the life of a ferret and his keeper
INTRODUCTION
There is something about ferrets. some people find them good working partners for a frosty morning,s rabbiting some enjoy their individuality and admire their courage , or appreciate there affable companionship. some react with a knowing laugh or a shudder. the majority, perhapes, dismiss ferrets as smelly animal that bite and that spend much of their time down the trousers of foolhardy men.
the majority are very wrong indeed.
this information is concerned first and foremost with the welfareof the ferret.
it sets out to do away with the myths and misconceptions that have given the animal its undeservedly bad reputation. it is not the fault of the ferret, but of generations of a minority of ferret keepers who have either misunderstood the real needs and nature of the animal and have treated it callously, indifferently or just plain misguidedly, or who have sought to project an image of the fierce and vicious ferret - perhapes because they believe that such a creature reflects their own image of themselves.the virile man affects to be dismissive of the treacherous dog and ferrets he claims to control;if his animals are not as unpleasant as he claims,if in fact they areinnately friendly, then who needs hector?
fortunately, most people who keep ferrets, for whatever purpose, respect their animals and have a sound relationship with them.the ferret has served mankind well for centuries: it deserves better then prejudice. but ferreters, veterinary surgeons, pet owners, laboratory workers, fur breeders,naturalists of animal behaviour and writers all havetheir own strongly held opinions about ferrets. as often as not they will disagree with everyone else, secure in the belief that they, from personal experience, know best.
once you get involved in ferrets you meet some lovely people! but that does not stop some of them being wrong about ferrets some of the time. sometimes old ferreters tales prove to be sound, but sometimes their advice has become distorted with time and people continue to believe in the distortion. it is important to pause and to look more closely at why you do certain things. is it perhapes because its always been done that way? that is not necessarily adequate justification, and it might possibly be prejudice.
it is essential to try to understand any animal for which, by virtue of ownership, you have become fully responsible. that animal is entirely dependent on you and the responsibility is a serious one, however little you might have paid for the privilege of ownership, to understand an animal, think of it in the context of a social group. in any society- whether a village, a bat colony, a farmstead, a beehive or a pack of wolves- there are tacit rules which ensure that, on the whole, there is acceptance of one another and the society can remain intact and balanced, and can thrive. so we have looked quite closely at the behaviour of ferrets and also of polecats in the wild. if you understand why an animal behaves in certain ways- quite often because of the mutual constraints of its society or of its environment- you can learn how to encourage the animal to thrive under your care. that will be in the animal,s intrest which, as you have volunteered to accept responsibility for its wellbeing, should be your first priority. and if you hope to get any sort of a return from any animal - as livestock, as an aid to hunting, as a worker, as a companion- the benefits you receive will be far greater if you have the animal`s welfare at heart and if you understand what you are doing.
TO BE CONTINUED, many more info and pictures to be added.
I have four ferrets myself and started with one which is an albino hob which to those hwo dont no is a male ferret. it all started with a friend i knew threw work he had about seven or eight at the time and used them for working as well as pets. one of his gills, a female ferret had a litter and he asked would i like to start an intrest in ferrets. i was a bit unsure at first due to the stories about ferrets as mentioned above. but after seeing my friend handling them i was happy to take one of the litter from him. i bought a cage and took him home at first it was a matter of him getting to no me and me knowing him but within the first week handling him was a breeze. my friend and his brother inlaw which also had ferrets were going out for a mornings rabbiting and asked if i,d like to go along, as i was intrested in how the hole rabbiting with a ferret worked, so i went to one place where they had permision to go on the land they took me threw the steps of netting then once all holes were netted they put the ferrets down one of the holes. then it was just down to the ferret to find the location of the rabbit and then when rabbit meets ferret it bolts for a hole out of the warren into one of the nets which pulls tight to stop it from escapeing. then from that you can guess the next operation, i think that day we caught about eight to ten rabbits, which threw the season was about are average catch. so as you might of gatherd i got into this sport, and as time went on i got more ferrets, they are so much more fun then your pet rabbit, pet rabbits do nothing but a ferret it works for you and they are much more entertaining to watch and full of life so much energy a fantastic useful pet to have, thats why at the moment i have four of them. i will change the picture on this webpage often so you get to see my ferrets and the ferrets of my friends,there will be picture of them at work to. i have got so much into ferrets that i started making my own hutchies i also had to make transport boxes for when going for a mornings rabbiting. i am going to be making some designs of hutchies soon so when i do i will put them on here to show you, any intrest please contact me and also transport box will be another project. there is so much more to no about ferrets im still picking up bits of info myself but if there`s any questions you want answerd i will be happy to try and give you an answer. ferrets you got to love there brilliant fun to have go get yourself one i have a contact address and number of a rescue centre so if your ever intrested just drop me an email. thanks for looking.
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