ferret lady
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Everything posted by ferret lady
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polecat ferret x wild polecat kits
ferret lady replied to No1FerretKeeper's topic in Ferrets & Ferreting
From the looks of the kits, the jill met up with a light colored ferret. -
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I'm in the US, so don't have the opportunity to work them...sure wish I could, as she certainly seems to have strong hunting instincts. Her daughter shows the same strong instincts at only 10 weeks old. Skycat, I really, really like the pics of your hob! He is just about a dead ringer for the hob I imported from Sam3009. Basil also has an outstanding temperament and can be readily handled by anyone. He thoroughly enjoys interacting and playing with all the visitors who come to see the kits...and the kits seem to have his temperament, especially his daughter. She is determined that
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And, as I said, that may well be true in the UK. It's highly unlikely that it would be true in other countries who actually do have pure polecats with no infusion of ferret genetics.
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I understand what you're saying, but don't completely agree with it. I think you're undoubtedly right in applying that to UK "polecats" as it seems very likely that most or all of them are predominantly dwscendents of feral ferrets who have reverted back to polecat coloration and general type. If there are any true polecats left, they'd most likely be in very isolated areas where there are no ferrets. It is very definitely not true in other countries where there are no feral ferrets, as there are very clear structural differences between ferrets and polecats. The easiest to see are the
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The true wild poley kits I was referring to were not found in the UK, but in countries where there are no feral ferrets. I'm inclined to agree with you re letting a wild animal be, as I don't think it's right to keep a wild animal in captivity unless it can't survive in the wild for some reason. I'd be willing to bet that very few of the socalled poleys which were trapped and used for breeding are actually pure polecats, but were the result of several generations of feral ferrets breeding. Would you then consider such to be polecats? I would consider them to be genetic ferrets,
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Polecats vary just as much in personality and temperament as ferrets do. Ferocity toward people is not an integral part of a true polecat, as I have been told of several true polecat kits found in the wild at a very young age who are extremely tame and affectionate, and can be handled by their owners with no problem. I would expect a ferret born and raised in the wild to be just as ferocious as any polecat, especially if captured when it was past the young kit stage. As a former wild animal rescuer/rehabilitator, I became fascinated with polecats shortly after acquiring my first ferret
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While individuals vary within a species, there are certain defining characteristics which is what makes them a species. So, yes, I suppose one could say that there are "breed standards" for each species.
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That's correct. I've seen and been sent literally hundreds of photos of UK "polecats" over the last few years, and only a very few looked as though they could be pure polecats. Some of the rest may have been hybrids, but the vast majority looked to be medium to dark polecat colored ferrets. I also don't consider the DNA test to be reliable evidence after seeing a pic of an albino ferret with no indication of polecat type or structure whatsoever which was DNA tested as a polecat.
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The "best" ones are the ones closest to polecat type, balance, structure, and muscling, with good hunting instincts and stable temperaments, combined with people oriented personalities. "Quality" is the result of overall balance and how well all the parts fit together, as well as an attitude of self confidence. The "type" I'm looking for is the true polecat type...short backed, stocky, and very well muscled. I'd like to see the true polecat type head with the frontally placed eyes, but that seems to be extremely rare in the UK, including among those supposed to be pure polecats. I bre
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They were a year and a half old when I got them. I had been looking for ones of their type and quality with good temperaments for almost 3 years, so was delighted that he allowed me to have them as I had wanted them ever since I saw pics of them at 6 months old. I'm growing out the two best hobs, the jill in the litter is going on a breeding agreement to a friend who has two others from me, and the remaining kits are priced the same as I regularly sell my kits for.
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\ I got a pair from him last fall. They're very dark, excellent quality with outstanding temperaments, and their kits are still very black at almost 10 weeks old. So far the kits are very people oriented and easy to handle by everyone.
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The hob kits appeared to be okay and hopefully their long term health will not be affected. I'm guessing that the jill kits bolted their food more than the hob kits did, so were more apt to swallow the shot.
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Yes, except for the first one.
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If you're feeding them to kits, it's a good idea to remove the pellets. I know of a litter last year where all the jill kits died as a result of liver damage from eating the pellets along with the meat.
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First of all, I suggest those who took exception to my comment that the kits were trying to follow their dam out of the nest not interpret that to mean that I said they were following her around. Some of them crawled out of the nest after her...is that really so hard to understand?? Polecat and hybrid kits are much more active than ferret kits by the time they're a few days old. Like most US private breeders, my litters are born indoors and I watch them closely from birth on. The kits are handled regularly as soon as the jill is comfortable with it, usually by the time the kits are a
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He's a larger version of my 4 week old kits.
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I thought it would. It might also explain why I've been able to observe my litters much more closely.
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I'm in the US and have been breeding 1-2 litters a year since 1999. I got my first hybrids in 2004. I wish I had the opportunity to work these two captive bred polecats, as they both show every indication that they would be good workers, ie, strong hunting instincts and excellent temperaments. They both come when they're called and have never shown any inclination to bite or nip. I imported them last fall at a year and a half old.
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NOT a fact, as I've seen it on numerous occasions. I'm also curious about your statement that they are still pink at a week old. The kits in all my ferret litters had white coats by the time they were 2-3 days old. They were all sables (polecat color and markings) from a background free of the dilute color and white markings, but I've never heard of even those colors not having a white coat by the time they were a week old.
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I've had several hybrid litters in the past few years, and saw the same things as Diggermad, ie, gray coats at a week old and moving around quite well. I currently have a 4 week old litter from two captive bred polecats. Their coats were a light gray by the time they were 2 days old, a medium to dark gray at a week old, and are now a very dark brown to almost black at 4 weeks. I had to move them into a box they couldn't climb out of by the time they were a week old as they were trying to follow their dam out of the nest whenever she left to eat or drink.
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It's not uncommon for the jill to overclean the kits and take off part of the tail or a foot, especially if it's a first time mother and/or she's stressed. That seems much more likely than that the whole litter was born with a genetic defect. You might check with the breeder(s) of the parents to see if this was seen in any of their littermates. In case this is a genetic defect, rather than an overzealous dam, I agree that none of the kits should be bred from and I'd recommend researching the background of the parents before breeding from either one of them again.
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Ferrets can breed with American mink but will not produce viable offspring. They can produce offspring with European mink, which are not present in the UK.
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As was mentioned earlier, these kits are too young to be separated from their dam and littermates. I give my kits goat's milk daily until they have reached most of their full growth, as I want to be sure that they develop strong bones. Kitten milk or any milk low in lactose is fine, as well.
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Kits really need to stay with their littermates and dam through at least 10 weeks. They aren't mature enough mentally and emotionally for a new home until then. There is nothing sadder than listening to a 6-8 week kit crying for his mother. If someone isn't willing to keep them that long, feed and socialize them properly, then they shouldn't have bred the litter.
