Paid 935 Posted December 19, 2007 Report Share Posted December 19, 2007 Your branch of the wild polecat tree is prob very different to ours over here. As I still belive that many of our "wild" polecats here are hybrids to feral ferrets. Quote Link to post
Julia 0 Posted December 20, 2007 Report Share Posted December 20, 2007 Over here, there is also wild ferrets. But most truly wild are found in Jutland, the "wÃld" ferrets in Fyn and Sjælland is mostly wildliving furfarm ferrets that escaped. I found some pictures of truly wild ferrets in denmark. Where i found these pictures, they agree with my observation. That the wild ferrets are smaller than tame. F.eks their weight. Where tame ferrets in Denmark kan weigh up till 1100 g for a jill and 2000-2500 g for a hob. They say that wild ferrets weigh 5-800 g for a jill and 1500 g for a hob. That match with my informations. This one got hit by a car. But see how yellow/orange his undercoat is? Some more F1, these are youngsters from same litter, see how much they range in color? The mother was a normal sable ferret, the father completely wild. They all have that smaller body and the yellowish undercoat. I'm so amazed by hybrids and wild ferrets. I like observing them, and gaining their trust. Unfortuantly i don't have my own hybrid, yet. Du you have any pictures of your wild ferrets? If you think they origin from a furfarm or are completly wild? Maybe the pictures can reveal it? Quote Link to post
Kay 3,709 Posted December 20, 2007 Report Share Posted December 20, 2007 I wouldnt want a hybrid simply as i dont see the point & certainly dont have time to ''tame it'' i think its a case of nature rather than how the animal is handled, i dont think you can tame such an animal , I dont understand the genetics side so dont know if some offsprings carry more ferret or more polecat genes or if the genes are split right down the midddle But i imagine the poor things are not only skitty but also confused. arnt polecats nocturnal ? if so how does that work as ferrets arnt I just think its man messing in something he souldnt & its best left alone Quote Link to post
Paid 935 Posted December 20, 2007 Report Share Posted December 20, 2007 Ferrets were bred from wild polecats, so really, if you ferret, its a good job man did not leave them well alone. Quote Link to post
socks 32,253 Posted December 20, 2007 Report Share Posted December 20, 2007 ferrets have been around since 425 BC .... and were fetched to these shore by the romans ........... Quote Link to post
Paid 935 Posted December 20, 2007 Report Share Posted December 20, 2007 Possibly, probably longer ago though. The European polecat is a wide ranging species, and genetically so close to the domestic ferret, that that is suspected to be the animal from which it was origanly domesticated. The first, were prob in spain, which is well within the European polecats range. Quote Link to post
Ludwig 0 Posted December 20, 2007 Report Share Posted December 20, 2007 Chalkie, I take it the produce of the union betwix the Polecat and the Silvers produced a less than desirable love of killing bellow ground leaving you having to dig that hard flinty ground; how do you think they'ed fare to rats? Lud Quote Link to post
socks 32,253 Posted December 20, 2007 Report Share Posted December 20, 2007 they would go through rats like a chainsaw through paper .......... Quote Link to post
Guest dotty Posted December 20, 2007 Report Share Posted December 20, 2007 the wild polecats jaws are much rounder then the domestic ferret. also with there better brains you will find yourself digging alot. i personally use, what i call greyhound ferrets. they are very very small and have little mussels. this means that the ferret only bolts. if it corner a rabbit the rabbit can still get past. i very rarely have to dig for my ferrets. also they are great on rats. Quote Link to post
socks 32,253 Posted December 20, 2007 Report Share Posted December 20, 2007 this jill was the last in the line of my wild polecat experement .... she was the best working ferret i have ever owned .......... Quote Link to post
lamper12 30 Posted December 20, 2007 Report Share Posted December 20, 2007 hampshire??i've mooched a fair bit in hants what with living there and that and never seen a polecat or ferret wild if you dont mind me asking where abouts did you catch them chalkwarren?just out of curiosity... atb lamper12 Quote Link to post
Tyla 3,179 Posted December 20, 2007 Report Share Posted December 20, 2007 i was given a ferret that was several generations down the line from an introduction of polecat blood. The family i got him from have been keepers and rabbit catchers for generations and used to keep several courts of ferrets, up to 40 at times. Every few years they would travel to Wales and a livetrap several polecats to add to their blood lines. The ferret i had was very trame but, as i said, he was several generations away from wild. One thing i do know is that they culled vigorously anything that had the wrong temperament or didnt work well straight away was a goner Unfortunately that line of ferrets is long gone but what i do know is that they were incredible workers with great temperaments. Whether this is down to the culling or the the genetics i dont know. Quote Link to post
Scuzy 1 Posted December 20, 2007 Author Report Share Posted December 20, 2007 id like a jill with some polecat blood in her for breeding with my hob if anyone has any information. Luke Quote Link to post
lgray88 4 Posted January 13, 2008 Report Share Posted January 13, 2008 i had plans to breed my hob with a polecat jill im in the process of trapping one had the traps down for a week now but still have nothing i think its time for me to move them again i have a friend who has problems with the poleys getting his hens so he said he would take a trap to get one but i hope i get a jill beacuse the hobs require alot of work to tame , i have one but its extremely shy Quote Link to post
WhoreeFacee 0 Posted February 5, 2008 Report Share Posted February 5, 2008 I have a gorgeous young ferret-polecat hob. He has the markings of a polecat. But is a right softy. He is much bigger than the normal ferret. And he is quite thick and furry atm. He has tried his best to escape a numerous amount of times. Each time being less succesful than tha last. There is quite a big difference between ferrets and polecats. Polecats are wild. Although some ferrets survive in the wild aswell. Not all have been tamed. Just thought id add my bit. Sayonara. Quote Link to post
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