fishhead Posted November 14, 2004 Report Share Posted November 14, 2004 Hi Guys, I would like to look after and work a couple of ferrets. I have spent a long time reading, researching and weighing up the pros and cons of keeping ferrets the only thing I am having problems with at the moment is deciding which sex to keep. The ferrets would need to be kept together, so would it be better to keep 2 females, which have been spayed, or would it be ok to keep 2 males together which have been taken from the same litter. Thanks for your help. ( fishhead Stevenage ) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vermin Dropper Posted November 14, 2004 Report Share Posted November 14, 2004 Hi FH, In my opinion if you have jills that are spayed (as I have) you wont have the smell of the males, Also being a little smaller they can work tighter burrows and tend to disturb the nets less. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lurch Posted November 15, 2004 Report Share Posted November 15, 2004 If you go for Hobs, I'd get those castrated. Reduces smell in season and they shouldn't fight either. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fishhead Posted November 15, 2004 Author Report Share Posted November 15, 2004 Thanks for your help guys. I will only be able to keep 2 ferrets and want to make the right practical choice for them to live together. Thanks again. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pigeon master Posted November 16, 2004 Report Share Posted November 16, 2004 Fishhead, like VD said you should be looking at using jills if your ferreting with nets as they go straight through them. A hob is best when you are using no nets and driving them out to waiting guns and dogs. I'm sure we all have our favourites though. PM Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest ferret_meister Posted November 17, 2004 Report Share Posted November 17, 2004 keep 4 jills 2 related 2 un related....2 hobs..both un related...dont catstrate etc..breed the jills up in the first spring after birth. its *** to feed down the jills to make them smaller but not vital. always use a large hob has a liner Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vermin Dropper Posted November 17, 2004 Report Share Posted November 17, 2004 dont catstrate etc..breed the jills up in the first spring after birth. its *** to feed down the jills to make them smaller but not vital. always use a large hob has a liner I have to disagree mate, There is no need to breed the ferrets unless it is for your own stock, as I have said on several threads there is too much ferret breeding, resulting in far too many unwanted, neglected or abandoned ferts. As well as the fact that un-neutered hobs stink! Get them neutered as soon as they are old enough, no fuss, kinder to the ferts, easier and cleaner for you. I know traditionally a "Liner" was the way to deal with a lie up, but with todays technology there is really no need. As a responsible owner, there is no excuse for sending any Ferret underground without a transmitter on (ferret finder). It seems to me that most of the preferences as to which method is used comes down to money, if you are going to keep (work) any animal including ferrets you should be prepared to spend the cash, if money is a problem then wait until you can afford to buy the necessary equipment and care for the animal correctly. Any of you Tight Ar**s out there should limit yourselves to things that wont suffer if you can't be bothered to spend the time or money to care for them!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
henry d Posted November 17, 2004 Report Share Posted November 17, 2004 Here goes my tuppence worth!Keep 2jills and find someone with a vasectomised hob,to keep the girls happy when they`re in oestrus.I keep 3 jills and a snipped hob together through the winter and around march separate them .End of april early may the big boy gets visitors(and the neighbours wonder what the noise is!).I also agree that jills make less of a meal of nets however if the bunnies are bunching up in stops then the big fella is the dogs nads.Hobs are better for bolting to guns.Ferrets are for life so it`s good to hear you asking first. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
longnetter Posted January 26, 2005 Report Share Posted January 26, 2005 regarding ferret keeping, DON'T get the hobs CASTRATED for Christ's sake, vasectomised is the ideal way to keep a hob, the Jills are happy, the hob is happy and any of your mates with Jills in heat will be happy too if you let your HOBLET { correct name by the way! } do the business. I agree with the comment that ferrets are for life, mine are, and about 99.99 % of other owners ferrets are too I hope. Ferrets are naturally clean, very intelligent, really inquisitive, and love their work, work that is after all just doing what comes naturally to the mustalid family, I.E. hunting their old adversary the rabbit. I've got two Albino Jills in the one run and a large Polecat Hob and two Polecat Jills in my other ferret run. Next week is my week off work and I'm taking my Hob to be Vasectomised whilst I'm able to do so. I also agree that there are too many Jills being mated and the unwanted litters are being disposed of in a casual manner, because as the litter gets bigger they eat you out of house and home! The ferreting game is full of decent ferreters, but, there is also, and always will be, more than a fair share of t****rs in there too! These type will see out the end of the ferreting season and then knock the ferret on the head, literally, because they can always get another the next season with no problem at all! If you do get a couple, give them plenty of toys or things to climb around on, they just love that! I love my ferrets and ferreting and have been a ferret keeper for over forty years, that's a lot of early mornings and cold days believe me! Looked after properly, ferrets are wondeful pets and workers who'll give you endless pleasure in knowing that you trained them as youngsters and now they are expert bunny busters in their own right! Nothing compares to catching a rabbit in a net you made yourself using a ferret you trained yourself ! longnetter. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
coney Posted January 26, 2005 Report Share Posted January 26, 2005 I agree with long netter, Vasectomised hobs are best, bare in mind fishead if you are thinking of keeping just jills you do have to take the jills out of season each year, as the genitals swell and can pick up all sorts of infections. if you decide on just jills look around locally for a hoblet, the owner may offer you there services for a small price. VD i still use a sort of liner even though he has a collar on if a Jill has taken to an early meal time he is so miserable and cranky he just pushes her off it just because he can and then carries on hunting!!, saves me digging. That reminds me has anyone had a go at the new ferret detector? i would be interested in finding out if they are any better. Regards Coney Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vermin Dropper Posted January 26, 2005 Report Share Posted January 26, 2005 Longnetter, Coney..... I do agree with most of your comments but I still stand by my opinion that you should get the hobs and jills "done" as soon as they are old enough, you say that most ferreting folk are decent people and thats probably true but I have had quite a bit to do with some ferret rescue centres and just 1 of them (in Coventry) rescued over 400 ferrets last year alone (most of them re-homed too), multiply that by all the centres around the country and you're into the thousands , as for the new locators.... I only know 1 person who has used them and he reckons they are the dogs danglies, you don't have the dial on the side to gauge the depth, you just switch it on and there is a gauge on the front, the needle rises and falls as the transmitter (hopefully attached to the ferret) moves around. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ferretmanabu Posted January 26, 2005 Report Share Posted January 26, 2005 If you are going to be using nets, then 2 jills will probably be the best idea. They can pass through nets comfortably without messing them up. They will live together happily, but you need to consider what you will do when they come into season in the summer. You need to somehow bring them out of season. You have some options for this; you can put them to a hob and breed from them. Do this if you are willing to keep the kits yourself because it is usually hard to get rid of ferrets to good homes. You could also put them to a vasectomised hob, which would mean they come out of season but they will not have kits. Another option, although I'm not entirely sure how common this is, is to take the jills to the vet where he can give an injection. I've never used this method (anyone ever used it? If so, is it any good?). Currently, I tend to use the shotgun a lot more than nets (mainly cos I'm a lazy ****** ), so I use hobs. My personal preference for working ferrets has always been hobs. I don't mind running to the nets after they've messed up them up. Good luck. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
coney Posted January 26, 2005 Report Share Posted January 26, 2005 ferretmanabu, The injection is a hormone injection such as proligestone. Bare in mind they need to be injected each time they come into season and it does not prevent them from coming back into season the same year, it can be an expensive option as well as a trip to the vets each time. As well as that some ferrets can have a bad reaction to the hormone (loss of condition, lethargy, poor appetite, sore genitals). If you’re not breading with them like vermin dropper says you may as well get them fixed VD thanks for the info i might have a look at buying a new locator!! regards Coney Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fert Posted January 26, 2005 Report Share Posted January 26, 2005 whatever sex ferret you keep fishead. make sure they have got plenty of room in the hutch.and make sure you clean them out regular. ive seen people keeping ferrets that havent been cleaned for at least a month. these are the to**ers longnetter is on about i think.make sure they have food and fresh water at all times.good amount of bedding to keep warm and sawdust where they mess.ferrets should have plenty of excersise so if you hutch isnt that big make them an extra run or let them run around freely in your yard/garden for 20 mins a day gives you chance to handle and examine them.under a watcfull eye. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Elma Fud Posted January 26, 2005 Report Share Posted January 26, 2005 A lot has been said about keeping hobs so that they can take the jill out of season. I take my jills to the vets just before they come into season. The vet gives them a jab so that they don’t come into season at all. It costs about 5 pounds for two ferrets + vets consultation fee. Not much to pay for healthy ferrets and a trouble free season. EF Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.