Ferret stuck 16ft down

[janine 53]

Went out today and one of my ferrets is trapped I think behind a rabbit (guessing) over 16ft down! There was a lot of going back and forth same area 16ft to 12ft for ages then shes stopped still.

We tried to dig down but the ground is horrendous and we could never have dug to 16ft don't even know why we tried.

I couldn''t block the holes up there are loads of them! So I have left my fleece, and had to come home, girl at stables has just checked with the locator and she's still in the same place three hours later! Hoping she's asleep not dead.

Going back tomorrow, just wanting reassurance really has anybody else had this and what happened? Proper gutted she's a fantastic worker, never stays with them if she kills so she must be stuck,

 

 

 

 

[king 11,972]

13 minutes ago, janine said:

Went out today and one of my ferrets is trapped I think behind a rabbit (guessing) over 16ft down! There was a lot of going back and forth same area 16ft to 12ft for ages then shes stopped still.

We tried to dig down but the ground is horrendous and we could never have dug to 16ft don't even know why we tried.

I couldn''t block the holes up there are loads of them! So I have left my fleece, and had to come home, girl at stables has just checked with the locator and she's still in the same place three hours later! Hoping she's asleep not dead.

Going back tomorrow, just wanting reassurance really has anybody else had this and what happened? Proper gutted she's a fantastic worker, never stays with them if she kills so she must be stuck,

 

 

 

 

get a few of you together and dig her out..you put her in it's up to you to get her out..

[janine 53]

9 minutes ago, king said:

get a few of you together and dig her out..you put her in it's up to you to get her out..

If she's still in the same spot tomorrow,  I will be looking for volunteers to help dig, so anybody local to Bradford Haha,  I'll not sleep if I just leave her, fingers crossed she's moved 

[king 11,972]

2 minutes ago, janine said:

If she's still in the same spot tomorrow,  I will be looking for volunteers to help dig, so anybody local to Bradford Haha,  I'll not sleep if I just leave her, fingers crossed she's moved 

if i was closer i would give you a hand on the shovel..good luck finger's crossed you get her back..

[Arry 21,736]

Leave your carrying box at the nearest hole with the lid propped open about half way. Bait a mink/squirrel trap there as well covered with a sack. Before finders we would not know how deep or were they were, but often got them back even over a week latter.

Good luck with it mate.

Cheers Arry

[ryaldinhio 4,540]

Did you run her on her own? If I have one that sticks or goes back and forth in same section I run another through to try move it. Probs a bit late now mind.

f**k digging 16ft in rough ground by hand, some stronger fitter lads than me on here if that's the plan! If its on perm you could get a mini digger for day for about 60quid do the bulk of the digging double quick... they will laugh but cheaper than a new collar!

Failing that if it isnt public ground as Arry says above set a few mink traps and get around back filling other holes and keep checking.

If she hasn't moved at all in 24hrs she probably isn't moving so could be dead or dropped collar.

Whichever scenario I agree with King, we domesticate them, we put em to ground, our duty to get em out and look after em.

Good luck and let us know how u get on.

[Daniel cain 45,250]

You have a responsibility to your stock.... Get it dug..... 

[micky 3,325]

16 feet down is twice as high as a standard house ceiling and will require shoring up as you go down !you say that the digging is horrendous that implies  to me that the ground is unstable making it  much worse , if you have no expierrence in groundworks leave it well alone just block the holes well and if you have any traps bait them and push them well in and cover them up , the Ferret will eat its way out eventually and its just a matter of being there around the time that happens , other Ferrets  will knock it off but I would wait till the Ferret moves again , over the years I have left many Ferrets over night and one for a Week once but I have only ever lost one for good though I was present last season when one  was left and not recovered despite the efforts of a competent owner . Good Luck and Take care 

[matt the lamper 161]

Ive work in some bad ground if it 16ft foot down you need to over dig it or shoring like micky said it take second for ground to come i leave her till she move or set trap atb hope you get her back

[ryaldinhio 4,540]

Sure there was a fella near me couple years back ferreting on his own on boxing day, digging out laid on top head torso etc in hole tryna reciver a rabbit and sides collapsed in. He was found dead day after with his legs sticking out the hole and his Jack Russell still by his side.

[ryaldinhio 4,540]

https://www.express.co.uk/news/uk/581739/rabbit-hole-man-dead-suffocated

Not quite as I remembered but shows the dangers of being alone, even just a simple bit of rabbitin 

[janine 53]

13 minutes ago, ryaldinhio said:

Sure there was a fella near me couple years back ferreting on his own on boxing day, digging out laid on top head torso etc in hole tryna reciver a rabbit and sides collapsed in. He was found dead day after with his legs sticking out the hole and his Jack Russell still by his side.

I remember reading about that! 

[king 11,972]

21 minutes ago, ryaldinhio said:

Sure there was a fella near me couple years back ferreting on his own on boxing day, digging out laid on top head torso etc in hole tryna reciver a rabbit and sides collapsed in. He was found dead day after with his legs sticking out the hole and his Jack Russell still by his side.

fecking terrible that ryaldinhio.the poor lad..

[king 11,972]

8 minutes ago, janine said:

I remember reading about that! 

you got the jill back  

[janine 53]

Right been back today, locator picking up the exactly the same spot no movement!

So best scenario it's just the collar or worst she's dead. 

I have called down the holes, all around the immediate area. Set up a box and getting a squirrel trap tomorrow.

One of the stable girls said she was sure she saw something white moving in the corner of her eye whilst she was in the field with the horses, all girls on the lookout and post on Facebook Group for that area. Now I have to wait and hope she's not dead, I'm not arsed about the collar and defiantly not digging that far for it.

Fingers crossed only been ferreting six years and she was my first ferret off a mate to get me started and this is the first time I've come home without a member of the team!