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Post by Sherry on Nov 4, 2012 13:29:10 GMT -5
I was also under the impression hobs get quite greasy and stinky in rut, from a variety of breeders I've spoken with ;D so although Bev may have exaggerated in humour, I really don't think it's too far off the mark ;D
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Post by crazylady on Nov 4, 2012 13:57:27 GMT -5
Hi Maybe I did exaggerate a bit in humour but believe me all my hobs earn the name ginger nuts for an obvious reason lol this from joan has taught me something new
I usually get them in for neutering as soon as they're completely out of rut, so that both testicles are still down and the castration is a simple operation. I had waited to get Raven done until his younger brother and a couple of his sisters were old enough to be sure that they had the overall quality, type, and temperament for future breeding.
I guess you guys do it the opposite way to us over here we normally wait for them to come in and the testicles to drop down before we take them in for castration ( vets over here prefer it this way as they always say it makes there job easier and quicker ) guess they dont have to search for them lol I treat my would be vas hobs in the same way I wait for them to drop down then have them done and wait out 8-10 weeks before trying them on one jill just in case lol take care bye for now Bev
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Post by Deleted on Nov 4, 2012 14:57:55 GMT -5
Maybe it is less noticeable on darker ferrets, but my hob Finn definitely produces more sebum when he is in rut, and it is brownish-orange. It is especially noticeable around his eyes (hob eye makeup).
I also notice that he produces more skin oils on his testicles when he is in rut, this may be what Bev is referring to. Finn doesn't live outside, he lives on carpet that gets vacuumed regularly, and fleece bedding that gets washed once a week.
I'll post a pic to show what I'm talking about. If it is a health problem then I'd like to know of course. He's my baby after all!
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Post by joan on Nov 4, 2012 15:02:57 GMT -5
I think most pet hobs in the US which come from private breeders are altered shortly after the testicles drop, when they're 5-8 months old, unless other arrangements have been made. I prefer to allow the ones I keep to go through a complete rut first, so that they're fully mature physically and mentally.
Raven was neutered much later than I would normally alter one which was going to be placed as a pet, as I waited until his younger brother and sisters were old enough to be accurately evaluated for breeding potential. By that time he'd been out of rut for more than two months and his testicles had retracted. BTW, this was the first time I've had a hob totally retract his testicles after a rut, as they usually just shrink down to the size of a pea but can still be found in the sac.
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Post by Deleted on Nov 4, 2012 15:08:06 GMT -5
WARNING: EXPLICIT PHOTO! ;D Here you can see how Finn's scrotum is more greasy than usual, normally it just looks the same as the surrounding skin: P1020267 by walkerstop, on Flickr Does this look like an issue? It looks to me like excess sebum production. He only gets like this during PART of his rut (usually the most intense part of rut). If I bathe him it washes off.
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Post by crazylady on Nov 4, 2012 15:10:24 GMT -5
Hi Mikey what your talking about is totally normal I see it all the time the eye make up is simply oil ( in albinos you often can see browny greasy spots clinging to the hair follicles and in extreme cases they loose the fur around the eyes lol ) because fins mask is not solid and is a thin v you are seeing the eye make up more lol dont worry about it also the excessive browny orange on his manly bits is normal too he is showing he is all man and hey look at these to prove it he has the man perfume going on lol so no mikey dont worry its not a health problem its just your boy doing the full H man thing lol take care bye for now Bev
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Post by joan on Nov 4, 2012 15:14:05 GMT -5
Mikey, I normally change out and wash all the ferret bedding once a week. I change out the bedding of a hob in rut at least every couple days, to keep him clean and the odor down. While I wipe down the cage floors daily with vinegar/water when I clean the litter pans, it's sometimes necessary to reclean the cage of a hob in rut more often than that.
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Post by crazylady on Nov 4, 2012 15:15:04 GMT -5
Hi Joan I have found over here the colder the weather the further up the jewels go lol ( they can still be found lurking high up the sack if you feel gently lol ) but when its not such a cold winter they simply shrink down to tiny peas and stay a bit lower in the sack I think the weather is going to be real bad this year as already a lot have put them into hibernation mode lol ( well it was minus 2 last night and a thick ground frost this morning so dont blame them lol ) take care bye for now Bev
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Post by Deleted on Nov 4, 2012 15:16:44 GMT -5
We have warm weather here, and when Finn is out of rut, his testes shrink to pea-size but they stay down in the scrotum. The scrotum shrinks so they are held close against his body but they are still easily visible. So maybe the temperature makes a difference?
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Post by Deleted on Nov 4, 2012 15:17:20 GMT -5
Also I saw you both replied to my post but I'm not sure if you saw the picture yet when you replied? Does it look OK? Some of the sebum gets pretty dark brown.
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Post by crazylady on Nov 4, 2012 15:31:34 GMT -5
Hi Mikey yep I saw the pic it looks fine hun my guys get a lot darker than that believe me lol and as for his testes being held half way down when there pea size and he is out of rut in a warmer place thats the norm so no worries you can smile again now we just have to get them back to pea size lol and stop him being greasy again lol take care bye for now Bev
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Post by Deleted on Nov 4, 2012 15:38:57 GMT -5
Hi Mikey yep I saw the pic it looks fine hun my guys get a lot darker than that believe me lol and as for his testes being held half way down when there pea size and he is out of rut in a warmer place thats the norm so no worries you can smile again now we just have to get them back to pea size lol and stop him being greasy again lol take care bye for now Bev Ah ok Thanks!! Finn actually had a bath approx. 1 week ago, so it didn't take him very long to get this greasy! I bathed him because I had friends over and about 10 kids, and all of them wanted to see the ferrets ;D I didn't let anybody hold Finn but I did let them pet him while I was holding him. I let some of the older kids hold my Marshall babies with supervision. It was funny, their parents told me that the kids were talking about the ferrets for days after their visit, they had come over to watch a 3D movie on my new TV but the thing they liked the most and kept talking about was the ferrets ;D But I am getting off-topic... sorry! Didn't mean to hijack your thread. Just was giving some explanation for why I gave Finn a bath since we normally try not to bathe them.
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Post by joan on Nov 4, 2012 15:53:12 GMT -5
Also I saw you both replied to my post but I'm not sure if you saw the picture yet when you replied? Does it look OK? Some of the sebum gets pretty dark brown. No, I hadn't seen your pic when I replied. I don't think my hobs collect that much gunk on their testes, but it's hard to tell since they have thick, dark hair there while they're in rut. I think you'll find that Finn stays cleaner and there's less odor if you change out his bedding more often. Since it rarely gets down to freezing in TX, I've always assumed that was the reason my hobs didn't completely retract their testicles when they were out of rut. Although, when they've come in from playing outdoors on a cold day, their testicles are drawn up much more than usual and can be hard to find.
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Post by crazylady on Nov 4, 2012 16:04:02 GMT -5
hi mikey baths are a no no lol they will make him produce more oil as you are washing off his manly smell in his eyes and he wants all the available females in the area to know he is fit and ready lol take care bye for now Bev
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Post by lorelei0922 on Nov 4, 2012 16:30:02 GMT -5
my in season boys have more bare bellies too... or at least some of them...all but one get orangey yuck around the testes and that area... and my Sandy boy goes almost All orangey when in season... i wear a certain sweater when tending to the in season boys outside and remove it before coming inside...wouldn't want them inside thats for sure!!
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