kandm
Well-Known Member
does anyone have one as a pet, if so are they good pets-thinking of getting one you see?
Ferrets.....
- Thread starter kandm
- Start date
Tempi
Well-Known Member
My best friend (he now lives in NZ) kept ferrets - i loved them! They are quick and can escape from anywhere!! Id advise getting two as one would get lonely. Also they can bite and are very wriggly!
kandm
Well-Known Member
thankyou!!!!
i wouldnt of thought of buying two but hey if it would keep them happy!
my mum said that she is considering getting one/two, but she is going to be mentioning it to my dad!
i wouldnt of thought of buying two but hey if it would keep them happy!
my mum said that she is considering getting one/two, but she is going to be mentioning it to my dad!
Seahorse
Well-Known Member
I love ferrets! I used to have one but had to give him away when I moved
We had him from a baby, and he was really tame. I used to take him out for walks on a little harness.
We had him from a baby, and he was really tame. I used to take him out for walks on a little harness.
lillie07
Well-Known Member
There was one at the yard and it stank. Very cute though
GinaB
Well-Known Member
I believe Theresa on here has just got some? And there was something about having to be careful with females coming into season?
If you google Ferrets there are some really good links that come up
If you google Ferrets there are some really good links that come up
kandm
Well-Known Member
[ QUOTE ]
I love ferrets! I used to have one but had to give him away when I moved
We had him from a baby, and he was really tame. I used to take him out for walks on a little harness.
[/ QUOTE ]
awwww cool, i heard that you chave to get them "DONE/NEURTERD (sp)" how much does that tend to cost, also if you were to take out their smelly glands does that cost alot?
I love ferrets! I used to have one but had to give him away when I moved
We had him from a baby, and he was really tame. I used to take him out for walks on a little harness.
[/ QUOTE ]
awwww cool, i heard that you chave to get them "DONE/NEURTERD (sp)" how much does that tend to cost, also if you were to take out their smelly glands does that cost alot?
Maloo
Well-Known Member
We've got one!!! Had them as pets for several years now - they are brilliant - and so playful (mine comes in the stable with me when I muck out in the mornings - quite amusing!)
If they are handled every day they are great fun - otherwise some have a tendancy to nip if not handled enough (but saying that the only times I have been bitten has just been like a kitten bite) Lost this ones mate last year to respiratory infection so just have the one now.
If you have a female ferret then you need to keep it with a neutered hobb (male) otherwise causes health problems.
PM me if you want more details as have some good books at home and can let you know the titles!!
If they are handled every day they are great fun - otherwise some have a tendancy to nip if not handled enough (but saying that the only times I have been bitten has just been like a kitten bite) Lost this ones mate last year to respiratory infection so just have the one now.
If you have a female ferret then you need to keep it with a neutered hobb (male) otherwise causes health problems.
PM me if you want more details as have some good books at home and can let you know the titles!!
TheresaW
Well-Known Member
Ooh, we are getting 2 very soon. Our next door neighbour has 4 and 2 of them have just had litters. We can have first pick of the babies. I can't wait.
Thistle
Well-Known Member
We have 2, there are some posts about them further back in Dogs section.
happihorse
Well-Known Member
We used to have several. They do stink quite a bit - definately not house pets!
They can bite quite a bit if they are kept as working ferrets but if they are regularly handlered from a young age they are okay.
Don't forget to get them vaccinated!
They can bite quite a bit if they are kept as working ferrets but if they are regularly handlered from a young age they are okay.
Don't forget to get them vaccinated!
jinglejoys
Well-Known Member
Great Pets (Like hyperactive kittens on speed!
http://homepage.ntlworld.com/ferreter/index.htm
http://www.ferreting.biz/Ferrets_Ferreting/spaying_castrating_Vasectomising.htm
http://www.ferretuk.info/
http://uk.msnusers.com/cfwrs/links.msnw
and ferrets can't be descented in this country though neutering helps
http://homepage.ntlworld.com/ferreter/index.htm
http://www.ferreting.biz/Ferrets_Ferreting/spaying_castrating_Vasectomising.htm
http://www.ferretuk.info/
http://uk.msnusers.com/cfwrs/links.msnw
and ferrets can't be descented in this country though neutering helps
Fantasy_World
Well-Known Member
Currently have 19 of them lol a mixture of castrated hobs, a vasectomised hob, entire hobs and entire jills. Currently have 3 jills with kits don't ask lol. One was a planned mating others were not just don't ask lol long story.
I will have some for sale in about 2 months as I like to give the kits a good start in life and nip train etc first. The kits are a mixture of albinos with some silvers and there may be a sandy and polecat though not sure yet as they are still very young and as I learned last year from a motley crew the adult colours can take a while to show.
Both dads are silver hobs though and one mum albino, a silver and sandy.
If anyone is interested in the next few months and live near to Staffs let me know as I need to raise some cash to get another hob vasectomised.
Yes Kandm it is best to get them neutered hobs and jills that is unless you intend to breed one day.
My jills are not neutered for that reason as some will be bred from and also because of the number that I have and the average cost being around £40 for a spay then using a vasectomised hob instead is a cheaper alternative.
Ferrets are induced ovulators by that it means they won't release eggs until they are mated. The jills bits ( vulva) swell tremendously when in season and leaves them open to infection at that time. Also if not mated or brought out of season by hoblet or a jill jab they can develop anaemia and die.
A hob will be less aggressive ( during breeding season) if neutered and he will also smell a lot better too. Both male and females do have a distinct musky odour which imo smells like a stale urine smell at times. So long as you can live with the smell or house outdoors you will be fine.
Spaying and neutering does reduce the odour but I have noticed that my castrated boys do still have a smell to them but not as strong. Also albinos tend to go yellow when in musk and that applies to both sexes but moreover the males.
If anyone is considering having ferrets as pets I would suggest that you do loads of research beforehand.
Get some books, look on the internet.
Maybe join some online ferret forums but be warned if you do there is one where some individuals are very rude and very forthright in their opinion and if you disagree with their approach well let's just say, not very nice .......
Try to locate some local ferret groups in your area. Some pet shops might know of a few if you ask them.
Visit shows where they have events such as ferret racing or shows and ask the people who run them for advice and tips.
Unless you want to own a kit an older ferret makes a good pet. They would have been nip trained so no sharp nips to fingers as believe me some kits can draw blood with their needle sharp teeth lol. Also most will have been neutered and while you think paying £30 plus for a rescue ferret seems a lot if it has had the operation it is money well spent as they are not cheap ops plus you run a risk with the anaesthetic too.
I would wholly recommend a rescue ferret for a first time owner as the people will welcome you giving a new home to an abandoned or neglected ferret and will give you all the support you need.
Ferret welfare organisations can be found on the web but I may have some lists somewhere if anyone wants to pm me with their location.
I will post a few pics later of some of mine and will get some kit pics on in the next few weeks when I can disturb them to take them as it can be a little dodgy in the first 2 weeks as some mums are more friendly than others with interference lol.
Cazx
I will have some for sale in about 2 months as I like to give the kits a good start in life and nip train etc first. The kits are a mixture of albinos with some silvers and there may be a sandy and polecat though not sure yet as they are still very young and as I learned last year from a motley crew the adult colours can take a while to show.
Both dads are silver hobs though and one mum albino, a silver and sandy.
If anyone is interested in the next few months and live near to Staffs let me know as I need to raise some cash to get another hob vasectomised.
Yes Kandm it is best to get them neutered hobs and jills that is unless you intend to breed one day.
My jills are not neutered for that reason as some will be bred from and also because of the number that I have and the average cost being around £40 for a spay then using a vasectomised hob instead is a cheaper alternative.
Ferrets are induced ovulators by that it means they won't release eggs until they are mated. The jills bits ( vulva) swell tremendously when in season and leaves them open to infection at that time. Also if not mated or brought out of season by hoblet or a jill jab they can develop anaemia and die.
A hob will be less aggressive ( during breeding season) if neutered and he will also smell a lot better too. Both male and females do have a distinct musky odour which imo smells like a stale urine smell at times. So long as you can live with the smell or house outdoors you will be fine.
Spaying and neutering does reduce the odour but I have noticed that my castrated boys do still have a smell to them but not as strong. Also albinos tend to go yellow when in musk and that applies to both sexes but moreover the males.
If anyone is considering having ferrets as pets I would suggest that you do loads of research beforehand.
Get some books, look on the internet.
Maybe join some online ferret forums but be warned if you do there is one where some individuals are very rude and very forthright in their opinion and if you disagree with their approach well let's just say, not very nice .......
Try to locate some local ferret groups in your area. Some pet shops might know of a few if you ask them.
Visit shows where they have events such as ferret racing or shows and ask the people who run them for advice and tips.
Unless you want to own a kit an older ferret makes a good pet. They would have been nip trained so no sharp nips to fingers as believe me some kits can draw blood with their needle sharp teeth lol. Also most will have been neutered and while you think paying £30 plus for a rescue ferret seems a lot if it has had the operation it is money well spent as they are not cheap ops plus you run a risk with the anaesthetic too.
I would wholly recommend a rescue ferret for a first time owner as the people will welcome you giving a new home to an abandoned or neglected ferret and will give you all the support you need.
Ferret welfare organisations can be found on the web but I may have some lists somewhere if anyone wants to pm me with their location.
I will post a few pics later of some of mine and will get some kit pics on in the next few weeks when I can disturb them to take them as it can be a little dodgy in the first 2 weeks as some mums are more friendly than others with interference lol.
Cazx
Fantasy_World
Well-Known Member
Or little Chessie then and now
Chesney as he was called arrived via his mum Uno a jill who was blind in one eye. I rehomed her from a friend and she must have been pregnant when I had her 2 years ago. Anyway she had 3 kits but only one survived. Chesney Hawkes made comeback that year with the song the one and only that was being played on the radio a bit so we called him Chesney as we thought it was apt.
There are a few pics of him as a kit and one as an adult taken last year.
Chesney as he was called arrived via his mum Uno a jill who was blind in one eye. I rehomed her from a friend and she must have been pregnant when I had her 2 years ago. Anyway she had 3 kits but only one survived. Chesney Hawkes made comeback that year with the song the one and only that was being played on the radio a bit so we called him Chesney as we thought it was apt.
There are a few pics of him as a kit and one as an adult taken last year.
Thistle
Well-Known Member
Our 2 are rescues, we have an albino castrated hob and a jill who had been with a vasectomised male. However am slightly miffed that she had come into season this week so she will ahve to go off to the vets for a jill jab or back to the rescue for a short holiday with her boyfriend! Danger of that would be that we may end up bringing another one home.
Fantasy_World
Well-Known Member
Lol Thistle on the latter yes you will end up with another one as I soon found they were addictive. Only started with 2 of them around 7 years ago and they have just grown in numbers lol. Some are rescues from a friend who passes them on from other people. Some I have rescued from an animal auction and others are home bred.
izzyxxx
Well-Known Member
i work at a kennels and my boss goes to auctions(sp) normally for rabbits, but my mate (my boss is her auntie) really wanted a ferret so she ended up bringing one home lol, we took it into her grandads house and tried to put one of them leads on it, but it escaped and went under the carpet,behind the cooker soooo funny they got rid of it in the end cause it smelt soooooooooooo bad lol
Fantasy_World
Well-Known Member
Yes they do smell lol which is why mine live outside in runs and hutches. It's mainly the entire hobs in the hutches as my castrated males live with the girls.
Fantasy_World
Well-Known Member
Some of last year's kits
Fantasy_World
Well-Known Member
Became these
sprytzer
Well-Known Member
can i ask why you breed ferrets when there are so many being handed in daily to rescues...both older ferrets and young kits who people take on a whim until they realise they are not cheap to keep and can run up horendous vets bills with a single neutering costing up to as much as £70...truth..thats what it cost me for mine.
im not being funny, its just a friend of mine runs a welfare and at this time of the year is inundated with people dumping kits on her doorstep....last season she had over 90 kits to rehome due to people breeding unwantonly for no particular reason and without making sure they had homes for the kits when born.
im not being funny, its just a friend of mine runs a welfare and at this time of the year is inundated with people dumping kits on her doorstep....last season she had over 90 kits to rehome due to people breeding unwantonly for no particular reason and without making sure they had homes for the kits when born.
guisbrogal
Well-Known Member
We had two polecats and they were gorgeous. They do smell dreadful however. When they were castrated they did definitely smell better but still have a bit of a yucky smell.
Our vets would not remove the glands that porduce the smell as they felt it was cruel. I think the castration cost about £65 for two of them.
They were wonderful pets though and we would take them out on leads for a walk. I miss them dreadfully and really wish I had known about HHO at the time that our last one died, as it sounds like there is more knowledge on here than my vets had.
Our vets would not remove the glands that porduce the smell as they felt it was cruel. I think the castration cost about £65 for two of them.
They were wonderful pets though and we would take them out on leads for a walk. I miss them dreadfully and really wish I had known about HHO at the time that our last one died, as it sounds like there is more knowledge on here than my vets had.
Baggybreeches
Well-Known Member
I have always had ferrets, but am currently ferretless! Seeing as how a fox ate my chickens, the animal count is down so might go ferret shopping soon!
Ferrets make excellent pets, males are called hobs, neutered males are hoblets and females are jills. They should not be kept individually and a group of ferrets is called a business (just watch them and you'll see why)!
The easiest option for a new ferret keeper would be to get a pair of hoblets (quite often you can get them from the local RSPCA shelter already neutered) and I also recommend a book by James Mckay A complete guide to ferrets.
Let us know how you get on they are so much fun!
Ferrets make excellent pets, males are called hobs, neutered males are hoblets and females are jills. They should not be kept individually and a group of ferrets is called a business (just watch them and you'll see why)!
The easiest option for a new ferret keeper would be to get a pair of hoblets (quite often you can get them from the local RSPCA shelter already neutered) and I also recommend a book by James Mckay A complete guide to ferrets.
Let us know how you get on they are so much fun!
Fantasy_World
Well-Known Member
Lol you're not from a certain ferret forum are you by any chance?
I breed ferrets through personal choice in the same way that horses and any other animal are bred in large numbers worldwide regardless of the number of unwanted animals needing homes, whether horses, cats, dogs etc and even ferrets.
Should the same not be said about humans.
Why do we continually breed them even when in many places there is a shortage of food, water and shelter for them?
I both rescue ferrets and breed them simple as that.
End of!
Cazx
I breed ferrets through personal choice in the same way that horses and any other animal are bred in large numbers worldwide regardless of the number of unwanted animals needing homes, whether horses, cats, dogs etc and even ferrets.
Should the same not be said about humans.
Why do we continually breed them even when in many places there is a shortage of food, water and shelter for them?
I both rescue ferrets and breed them simple as that.
End of!
Cazx
Fantasy_World
Well-Known Member
I still mourn a couple of mine which is why I have bred from my favourite jill this year. I kept holding off on two of the best jills I have ever had both colour wise and temp and regretted it as both died due to different reasons.
I have vowed not to make the same mistake again and if I find a jill that is perfect by my standards I would like to breed from her at least once. Is that not the same reason that many owners on here decide to breed their mare.
Ferrets are no different in my book in how they are loved and cared for.
Cazx
I have vowed not to make the same mistake again and if I find a jill that is perfect by my standards I would like to breed from her at least once. Is that not the same reason that many owners on here decide to breed their mare.
Ferrets are no different in my book in how they are loved and cared for.
Cazx
farm_boi
Well-Known Member
should be posting some pictures of mine soon if i can find the cable!!!
Tharg
Well-Known Member
Stink like sin and can bite, if you don`t want anyone to go near you then by all means!.