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Post by Heather on Aug 31, 2016 11:57:36 GMT -5
You have to be careful during that first season or so with hobs. I've got 2 who are best of friends (the B&E twins...full brothers), they play together all the time, right through season and all....during season they don't "live" together, they have separate cages at the moment. They're starting to be snuggly with each other again so I will probably move them back together though they don't seem to mind having separate rooms and it makes it easier to use my v-hob. Tico on the other hand hates...."hates" all male ferrets. Will kill them even in his off season. He lives alone and likes it that way. The B&E twins also have a little Marshals sprite (Mimsy) as a playmate...no she doesn't live with them but she does play with them when they're out and about upstairs. She's learned to roundly trash those two brats just like a jill/sprite should.
ciao
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Post by Deleted on Aug 31, 2016 17:14:34 GMT -5
Im just hoping with the end of season being next month they (pepsi mainly) will start to calm down soon? He's beginning to be rather boystrously dominant with Furzy just now. Still no blood drawn or injuries as yet and furzy tries to give as good back but doesn't always succeed.
As far as separating them, i can section the cage off into 3 with access doors to each part. - one at the top one at the bottom and no-ferts land in between!
Our vet wont do any altering until they are at least 9 months old as the risk of adrenal is high. So thats another 5ish months to go (practically at the beginning of next season 😳 )
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Post by Heather on Aug 31, 2016 21:17:01 GMT -5
The one thing to consider is the use of the DES implant for a chemical castration. I don't understand how this will affect them if you give it sooner than later but some are resorting to using this method. There have been little to no side effects on the testing for hobs, jills have had some problems. Some are using the DES to allow a ferret to reach maturity before surgically castrating. So what they do, is implant when they become seriously hobnoxious and then surgically castrate when the DES wears off. For hobs this is about a year to 18 months. Once you surgically castrate then you implant annually as a preventative.
You can just use the DES and re-implant as necessary or you can surgically castrate when he's old enough. It's a lot to think about and there are many questions regarding the choices. Good luck. Don't be shy about asking further questions regarding these possible choices. We won't be able to answer all your questions, your vet "may" be able to answer some but at least he/she will access to the latest information
ciao
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Post by emotionaltimebomb on Sept 28, 2016 6:53:56 GMT -5
Yes, intact males will often kill other males(or try to), and can actually rape sprites, or at the very least injure them. At least in the first season. Some calm after that. That sounds terrifying. D: |
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Post by Heather on Sept 28, 2016 12:51:26 GMT -5
Ferret sex is to say the least not about gentle wooing  Their rough and tumble play has nothing to a jill and hob having a go at it :evil4: and that's why it's so difficult to pair them up with friends while they're in season and are sometime even reticent to have friends off season. The whole multiple ferret household really goes against the natural order. Ferrets/polecats in the wild lead a very solitary life and are very territorial. Hobs fight not only each other for the right to breed available jills, the jills will fight the hobs and will only breed with the ones that can dominate them. Jills will also fight other jills for territory and because of this innate nature are sometimes very difficult to get them to accept other jills or sprites. Ferrets are complicated  ciao |
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