looking for advice

[ferretertom 7]

Ferrets improve with experiance they wont always no what to do the first time when entered keep trying them and youl get results.

[The one 8,589]

For only twenty acres mate it would have been easier and less bother to get somebody in to ferret it for you .

[gaz1980 0]

For only twenty acres mate it would have been easier and less bother to get somebody in to ferret it for you .

 

Not really it took me months to get this permisiion dont really wanna be telling the land owner sorry i cant do it myself

guna have to bring someone else in lol!!

The land owner wouldnt let anyone on there for seven years so we are really lucky to have the opportunity.

 

I can pick a load off with my rifle, its just a small section of the land that needs ferreting, thanks for the advice tho

[jenksi87 3]

Sorry -

 

I would start by making sure that they have plenty of tubes to run through, and spend a lot of time handling them, especially as they come in and out of the tubes, this will reduce any chance of skulking at the mouth of the holes. I would also spend sometime letting them run around your feet, maybe in a garage or the garden, this just makes them a bit more used to your feet and will make them less hassle when your working around them.

 

Also you can try using a particular whistle or noise when you are feeding them, this can be really handy if you need to whistle a ferret out of a warren or some thick cover.

 

Then - when entering them for the first few times (as you dont have an experienced ferret to work them with) i would pick out some small sets where you are sure there are some rabbits, but not somewhere where they will be overmatched by the size of the warren or number of rabbits. Net up quietly etc and the enter the ferrets. When one bolts into the net i like to pull it out quickly, neck it and drop the twitching body next to the hole it came out of, usually the ferret will fire out and jump on the rabbit. I give them a little play with the body and make some excitable noises (quietly) I find this helps as the ferrets get used to the idea that they push them out and then the rabbits are killed, or caught and the whole process is a good thing. If they keep coming up and finding no rabbit and are then shoved back down they can sometimes put more effort into trying to pin the rabbits in the warren.

 

Other than this, not forcing them down a hole when they dont want to go is important, and handling them gently and getting to know them well and make them comfortable with you is always handy.

 

My old man used to say 'always trust your ferret'.

 

true, but i wouldnt say this makes them work any better. doing this doesn't make a ferret enter as deep as possible, or turn a bottled rabbit so it will bolt.

patience and experience

[Ideation 8,217]

Sorry -

 

I would start by making sure that they have plenty of tubes to run through, and spend a lot of time handling them, especially as they come in and out of the tubes, this will reduce any chance of skulking at the mouth of the holes. I would also spend sometime letting them run around your feet, maybe in a garage or the garden, this just makes them a bit more used to your feet and will make them less hassle when your working around them.

 

Also you can try using a particular whistle or noise when you are feeding them, this can be really handy if you need to whistle a ferret out of a warren or some thick cover.

 

Then - when entering them for the first few times (as you dont have an experienced ferret to work them with) i would pick out some small sets where you are sure there are some rabbits, but not somewhere where they will be overmatched by the size of the warren or number of rabbits. Net up quietly etc and the enter the ferrets. When one bolts into the net i like to pull it out quickly, neck it and drop the twitching body next to the hole it came out of, usually the ferret will fire out and jump on the rabbit. I give them a little play with the body and make some excitable noises (quietly) I find this helps as the ferrets get used to the idea that they push them out and then the rabbits are killed, or caught and the whole process is a good thing. If they keep coming up and finding no rabbit and are then shoved back down they can sometimes put more effort into trying to pin the rabbits in the warren.

 

Other than this, not forcing them down a hole when they dont want to go is important, and handling them gently and getting to know them well and make them comfortable with you is always handy.

 

My old man used to say 'always trust your ferret'.

 

true, but i wouldnt say this makes them work any better. doing this doesn't make a ferret enter as deep as possible, or turn a bottled rabbit so it will bolt.

patience and experience

 

 

Perhaps true, but it certainly makes working them better if that makes sense. However i do find they tend to work better if they are more comfortable with whats going on. But yes - patience and experience cannot be replaced. Also things like being quiet etc will make it easier for a young inexperienced ferret and so having an easier job, they will do better at it. . . . .

[jenksi87 3]

yes mate it does make working them better and more pleasurable. nothing as bad as trying to work a skitty ferret.

a well handled, well socialised ferret is a must. regular contact with humans and dogs, and a decent run (preferably with pipes e.t.c)to keep them fit