Jonty Posted June 25 Report Share Posted June 25 Last year, I was lucky enough to help a couple of orphaned baby weasels make it to adult weight and then back out into the wild. A few days ago, I had a phone call asking if I could take on a couple of abductees - someone’s cat had brought them in, fortunately they weren’t injured, and the cat owner got in touch with a mustelid rescue organisation, who then gave me a call. it’s absolutely amazing to get close to these little creatures, before getting involved in helping them out, my only experiences were those fleeting shots as they dart across the lane in front of you. These two are now pretty much weaned and can make a decent dent in a day old chick (as in bird of prey food). From now on, they’ll go into a bigger cage and be ‘hands off’ (to get them wary of humans) until they achieve a full grown weight. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JKD Posted June 25 Report Share Posted June 25 Absolutely brilliant, well done you ! 👏 Are you going to keep adding photos on here ?,,,, would be really interesting to see their progress 😃 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shambam1962 Posted June 25 Report Share Posted June 25 Stunning little animals, and well done 👍 Keep us updated. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
islandgun Posted June 25 Report Share Posted June 25 Fantastic !. well done. I remember sitting in the sun by an old up turned tree root when a family of weasels kept appearing behind me amongst the roots, basically ignored me Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
steve1066 Posted June 25 Report Share Posted June 25 On 22/06/2024 at 09:26, Houseplant said: Common here in New Zealand too. It can be said in a matter of fact way, but is often used in a derogatory manner. It is specifically reserved for English, rather than British people in general I have found. I used to find it jarring, but it doesn't bother me now, I even find myself using it occasionally. Well done Jonty. Another kind deed done by a possible shooter that won’t be recognised by the Antis Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bruno22rf Posted June 25 Report Share Posted June 25 Outstanding!! What an absolutely amazing thing to do, publish pics and your story on every media site you can think of. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Loki Posted June 25 Report Share Posted June 25 Hi Jonty Fantastic to read and I doff me cap to ye for taking on the 'hard yards'!! Please keep the Forum updated on progress to 're-wilding'..............! L Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jonty Posted June 25 Author Report Share Posted June 25 Thanks all, yes, I’d gladly post updates - they’re absolutely brilliant little beasties to have around, a real privilege…. I’ll keep you,posted on how they’re doing Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CumbrianWildfowler Posted June 25 Report Share Posted June 25 That's great. how do you release them? soft release until they stop returning for food? I rehab birds of prey and its very rewarding to get them back out in the wild but they have to be in tip top shape and 100% to have a chance. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marccus Posted June 25 Report Share Posted June 25 Well done to you, and something to be very proud of! Fantastic creatures to see in the wild. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aled Posted June 25 Report Share Posted June 25 Nice one, i saw one yesterday for the 1st time in a while where.....in the middle of Swansea! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave-G Posted June 25 Report Share Posted June 25 Lovely - I thought it might have been about ploticians at first lol. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aled Posted June 26 Report Share Posted June 26 Well I've seen more weasels than politicians this week, does that count? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
serrac Posted June 26 Report Share Posted June 26 Sadly, the only close up view I've had of weasels is seeing them hung in neat little rows on wire fences by the gamekeepers. I always wondered why they did that, I presume to demonstrate to the laird they were doing their job. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jonty Posted June 26 Author Report Share Posted June 26 12 hours ago, serrac said: Sadly, the only close up view I've had of weasels is seeing them hung in neat little rows on wire fences by the gamekeepers. I always wondered why they did that, I presume to demonstrate to the laird they were doing their job. Serrac, I've only ever seen that done with moles - still happens n some places here. It's done so the farmer knows how much he has to pay the mole catcher. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jonty Posted June 26 Author Report Share Posted June 26 23 hours ago, CumbrianWildfowler said: That's great. how do you release them? soft release until they stop returning for food? I rehab birds of prey and its very rewarding to get them back out in the wild but they have to be in tip top shape and 100% to have a chance. CWF - thank you. The process is that now they are weaned (as of today) I'll put them in a bigger cage which will be in my shed so they aren't in a domestic environment. I'll be very hands off (apart from taking them out for cleaning and weighing them) - they tend to turn 'wild' quite quickly so that's easy. Then, when they are at a constant adult weight, I have a soft release cage in the garden. they'll go into that for a few days, then I open up a small hole on the side and then keep feeding the cage until I have a small pile of day old chicks. it's great to know they've gone, but it does tug at the old heart strings too - as. I'm sure you know with your work with raptors. I think I could do with bending your ear at some point....I assume from your name you're not a million miles from me... the rescue that my wife helps out with has a small host of owl and a couple of kestrels. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Miserableolgit Posted June 26 Report Share Posted June 26 Fascinating. Unlike stoats I have not seen a weasel out for a while. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oowee Posted June 27 Report Share Posted June 27 Fascinating. Well done on the rescue. I have them in my garden from time to time I presume after moles? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
30-6 Posted June 27 Report Share Posted June 27 Years ago, I was about to leave a field after pigeon shooting to get out onto a country lane, I opened the gate and can't remember if they were stoats or weasels, one adult and several young ran across the lane one behind the other. They were not in a straight line more like a butchers hook. One of the best sights I've had the pleasure to witness. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
enfieldspares Posted June 27 Report Share Posted June 27 (edited) I am just glad I'm not a red list ground nesting bird after reading all this weasel love. They don't just eat rodents. Edited June 27 by enfieldspares Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
serrac Posted June 28 Report Share Posted June 28 On 26/06/2024 at 21:47, Jonty said: Serrac, I've only ever seen that done with moles - still happens n some places here. It's done so the farmer knows how much he has to pay the mole catcher. Ah, OK. I always remembered it as weasels but could have been moles I guess - we're talking 50+ years ago and I've been known to misremember details from time to time 🙂 Cheers Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jonty Posted June 29 Author Report Share Posted June 29 Quick update as promised. I’ve moved the weasels into a bigger cage (still inside my shed) with loads of logs/boxes/tubes/branches etc and will new be ‘hands off’ (apart from maybe one or two weighing sessions). The female has just hit the lower end of adult weight (55g) and the male is still 10-15g off but the rate he’s growing, he’ll do that in no time. Once they are both at a decent adult weight, they’ll go out into the garden ready for soft release. It’s hilarious putting them into a new cage full of new stuff - they just can’t stop investigating and exploring. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TIGHTCHOKE Posted June 29 Report Share Posted June 29 Marvellous. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jonty Posted July 2 Author Report Share Posted July 2 I made a schoolboy error at the weekend, they say that a weasel can fit through a wedding ring…. I now believe that! The male was relatively easy to reign back in - males don’t have a great lifespan partly due to their focus on prey and hunting and not obeying the green cross code whilst hunting. A day old chick dropped on the ground next to a cloth ‘sleeping bag’ did the trick - weasel grabs chick, wants to conceal it so takes it into adjacent bag - job done! The female is more savvy and took some more work - you can see that she objected to being recaptured. I do have to say though, I’ve never been so pleased to have two little puncture wounds as those in my thumb! it’s funny how with ferrets you spend your time discouraging them from being nippy. From my relatively limited experience with wild mustelids, once they are past weaning, on the few times you do need to handle them (cleaning cages/weighing/etc) getting bitten is a good sign. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jonty Posted July 6 Author Report Share Posted July 6 Big day today, the beginning of the big step bag into the wild for these two. Both of them have now reached (and maintained) an adult weight so I’ve moved them outside into a soft release cage. Hopefully they’ll stay in here for a weak or so, and then I’ll open up a small access hole on the side - weasels being weasels will take off of 10 seconds to find it. After that, I’ll keep feeding the cage with day old chicks until they don’t come back and take the chicks any more. There’s loads of cover etc in the cage, and they’ve gone pretty wild now, so I’ll only get fleeting glimpses, but I’ll try and get more pics up to their final release. It’s brilliant to see them making their way, but I do have to admit that it does always tug at the heart strings just a little bit - it’s amazing to have been so close to these absolutely stunning little creatures. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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