Coneytrappr
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Everything posted by Coneytrappr
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I believe that keeping ferrets is illegal in two states, the rest are fair game. Snakes would be a risk in the summer months but with temperatures getting up to 40 degrees at that time of year who would want to go ferreting anyway. Winter would be the go.
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A wonderful opportunity to promote field sports and generous in it's own right. Top idea.
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If I remember correctly it was not just domestic ferrets that went to NZ. They had hybrids and European polecats as well, which were released in an attempt to control the rabbits and also escaped/were released from fur farms when the industry went down. I was there once and had the opportunity to handle a ferret that someone had...it was flighty and I think definitely had a splash of wild ancestry. As Malt says there is nothing there to reliably prey on them and there was a niche that was perfect for them- ground dwelling birds and rabbits. The climate also suits them- not too warm or col
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Raw chicken is a great food mate. No need to cut it up apart from working out how much you need to put if for them...their teeth will do the job. Raw chicken bones are fine and will keep their teeth healthy. Cooked bones on the other hand are an absolute nightmare. They are prone to splintering and can cause all types of trouble...only ever feed raw chicken bones.
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Hope you get the juks back soon mate. Fingers crossed!
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Eh the fella has gone to the effort to find out. Aye it would have been ideal to know beforehand but he knows now whereas there are plenty of idiots who would have condemned the wee kits as bad workers and chapped them on the head.
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Just an extra note on my old jill- I taught her to roll over using bits of mince as a reward. After a while she would come up to me and offer the behaviour in the hope that I would dish out the meat and after that she began to use it to indicate that she wanted to go through shut doors/get out of the run etc. She was [not coincidentally?] also a very smart worker which is why I picked her to participate in my 'experiment'.
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I was once very curious to find out just how intelligent a ferret could be so I put a bit of time into one of my jills and as a result had a ferret that would come when called, would roll over when given a hand signal and would run over and nail a person on the ankle if I clicked and pointed at em. I shit you not. She was a nippy sod and would nail people on the ankle if given half a chance so I simply started clicking and pointing every time she was lining someone up...soon put two and two together and I could single a person out in a group for her to go grab and she would hop to it...great
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White feet aren't worth more unless they're attached to a ferret who happens to be an exceptional worker. Too many people get wrapped up in this colour rubbish. Leave that to the fluffy brigade and peddlars. A ferret can be valued by it's willingness and ability to graft rabbits, not by whether or not it was born with 'cool' colours.
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Good food, warm bed, fresh water and handle each day as you would any other ferret at feeding time. As Zaktarin said if they get picked on by younger ferrets seperate housing with another soft natured ferret will give your old worker a pleasant and well deserved retirement.
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Too young mate. If one gets a good kicking from a rabbit at that age it'll likely never want to go to ground again. I start mine off on easy warrens at 6 months. I don't give them anything too difficult the entire first season. Second season is where I work their guts out and they are more than up to it.
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Best wee jill I ever had...absolute terror would nail anyone who tried to handle her. Except with me she was completely soft and could trust 100% to not bite.
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I like to start mine off at 5-6 months.
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Italian greyhound x whippet..?
Coneytrappr replied to bite back 95's topic in Lurchers & Running Dogs
Don't waste a good whippet... -
i have just got some new ferrets that are meant to be eu crosses but some of the kits in litter were a cinnamon colour i thought if you x them all them would have polecat colouring is that true depends what colour the parents are if its a cinnamon hob to a eu poley jill then yes some young will take the fathers colour mother was polecat colouring father was supposed to be eu polecat just wanted to no one is quite placid but but the other one keeps latching on when it bites i have give it a bit food just in case it was hungry i see how it gos If you cross a pure eu polecat with any co
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Why isn't he going back out? Do you not like that he kills so many underground? If you don't like his working style then why on earth would you breed him?
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I don't feed any of that commercial stuff. Rabbit, rabbit and more rabbit...
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Depends on what exactly you mean by 'intelligent'- the ability to follow commands? The desire to follow commands? The ability to work independantly? The ability to solve problems by itself? The drive to work at all? Many sighthounds are not especially biddable- they were developed to be independant workers. As opposed to herding breeds which were developed to work on instruction and hang on every command. It doesn't mean they aren't intelligent as such. And of course drive is important. A dog without drive is useless.
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Should tame down and come good, lots of patience and handling.
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If feeding raw meat then they absolutely need the bone, if they don't get bone they will develop calcium deficiencies. Best [and easiest] is to feed what you catch- knock the guts out of the rabbits and feed them whole- fur, bone, meat, organs. Pigeons can be fed whole. When I run out of grub that I've caught myself I buy chicken necks and frames- they love these and they are cheap. Same diet for kits.
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I always have a rabbit available in the court. Plenty of food for everyone and with that good quality diet and plenty of work and exercise I've never had a problem with any of them being overweight.
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I go 5-6 months and don't expect to see their true working colours until their second season.
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Good job. The first of many
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I always feed before ferreting.
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The first part in any working ferret breeding cycle is to select the very best working ferrets possible. Don't put a polecat hob over her simply because its a polecat...put him over her because he's a great worker. Colour comes after working ability.
