>From: Todd Leuthold <[log in to unmask]>=20 > >>Any ferret will hunt as will any predator, it is in the genes. They >>don't need to be "taught" >Yeah, except for those that won't... Out of eight ferrets, only two >respond as expected. > >Fuzzer will kill a mouse, if it obligingly puts itself within an inch of >him and just stands there. All that is required of a ferret used for hunting rabbits is that they bolt the them from the bury. "Killing down" is not wanted, one reason why a lot of ferreters prefer to jills instead of hobs - the say that hobs are generally too big and too fast and tend to catch the rabbits before they bolt; it results in a lot of digging for the ferreter whereas the jill tends to be slower and more methodical in her approach giving the rabbit time to make a run for it. A fellow ferreter and I have recently been doing a bit of rabbit control at a livery stable in North Yorkshire. A mutual friend obtained the permission for us and then thought about using a couple of her ferrets alongside ours... she was a rather surprised when I turned one of the ferrets down flat, he can be a biter - we need to be able to handle any ferret used for hunting without the risk of being bitten. The days have all but gone of the macho male who took pride in his working ferrets being vicious; my ferrets could be out hunting one day and the following being used for PR with young children cuddling them. A number of ferreters these days are using pampered pets for working, ferrets that in the summer will be picking up rosettes at ferret shows all over the UK. At present I only have albino jills that I work but I've got Robin Oakapple, a nice little poley mitt kit, that I may use later in the season - he's booked in for being castrated today, so he and his brother, Ruthven, will be meeting Alex the vet in a few hours time. [Posted in FML issue 4027]