I am from the U.S. and I dont know if anyone ferrets around here... is there a line or breed you guys like to use or will any pet store ferret do..

Christian J.

am not sure about ferreting in the states. i think we chatted before about it tho and i was shocked to hear that ferrets sold in some parts of the states have to be fixed to ensure if they escape they do not breed.


these are the type of ferrets we use here. some prefer the whites (albino, greyhound) others prefer the polecats


hope this helps

i asked the same question ,but what would you hunt with ferrets in the U.S i live in western pa and the only animals that live in ground are ground hogs and rats ground hogs are too big for ferrets i think.if i still lived in Arizona we had ground squirrels they were everywhere and some parts had praire dogs too .and also we had jack rabbits i would love to see a lurcher run down a jack rabbit they are big and fast . i live in the wrong place for good hunting

over here I mainly work my ferrets for rabbits, and on the odd occasion i do work them to rats. which can be good fun for the terriers.

have u not got many rabbits over ther ? i think they maybe called cottontails ? (tho not 100%)

cottontails don't live underground they live in brush piles ,over grown fields and the thickest stuff you can find.they will run down a groundhog hole if chase.

I was more just wondering cuz I keep seeing them for free here... I do have both black and white tailed jack rabbits here and I am getting a whippet pup and was just wondering... Plus we have what we call sage rats which are small prairie dogs I could hunt as well I think.. I probably wont get one for a while if I do, but it sure looks like fun!!!! I would be working them w/ the dogs if I got them, I see that many people in the UK hunt them alone, looks fun too... I was mostly wondering if there was a special kind of hunting ferret???

Christian J,

i dont think ther would be a special kind of hunting ferret. tho im not 100%. i suggest getting incontact with a fieldsports authority in the states. they mite be able to offer advice or even help with contacting a breeder.

all ferrets are all fixed here in the US all ferrets are shipped in from Europe... Its the law...

Christian J

We often ferret rabbits from wood piles, thick undergrowth, etc where the rabbits are living above ground. Of course their escape is sometimes hindered by a well placed long-net

Its a shame about having ferrets neutured in the States, as I'm sure that the show/pet fraternity over there could do some valuable research into the genetics of the ferret (especially with regards to coat colour and it's associated mutant genes).

From what I've read during my brief research into the genetics side it appears that the majority of ferrets in the US come from one very large dealing company - although I am open to be corrected on this one. I know for sure that they are sometimes imported from other countries, and I know they fetch good money too. I often give my kits away as they aren't worth much at all, and adults are notoriously hard to get rid of unless they are 'workers', yet I once gave a breeding pair of polecat-marked ferrets to a rescue centre who swiftly sent them to America for £150!

Anyway, I'll finish with a few pictures that have a certain 'aah' factor!

Firstly a couple of pictures from when I bred a few years ago. I tried the communal method and am happy to report that I raised all bar one of the kits that were born. In the first picture the kits are 7 and 27 days old (look closely and you'll see a couple of very small ones)



And in this picture they are a week older



This little chap had found himself somewhere nice and quiet!



And lastly some young I bred the year before last.



Ferret kits, don't you just love em?

Crow

the pic of the ferretsthat kev has look like my two didnt no you had them doing modeling kev

wouldnt have thought you would need any special breed or strain any ferrets ive had have taken to hunting naturally .although i always wait until im sure they are mature enough to handle the rigours of a days ferreting .
as it isnt all plain sailing and rabbits often object to being expelled from their warrens,and can deal out some serious kicks and even very rarely bites .but hunting does come very naturally to all ferrets .
but just like dogs some tend to be more adept than others i hope this helps ,nice to see there is interest in the states .