gollum
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Everything posted by gollum
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Hi all, made my first long net (with sheet netting 4z) and all good except my anchor pins are a bit on the lame side..... Has anyone got any suggestion for an off the shelf item that does the job well, my minds blank today.......been digging the Jill out again
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Fair point mate, though I didn't intend to come across as a numbers kind of person. I could tell you all about the fantastic things I am seeing, deer the last 3 trips, kingfishers when I'm chasing trout in the summer, long summer days catching crayfish and lazing on the banks of my favourite streams. Being out in the wilds and just observing nature is a joy in itself. I had a couple of stoats chase each other across a bury I was netting last week and today it was freezing fog giving the landscape an ethereal beauty that can so easily be missed if stuck in an office. I feel its a huge priv
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Thanks Stubby, I tried her with less nets today, pursing one side of a hedge and long netting the other where the majority of bolt holes were located. She did seem better behaved and I got 6 so was happy with the day and that my long net (made myself with sheet netting) was successful. 3 to the purses 3 to the long net and she only pulled a couple of nets. However, her new trick for today was laying up....3 1/2 feet down in the middle of the hedge! An hours digging in the most cramped space imaginable (thanks be for army surplus spades with short handles) and I found her wide awake with n
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My little Jill has this habit of going down the hole then popping up again at the nearest hole.... if the hob is entered in the same hole he just gets on with the job, comes up occasionally and waits at the net for me to lift it to let him come out when he is sure there are no bunnies in that part of the bury. She on the the other hand comes up then grabs the net and runs back down the hole with it... :wallbash: Its getting to be very frustrating having to constantly reset nets on every hole as she disturbs them all. This seems to be getting worse on a daily basis. Could I be working them t
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Having spent many painful and frustrating hours knitting my hemp purse nets I am keen to know the do's n dont's of caring for them. I read that its essential to wash off dirt as apparently this speeds up the rotting if left on but I would appreciate any suggestions on cleaning methods and in particular drying. Is it it true that drying over a radiator is a bad idea? If so is there a way of drying them out overnight without damaging them? I am out on my permissions most days and would prefer to clean in the evenings and have ready for the following day if possible. Cheers all.
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been giving fish including trout to my ferrets for years, never had a problem, think about it, nobody bones fish for mink etc Cheers folks, just gave them the head and they love it G
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Forgot to mention that some ticks can carry a nasty disease called Lyme disease which can cause problems. If you do a web search for Ferrets + Tick removal + Lyme disease you may find some interesting stuff about the do's and don'ts. I don't want to argue with anyone here, but all the info I have found advises against using vaseline to starve the little b's of oxygen as it also can cause them to regurgitate the contents of their stomachs in to the ferret. This in turn can then pass Lyme disease on to your fert! Good luck. G
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Hi Shaggy, if it does turn out to be ticks...I have the same problem with mine, I spoke to a vet today over the phone and he said that frontline can have "unpredictable results" if used on a ferret and would not recommend it without first examining the ferret. The unpredictable bit meaning that it could damage their health in some unspecified way. I am using a pair of fine tweezers to pull them off which is tricky and difficult with my Jill twisting and turning but it can be done and I would suggest doing it on a daily basis until its sorted. However, the vet also said that the ticks, once f
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Hi ferreting chums Is it ok to give my little friends fresh raw trout? I mean the remains after filleting, including bones and head if they want it....Have some worries about problems with small bones maybe choking them so I'll wait and see what you good folks think before giving them the treat Thanks. G
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oops...sorry Kay, I'll learn to read one of these days
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ok.."why does a dog lick his balls? Cos he cant make a fist "why does a dog lick his balls? Cos he can U started it !
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having fresh droppings at all entrances doesnt always mean the warrens are heavily occupied. depending on what equipment you have, you could always make a few visits at night & quickly scan the area with a lamp or nv unit. not that i make a habit of it each time but when i want to monitor a set after ferreting it i back fill every hole & to keep regular checks to see just how active the set is, then when i return i send the ferrets down the open holes, then when finished i back fill again.. you say it took 6 hours to do a few sets, did you place nets at every hole ? Th
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Cheers Sue, that makes perfect sense...and it is 2 so all good there.
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Hi folks, I just got permissions for a golf course which to quote the Course manager is "infested" with rabbits. Walked around with him and sure enough there is evidence of rabbit carnage everywhere. The areas off the fairways and greens are oak, birch and rowan heaths with a good foot of leaf litter sitting on a very sandy soil. Seems perfect rabbit habitat to me, secluded from the human activity by gorse screens and rarely if ever walked over even by the groundsmen. Unsurprisingly there are literally hundreds of holes mainly surrounding the mature trees and using the root systems to create
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My Hob (9months old) dropped his balls last week...but the following day they disappeared??? Only to come back again and then retract once more I'm thinking of renaming him Sumo Is this normal?? The balls not the name
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Hi Folks, Im hoping to find myself a good Bedlington * Whippet for working with ferrets and longnetting. Maybe lamping too in days to come but its the ability to mark and catch stray bolters when ferreting I am most interested in. I would appreciate any advice on what to look for, what to avoid and so on. Suggestions of known pedigrees and in particular folks that are reputable to purchase from would be great also. Finally, if anyone has any beddy whippet pups available...please let me know. I would much rather go through this forum than random ads in papers, as I have found folk he
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My little Jill hated having her collar put on. I'm not sure if this gets easier with repetition, or if its an individual ferret thing but she really didn't like it on my first try and I was worried about the distress it caused her. The first time was basically to test whether she could get it off, so I left her for an hour in the hutch before risking taking her off to work. Without thinking I took it off again after I was satisfied she couldn't remove it herself. This turned out to be a blessing because by the time I had packed all the kit ready to go she was fast asleep. Well the good ne
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Thanks for going to the trouble Richie. I for one will not be putting my ferts anywhere near a badgers set. Even if the law is a bit ambiguous I am certain of 1 thing. I wouldn't intentionally risk my ferrets life under any circumstances. Cheers mate G
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I know this is going to sound unbelievable for an unworked ferret I've only owned for 1 week but.....she actually came to my hand when I called her!! Have to say I couldnt be happier, she's a little angel. That said, she does come from a long line of working ferrets....maybe its in the breeding
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Thanks Ditch....glad u told me that! I kind of guessed the Badger would make a quick meal of the ferts but as for the law...well thats quite a shocker. And seeing as there was a dog walker in a nearby field I'm doubly relieved I didnt try it out, mind I reckon my little Jill is probably even more relieved I'll give old tommy's lair a wide berth then. Much obliged to ya. Thanks too to everyone else for such swift and informative replies . Good site this
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Hi folks, I have a conundrum. Is it possible that rabbits will live alongside of Badgers? When I say alongside of I mean within 20 feet or so! I am pretty convinced that the bury I am talking about has Badgers next door! There are numerous piles of dung around (see pic) and straw bedding outside a couple of BIG holes. But also there are numerous smaller holes with piles of fresh rabbit dung and scrapes. This bury is quite large, 15 - 20 holes and I am sure it holds rabbits in numbers but I am equally sure there are Badgers either in the Bury or so close as to make little difference. I h
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Well I got my MKIII this morning and after figuring it out I couldn't resist taking my Jill out for her first days work. She wasn't exactly happy to have the collar put on, its her first time and I think she thought I was trying to strangle her, but once on she calmed down. Having read on this forum about how the collars can be shed by our little friends I thought it best to give her an hour in the hutch to see if she could get it off. Having satisfied myself that 1. she could breathe without restriction, and 2. couldn't get it off, it was time for her first day out. I have permissio
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Thank you all. I'm happy to report that "biter" is rapidly becoming "smiler" Daily handling, and observing the suggestions above is making a noticeable difference. He now seems quite happy climbing up my shirt and greets me in the morning with what almost seems to be recognition...surprising and welcome progress after just 7 days. I'm off to get my MkIII, tomorrow, and then in the coming days I will try them out at a local bury that I just got permissions for. I'll post in the ferreting section and let you all know how we get on. Cheers everybody and good luck G
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Hi folks, can anyone recommend good books for working ferrets? Also any suggestions about locators? Ive heard mainly bad stuff about the mk 3 and it seems everyone raves about the mk 1 but that the collars are a bit iffy. Having read the poll notes it seem some are having success with mk1 locators used with mk 3 collars...any help much appreciated including tips on where to get hold of a mk 1 if indeed it is the better choice.
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Thanks Skycat, I tried the milky knuckles today. He seems happy to lick off the milk, could I be being a little over cautious maybe. A couple of times he managed to give my knuckles a playful nip but there was no aggression as such. It's a bit like the nips they give each other when playing so it could be I am misreading him. Its almost as if he is checking things out to see if they are chewable rather than attacking. The clear behaviour with both Hob and Jill is the tendency to chase anything that moves suddenly.....like the cloth when cleaning their floor for example, and maybe I was causing