Unrelated hobs

[gibby 0]

Looking for a bit of advice. Ive been trying over the past few weeks to gradually introduce my 2 hobs together, one is an adult and one is just grown out of being a kit.

 

So anyway a couple of weeks ago I put them on the grass in a run, with a big pipe in it and they were fine for a few minutes, hardly paying attention to each other and then my older hob grabbed the young un by the neck, quite hard like, had to pull them apart before one of them got hurt. Put them together on the lawn for a sniff of each other tonight and they seemed fine but then my older hob grabbed him again.

 

Is this just pecking order? I know what playfighting looks like but this wasnt, because the young un wasnt fighting back.

 

Ideally I want to keep them in together over winter for company for each other. And at the very least work them together. Im pretty sure Ill manage the latter but do you think the former is possible?

 

By the way, I think the young one is bigger than my older hob.

 

Cheers for any advice in advance.

 

Gibby

Edited September 13, 2007 by gibby

[stubby 175]

i think its like a case of kill or cure, as you say its the pecking order, stick them in a run together and walk away, sometimes what we see as rough, probably aint to a ferret, if the younger one aint fighting back, then maybe he is giving in to the older, and again you need to let them get on with it

 

do you want to keep them separated forever, or get them together

 

all my hobs live together, ok its the dad (castrated now) and 2 kitts hobs that are nearly as big as him, plus an outsider, little nipper, slightly smaller, they all get on fine, and have there own pecking order, buster the dad still rules and yup theres been some fighting, just got back from vets today £34 for antibiotics jabs to the hobs, but they still all alive and together

[gibby 0]

Cheers stubby. Think your right mate Ill just put them together at the weekend I think. Thats what I normally do with my jills, put them in and walk away. Thats the best way otherwise I would be tempted to seperate them when they started scrapping. I just thought with them being hobs they might fight that bit harder y'know and it would end in blood spilt!

 

Cheers

[Kay 3,709]

Hobs are generally not as fiesty as the jills when introducing new stock, if you contine to let them sniff each other & just see what happens , if you dont get any major fighting i would just stand back a few mins but be on hand if theres any real bad scraps to seperate them

 

Its always a tense time but just watch there behaviour & act accordingly

[gnipper 6,921]

Stick them in a run and stand by with cups of water Or you could try distracting them with a noise every time the older one goes to scruff the youngun until he forgets to do it. My best jill is a fecker for scrapping with youngsters and other jills, last year I got a jill kit back out of my old strain though who absolutely battered the cranky bitch