vin, you've just gotta find one that loves it. I have seen small hobs do the job but Jill's were always better.

 

Good ratting ferrets will almost always make good rabbiters but it's not the case the other way round.

 

Like trying terriers underground, you'll get a lot of failures but when you do find one that loves the game it's great stuff and a line can be found out of that ferret!

 

People don't use ferrets for ratting much now, smokers have replaced them and rightly so, bit sad if you ask me but then I'm an old fashioned sort of bloke.

 

I asked the same question on here last year i think,as it would be nice if someone still used their pugs only for this game and bred a nice line of such workers for just the job.

[krawnden 1,036]

Large Hob's can't rat....! They cant get down the holes and plenty don't have the heart for it. Average size, wiry Jill's were always best Vin, you've just gotta find one that loves it. I have seen small hobs do the job but Jill's were always better.

 

Good ratting ferrets will almost always make good rabbiters but it's not the case the other way round.

 

Like trying terriers underground, you'll get a lot of failures but when you do find one that loves the game it's great stuff and a line can be found out of that ferret!

 

People don't use ferrets for ratting much now, smokers have replaced them and rightly so, bit sad if you ask me but then I'm an old fashioned sort of bloke.

 

I asked the same question on here last year i think,as it would be nice if someone still used their pugs only for this game and bred a nice line of such workers for just the job.

 

There was someone last year who said either they, or their mate, had a line of ratting only ferrets. Unfortunately I can't remember who it was - hopefully he'll see this and post....

[gnipper 6,508]

It was vin I think?

[krawnden 1,036]

Doubt it, seeing as he started this thread!

[Guest vin]

It was vin I think?

 

It was me... a mate of mine in Barnsley has some very hardy little pugs.. He don't breed/buy or sell his ferts for anyone except himself.. last jill i borrowed off him was a proper little grafter that killed bunnies as quick as my hobs do.. it was 5 seasons old and had been used mostly for rats..Rabbits were too easy for it...lol. . . Unfortunately someone broke into his hutches and stole all his best stock and left hutches open on the stuff they didn't want...he lost the lot. . . word don't describe how gutted he was,

 

I got him and myself a couple of smallish lean types to try out...there from good grafters that i have seen work and was impressed by their tenacity,especially when one evacuated an angry squirrel from a 1 hole stop end after a serious ruckass down below. time will tell.