Ferrets Playing/sulking

[Davesdad 10]

Sorry, I'm sure this has been asked before, tried search but couldn't find it, hopeless with things like that.

 

I have 3 ferrets, 2 Jill's and a hob, all in their first season working. When the hob is coming out of the warren after working he'll come to you when called. The Jill's are different, one thinks its a game and likes to run away or dive back down the hole, the other sulks at the hole and will go back down when you try and lift her.

 

Any advice on how to get them to not mess about as much. Took me ages to get one of my Jill's back yesterday, felt a total idiot.

 

Its my first year keeping ferrets so still a lot for me to learn.

 

Thanks

[GreyRake 108]

My hob plays games when he first gets out then settles, not much I can do other than let him get over his initial excitement. My jills can get spooked, they don't know it's me all they can see is a large object coming towards them, could be something dangerous in their eyes. So I move slow, crouch down and slowly reach out whilst letting them hear my voice, let them sniff my hand then they will let me pick them up.

[The one 8,398]

Get pipes in the garden and every chance you get run them threw them move slowly and dont make a lot of noise , if you have a dead rabbit you can let them latch on to that and pull them out but it wont be long till they wise up and let go at the mouth of the hole

[mhopton 807]

Pipe is your best bet for training them buddy

[Davesdad 10]

Thanks for the advice. Going to get some pipe and let them get use to running through and being picked up. They handle well in their normal settings but all the excitement of being in burrows and pipes will be different.

[milesy75 8]

nice one i was going to ask the same thing ,my first outing with them is next week , happy xmas an happy hunting every one ,

[The one 8,398]

Thing is a ideal time to do that is when you first get them as kits in the summer time it gets them used to being handled and theres not much else you can do with them at that time of year and its a good time to introduce them to collars

[terryd 8,050]

I use that ferret oil stuff as a treat now and again and shake a small plastic bottle and they come running.

I can have all 3 running around the yard shake that and they all leg it too the hutch. It can be a handy if they emerge in cover to get them to me.

When I got my two jills about a year old they were right pain skulking in the holes but loads of handling running around the yard and the oil they are as good as gold

[The one 8,398]

Saying that its no just young ferrets that do that one of my old jills will do that in big burrows its where she knows theres a rabbit and shes lost it in the burrow

[foxhound45 167]

Your Jill's shouldn't be playing at holes.

 

The Jill jumping back down the hole say 15mins after you have started ferreting that hole sometimes means "I haven't finished yet" but if your Jill is doing this at the end of ferreting every warren then you have a totally different issue.

 

If this is pure play, you may have no option but to hold your ferrets from hunting for a month or so until they mature.

 

If they are sulking down the hole at arms length this is the worse case scenario and is a symptom of someone or a dog grabbing your ferret before it's eyes could re-adjust to the light when coming out of holes at the end of checking a full warren system.

 

Sulking ferrets are the hardest to rectify and I am going to give you advice, DO NOT USE THIS FERRET!

 

You will lose interest in your ferreting, your friends will grow angry with your ferrets actions, prolonged standing around holes will cause dogs to grow impatient and possibly fight or go off hunting somewhere else by themselves.

 

You can rectify it by using pipes, loads of handling, spit on your hand every time you lift your ferrets and let them lick at the pool of gob. This sounds bad, but I have used this for the past 20 years and I can shove my hands into any hole or hutch and the ferrets won't even go as far as nipping my hand.

 

Here is one other thing I don't mean to my offend but I have to cover every angle......

 

Do your ferrets know what rabbits are?

 

This may sound stupid but if you are entering this years, which it sounds like you are, they may have never et got to hold a rabbit or eat a dead rabbit and therefore are still in an immature way of thinking when ferreting.

 

Growing up, I am now 33, I heard things like never let your ferrets eat a dead rabbit because they are more likely to kill down the hole. Killing down the hole is something we can't prevent, but eating the rabbit we can. By giving a good feed and hour before going out. You don't need to feed early in the morning, what I do is through a chicken breast into the ferret carrying box and this goes a long long way. I have hunted every weekend this season and haven't had one lie up. Killed several rabbits in dead ends but the ferrets haves no interest in lying up.

 

So to finish up, put your ferret on semi retirement, handle every single day, small pieces of meat, clean it's hutch every day, anything that starts strengthening the familiarity between you and your ferret. They aren't loyal as a dog, but they do know who feeds them, how they will be lifted, and associating lifting with food, say lift your ferret and give a tiny piece of cooked chicken will go a long long way in rectifying this Jill.

 

Honestly, most other people would sell it as a pet and buy a new ferret to start again.

 

He most important thing is it may not have been you who grabbed at a ferret when coming out of a hole but instead one of your friends. If you know it wasn't you but have an idea of who it was you don't only have a ferrets behaviour to rectify, but you have a friend who needs a bit of rehabilitation as well.

 

Hope this helps and if it was me I would definitely not use this ferret the rest of the season.

[milesy75 8]

I use that ferret oil stuff as a treat now and again and shake a small plastic bottle and they come running.

I can have all 3 running around the yard shake that and they all leg it too the hutch. It can be a handy if they emerge in cover to get them to me.

When I got my two jills about a year old they were right pain skulking in the holes but loads of handling running around the yard and the oil they are as good as gold

i youse ferretone 8 in 1 oil i call loopy juce soon as thay smell it thay come runing ,ill teach them to the sound of shakeing it well ill try