How to catch, tame, and how to feed a wild ferret

Wild ferret is a real predator among small animals. In agriculture, this fast and flexible animal is considered a pest, as it often carries chickens and eggs. Catching such an animal is not so easy.

Content
  1. Description of the wild ferret
  2. Variety of ferret traps
  3. Traps for the safe capture of the animal
  4. Universal home-made ferret trap
  5. Winter version ferret traps
  6. Taming methods
  7. Daily ration
  8. Conclusion <

Дикий хорек

Wild ferret

Ferrets have an extraordinary mind and physical abilities. A predator can easily smell the human smell on kapok If the aim of the capture is to tame the ferret, then the task is complicated by the choice of a trap safe for the animal. Also, wild ferrets even under five years old will never become the same pets as ferrets.

Description wild ferret

Before you catch a ferret, you should determine the breed. The body size of these predators depends on the species, therefore, before preparing a trap, you need to make sure that the breed of the ferret is correctly identified.

Many people mistakenly call ferret all species of marten, but this family, except ferrets, includes ermines and affection. But these breeds are easily distinguished from each other by looking at the photos in the atlas of animals.

There are several breeds of wild ferrets that are ubiquitous:

  1. Steppe ferret.The largest species among the other breeds: the body length of the male can reach 60 cm, and weight – 0.5 kg. The color of the steppe ferrets is mainly brown, with dark tan marks on the stomach and paws. Animals settle in the field.
  2. Forest ferret. This type of predator is considered the most popular in Eurasia. Forest ferrets are slightly smaller than the steppe counterparts; their color is quite variegated. The coat is predominantly brown, with a blackout towards the abdomen and paws. The hair on the face is white. The animals are characterized by a peculiar black mask, according to which the predator can be easily recognized in the photo.
  3. Black-footed ferret. This animal lives on the American continent. Because of the hunt, the population of black-footed ferrets has seriously decreased, so the animal is listed in the Red Book. Today it is rarely seen in the wild, it is forbidden to catch these predators.

If the breed of the animal cannot be established, one should proceed from the standard sizes of the largest animal species. The ferret’s special behavior is the struggle for territory. These predators greatly value their hole and rarely change their place of residence. Ferrets also have a rather weak nervous system, so great care should be taken when catching: the animal may have a heart attack from stress.

A kind of ferret trap

Ferret traps differ in the mechanism of action and largely depend on the ultimate goal of capture.Many of the proposed trap species are not suitable for taming a ferret. Such traps can seriously injure the animal.

Experienced farmers usually use methods that are aimed at the extermination of the predator. Ferrets along with foxes are considered pests in agriculture. They drag rabbits, geese and chickens, destroy chicks and eggs, so poultry farmers and rabbit breeders use traps with poisoned bait.

For hunters, the fur of the animal is of primary value, so their methods of capture often end in death for the ferret. For this, powerful traps are used that kill the predator almost immediately without harming the coat.

Traps for the safe capture of the animal

There are several types of traps that will allow you to catch the ferret alive . Some of them are offered in specialized stores, but most can be done independently.

In addition to the trap itself, you will need such a list of items for catching a wild predator:

  1. gloves made of dense fabric;
  2. tarpaulin or camouflage clothing;
  3. meat as a bait;
  4. infusion for wormwood.

Overalls are needed to protect against sharp teeth and claws of the animal. Ferrets always resist humans when they are captured and can bite through the skin. The bait is most often killed by mice or chicks, which feed predators.

These animals actively react to a strong smell of blood. Wormwood should be trapped to repel human smell.

Wild fishing ferret
Terrible ferret
Wild The ferret climbed into our house!

A universal home-made trap for ferret

For this trap you will need an ordinary cage with strong rods. Wood is a better material, as metal can scare away an animal. The door should be lowered when closing vertically.On the upper beams or branches in the forest, a mechanism resembling scales is fixed. A door is attached on one side of the lever, and a bait is hung on the other edge in the center of the trap. As soon as the ferret unhooks the meat from the rope, the cage closes.

In this way, animals are caught on farms, in chicken coops and in stables. A similar design can be used in the forest, but the smell of meat can attract other predators.

Winter version of the ferret trap

This type of trap is notable for the fact that it does not require any material costs . It is popular in cold countries. The way to make a trap is very simple.

Water is poured into a five-liter bucket and left to freeze overnight. By morning, ice is taken out of the bucket and a ferret-sized hole is drilled in the center. The tunnel should not be through.

The trap is installed in the street with the hole up. This is done so that the ferret does not dig a way out. Meat is placed in the center of the ice trap, after which the animal creeps inside, but cannot get out anymore.

The disadvantage of this trap is that the ferret can suffocate from panic attacks or freeze to death if it stays in such a cage for too long.

Taming methods

Taming a wild ferret is not an easy task. Predators caught in natural habitats will not fully trust a person even after a few years.The offspring of wild ferrets born in captivity will be less likely to be trained, but to get young, you need to provide a couple of animals with favorable conditions for mating.

The credulity of these predators largely depends on age. If the ferret is 1.5-2 months old, then over time he can get used to the person, but he won’t become a completely pet. A ferret older than 5 years is not at all tame and is aggressive towards people. It is very difficult to train such animals, because the ferret can simply break a heart from constant stress.

At home, a wild animal needs to be provided with a living space similar to its natural habitat. Also, the untamed ferret should be kept in a closed aviary, as the animal can show a high level of aggression from fear. The cage for the predator should be multi-tiered, with a system of pipes that mimic underground norms. In natural conditions, ferrets move a lot, so too close housing can cause prolonged stress. You can make such a cage yourself, for this you should watch training videos or photos on the Internet.

It is extremely important to exclude possible noises and pungent odors: animals born in the wild are extremely sensitive to this.

Ferrets come to life after carrying about 2 months. All this time the animals should ensure peace.Initially, the animal will clog into a shelter or corner, will not eat, and will gnaw loudly at night on the grid of the cage. Over time, the animal will get used to the new conditions of detention and human presence. It is also important to stay close to the predator while it feeds. In this case, the pet will begin to recognize the owner’s smell and associate it with food.

The animal should be given a name and constantly refer to it during feeding: so the ferret will quickly become accustomed and get used to human speech. There is no need to feed the wild predator from the hands in the first months: it can easily scratch or bite the skin.

The process of taming takes about a year and requires a lot of effort, however, the tamed wild ferret will still not become a domestic ferret and will retain its independent temp.

Daily ration

The preparation of the menu should be given special attention. Feeding domestic and wild ferrets has no particular differences. These predators mainly prefer protein food.

The only difference between the nutrition of these animals and the inherent in domestic ferrets is the minimum amount of cereals or vegetables in the diet. It is undesirable to feed the wild ferret with such mixtures, since their stomachs do not tolerate grain crops.

Ferrets are forbidden to give buns and sweets: in large quantities, these products are deadly for the animal.

You should also buy vitamin and mineral supplements in specialized stores: without them, ferrets can begin to have problems with teeth and hair.

In general, the daily diet of an adult looks like this:

  1. fresh beef or veal – 50 g per day;
  2. fodder mice, chicks of poultry or fresh meat of chicken – 70 g per day;
  3. fresh fish – 40 g per day;
  4. finely chopped vegetables – 5 g per day;
  5. cereals – not more than 10 g per day;
  6. bone meal – a couple grams per day.

Meat for wild a ferret should be cut into small pieces. It is advisable to mix several types of meat for one feeding.

You should also pay attention to drinking a predator. Water for wild animals should be boiled or boiled. Do not drink water from the tap with the animal: ferrets do not tolerate the presence of bleach in the liquid. taming an adult is not easy. In the first month, the animal should get used to the new habitat and feeding regimen.

A balanced diet will help the animal adapt to the new living conditions as soon as possible. Wild ferrets must undergo veterinary examination and vaccination, as they can be carriers of serious diseases.

You can bookmark this page

Anna Evans

Author ✓ Farmer

View all posts by Anna Evans →