Post by nanjferret on Mar 2, 2012 13:58:42 GMT -5
Hi all, I've been asked to do a general post about things to consider when having whole hobs and also ideas I use for smell control as all of my crew live in my house. I run a ferretry and generally have around 7 to 10 whole hobs in my group. My setup is having a large second back living room for the ferrets which is partially blocked off to use the room as a play area. It is open to the rest of my house. My kids also get play times out in the main house. The absolute best solution I have found to control smells is I get one of those window fans from say Walmart that have two small fan units in it and put it in a window with the air flow pulling from the house to the outside. I tape it into the window and every year replace it for a new one. The fan runs 24/7 all year long. What it does is create an airflow that pulls the air slightly from the rest of the house though the ferret room to the outside. As far as hobs go they are very stinky when in season. Bathing helps for about one day then they just produce more oil as they consider the stinkier and oilier they are the more attractive they are to the jills. Washing bedding as much as possible helps sort of. There are things like 8n1 coat spray conditioner to use to help some. Really, trying to keep the whole hobs from smelling is a losing battle.
The other things to consider about whole hobs is how they act. They will stay sweet in temperament with you but remember there are raging ferret hormones going on which makes them do unusual things. One is they will have only one thing on their mind from early spring to around October and that is girls. They basically worry themselves all the time. They slow down eating, they pee on everything to mark their territory. Each is different genetic wise but in general they will lose weight and muscle and by October look like a concentration camp refuge. Like I said, each one is different as to how bad they get. I've seen some that would be skin and bones by the end of the year. Then they go out of rut and will become fat, fluffy bears over winter till it starts all over again. What I also caution people about is understanding how a hob thinks when in season. The big thing is territory. They need to be the alpha male and will fight sometimes to death with another whole male if the two accidently get together. If two males are fighting it is silent, they make no noise, and it is very intense. If you try to break them apart realize they are in fight mode and basically not in their right mind. They will keep trying to fight and if your arm or whatever gets in the way of the other male they can latch onto you instead of the other male. When they grab and hold they are in a total zone of holding on no matter what and it can be hard to get them to let go. Their eyes glaze over and they are just not thinking normal. The easiest way I've found to get them to release and come back to their senses is to take the hob attached to you and put their nose next to a jill in her cage. He will suddenly let go , look at her and go "hey there pretty". Now he is back to his old self. Whole hobs will be aggressive with other ferrets and try to mate anything that resembles a ferret so they will need to be kept by themselves. Old hobs do settle down and can live with spayed jlls usually. So, it is not completely necessary to have a boy neutered but living with them whole inside your home can be difficult. Just a few things to note!
The other things to consider about whole hobs is how they act. They will stay sweet in temperament with you but remember there are raging ferret hormones going on which makes them do unusual things. One is they will have only one thing on their mind from early spring to around October and that is girls. They basically worry themselves all the time. They slow down eating, they pee on everything to mark their territory. Each is different genetic wise but in general they will lose weight and muscle and by October look like a concentration camp refuge. Like I said, each one is different as to how bad they get. I've seen some that would be skin and bones by the end of the year. Then they go out of rut and will become fat, fluffy bears over winter till it starts all over again. What I also caution people about is understanding how a hob thinks when in season. The big thing is territory. They need to be the alpha male and will fight sometimes to death with another whole male if the two accidently get together. If two males are fighting it is silent, they make no noise, and it is very intense. If you try to break them apart realize they are in fight mode and basically not in their right mind. They will keep trying to fight and if your arm or whatever gets in the way of the other male they can latch onto you instead of the other male. When they grab and hold they are in a total zone of holding on no matter what and it can be hard to get them to let go. Their eyes glaze over and they are just not thinking normal. The easiest way I've found to get them to release and come back to their senses is to take the hob attached to you and put their nose next to a jill in her cage. He will suddenly let go , look at her and go "hey there pretty". Now he is back to his old self. Whole hobs will be aggressive with other ferrets and try to mate anything that resembles a ferret so they will need to be kept by themselves. Old hobs do settle down and can live with spayed jlls usually. So, it is not completely necessary to have a boy neutered but living with them whole inside your home can be difficult. Just a few things to note!