Should I get Hobs or Jills when buying ferrets?

About our feeds

From guns and gundogs to the latest shooting news; the complete online network for the British shooting community.

| Next

Should I get Hobs or Jills when buying ferrets?

Both sexes have their advantages, but I find that working a hob with one or more jills, depending on the warren size, is the best method.

By Should I get Hobs or Jills when buying ferrets?

Tuesday, 03 October 2006

I am about to acquire two ferrets but am puzzled to know which sex is best. I want them to be good natured and to work well. Any suggestions?

A:

Both sexes of ferret are capable of giving good results on a rabbiting foray, but they work in different ways.

However, well-bred and handled ferrets have a good nature, regardless of gender.

Hobs (males) tend to be slower and more methodical workers, while jills (females) are usually a lot quicker, but often leave some rabbits underground.

Both sexes have their advantages, but I find that working a hob with one or more jills, depending on the warren size, is the best method.

Jills will need attention when they come into season between March and August, and if they do not receive relevant attention may well not live a long and healthy life.

Hobs, when they reach sexual maturity, are inclined to fight other hobs, and this can result in serious injury or death.

However, two hobs (preferably siblings) can often be kept together without fighting, provided that neither is used for breeding. There is, of course, no assurance either way, but if two castrated males are kept together they are very unlikely to fight.

Should I let my puppies burn off energy before training?

A:Training begins long before a lead is placed aro...

Can you advise me on restoring a fox's mask?

A:It is obviously difficult to comment without see...

Guns

Savage Model 16 .243 rifle review

Satin-finished it may be, but Bruce Potts takes a shine to the reliabl... Read more

Sporting Answers

Where have all Northern Ireland's red grouse gone?

I work an English pointer on local bogs where grouse were once in good... Read more

News

PHOTO GALLERY: CLA Game Fair

ST's photograher, Paul Quagliana, was on hand over the weekend to... Read more

Comments

Post your comment

What's in this issue?

In this week's issue, Shooting Times joins the Deer Initiative in Suffolk to investigate how the charity is fighting back against fallow damage, while David Hudson reports on all the action at the Pointer and Setter Champion Stake.