Problem with ferret

dodderangler

Got new ferret yesterday a young albino hob think he's about 8-10 weeks old and was the pick of the litter lovely playfully little thing il be using him for rabbits when he's older am givin him beef and chicken cat food which I give to my previous ferrets
Well he doesn seem interested in it and is cryin a lot. was told he might be missin his siblings like a puppy cries after you buy one
He's barely touched his food and not mad into water
I have fresh rabbit there from shooting last week
Will I try him on that to maybe give him a taste of what he will be hunting as he's not interested in the cat food that much and will he eventually stop crying
Don't want to keep him in house with me as he might turn too tame to hunt

anthonyos

did you try him with a bit of bread and warm
milk

Spunk84

anthonyos wrote: »

did you try him with a bit of bread and warm
milk

+1 or give it a broken egg;) but warm milk and bread should work

dodderangler

anthonyos wrote: »

did you try him with a bit of bread and warm
milk

Ya never give ferrets warm milk and bread their strict meat eaters and from what I was always told they are lactose and tollerent

Spunk84

dodderangler wrote: »

Ya never give ferrets warm milk and bread their strict meat eaters and from what I was always told they are lactose and tollerent

pretty much bull mate. ive owned ferrets on and off for 10years and they will eat everything and anything. milk and bread they will love it or maybe a tin of tuna will do?>?

anthonyos

i kept ferrets for about 7 years and feed the everyting but mostly bread catfood patatoes water/milk about 50/50 mix ..i think you right in what your saying

blackstairsboy

I have kept ferrets in the past and would not recommend bread or milk in any quantity. Maybe a very small bit at that age if you are concerned he has not eaten. You are right in saying he is a meat eater and meat should be his staple diet if you want the healthiest ferret possible. They may survive on other diets but will not thrive.

dodderangler

Oh right I was always told they are not able to drink milk being lactose and tollerent and this I heard from a fellow who Is big into his ferrets
I've had ferrets for hunting but never a kit they were Always year or two old
Any advice on nip training as he just playfully bites me

dodderangler

Oh right I was always told they are not able to drink milk being lactose and tollerent and this I heard from a fellow who Is big into his ferrets
I've had ferrets for hunting but never a kit they were Always year or two old
Any advice on nip training as he just playfully bites me

dodderangler

Oh right I was always told they are not able to drink milk being lactose and tollerent and this I heard from a fellow who Is big into his ferrets
I've had ferrets for hunting but never a kit they were Always year or two old
Any advice on nip training as he just playfully bites me

dodderangler

Sorry for them posts I'm on me phone it's actin up

anthonyos

i used to had problems wit large litters competing for food they would savage each other and and hand that went near them but anytime iv bought some young ones iv never had a problem just make time for handling them a few times a day and feed it well expect a nip after all human babies bit aswell

Spunk84

Ferreter wrote: »

BREED THEM OR THEY WILL DIE

Always loved that ol wives tail LOL the amount of lads i knew drove the length and breath to get a class working ferret serviced because they were told this:D

dicky82

Ferreter wrote: »

Ferrets and nonsense really do go together...

There MEAT EATERS :cool: And are LACTOSE INTOLERANT...

You can give them bread and milk, but occassionally and as a treat, although its not good for them, they do like it.

Your young ferret kit, is small, lost and confused, as well as being away from its mum

The best thing you can do is get him some company, as ferrets dont like being alone And do a lot better when you have 2, 3 or even 12 of them! 2 or 3 arent any harder to look after than 1 anyway...

Believe it or not, people still tell me...

KEEP YOUR FERRETS IN THE DARK SO THEY CAN SEE DOWN HOLES

MUZZLE THEM FOR HUNTING

STARVE THEM THE DAY BEFORE YOU WORK THEM

BREED THEM OR THEY WILL DIE

FEED THEM BREAD AND MILK

Folks....

Dont believe everything old men in flat caps tell you, most of them wouldnt know a ferret if it bit them on their big red noses...

thank god some one with a bit of sense, ferrets will eat bread and milk but it's no good for them, they should be given meat and bones.

my ferrets get lambs hearts,
egg,
rabbits that have been gutted, not skinned.
pigeon (without the fillet)
chicken drumsticks.
squirrels
pheasants carcus

never give them pork

tinned cat food is muck, milk and bread are no good and dry ferret food can be used as a supplement but not solely.

thekevin4540

i had ferrets all my life and i give them bread and milk not all the time but i never had any problems mix a can of dog/cat food with a bit of bread and milk and he will be fine if he bites you it might sound bad but stick your finger down his throught and do it evry time he bites you and he will stop i do this with old ferrets aswell as young ones i have a litter of ten now about 6 weeks old and thay will eat any thing i feed them rabbit cans of food or bread and milk and there perfect

Spunk84

thekevin4540 wrote: »

i had ferrets all my life and i give them bread and milk not all the time but i never had any problems mix a can of dog/cat food with a bit of bread and milk and he will be fine if he bites you it might sound bad but stick your finger down his throught and do it evry time he bites you and he will stop i do this with old ferrets aswell as young ones i have a litter of ten now about 6 weeks old and thay will eat any thing i feed them rabbit cans of food or bread and milk and there perfect

finally someone with abit of sense:D good job

garv123

Ferreter wrote: »

BREED THEM OR THEY WILL DIE

When jills go into heat they stay in heat until they are bread to encourage males to breed with them.. If they dont get a seeing to they will stay in heat and they can develop anemia and can die. Thats why you can get the jill jab, so not entirely untrue.

ferrete

Don't go sticking your fingers etc down it's throat if they bit just smear your hands or vinegar and let them try again this is the best way and has a 100% success rate

dicky82

garv123 wrote: »

When jills go into heat they stay in heat until they are bread to encourage males to breed with them.. If they dont get a seeing to they will stay in heat and they can develop anemia and can die. Thats why you can get the jill jab, so not entirely untrue.

you have this backwards. its the hobs who come into season first, that's why they stink the place out. this triggers the jill's into season(jill's do come into season by themselves too), jill's can be mated and then then come back into season. (happened a jill i had two years ago) if left with the hob. if jills are left in season they can lose condition and this is where they develop problems. so its a grey area, they wont all die if left unmated but they wont all be hunky dory either.

as regards the bread and milk, it's just no good for them, they might eat it but it runs through them. if they're biting you a little flick on the nose or something unpleasant on your hands the next time you pick them up.

just a question to the lad who feeds his ferrets on bread and milk and catfood. what would you feed a working dog out of interest?

ALAN.N

I have kept ferrets for a number of years and find that dry ferret food is really good for them, can be got in all pet shops James Wellbeloved is a popular make, but the best food for them is fresh meat when available , as for the nipping the more you handle him the tamer he gets ,you need to be prepared to get a few nips along the way.

chainsawman

Reading this threads brings back memories in the sixties and the seventies when my Uncle used to have several ferrets to hunts the rabbits every saturday and Sunday morning... Great outings in the country.. As for OP questions, I remembered he fed them bread and milk...

decoyer

Hi Lads i must say ive fed my ferrets on just about everything
but never potatoes lol
ive had em for fully 40+ years and would like to say after starting to feed
them on James Wellbeloved complete ferret food i have NEVER seen my ferrets in better condition coats and like silk and there body confirmation is spot on,so basiclay that knocks on the head that most say just feed em meat as their meat eaters,
Oh and i will also state i does not affect there hunting abilities 1 iota
no doubt the replies will contradict what i say but i am going on over 40yrs expierience keeping ferrets so i would like to think i know my animals

gripp

ferrets should be fed as close to what they would eat naturaly in the wild,plenty of fresh meat with fur or feather,eggs and milk as stated above as treats,as their digestive system is designed for a carnivores diet,ferrets wll readily eat bread and milk if given to them as you would eat chocolate and chips,but health and performance will suffer as a result,compare the dung corner of a box with ferrets fed naturaly to that of one fed on a bread and milk diet,and that should be enough to convince you which diet you should use.