letters

6/99
Dear Jon,
Thank you for your reply to my recent e-mail. Since first owning ferrets I have bred in excess of fity, most of which were given away as no one was willing to buy them. I now have a Hob ferret (male) which has been given a vasectomy, so he can bring the Jills (females) out of season without producing any young.
All my ferrets are as much pets as workers, and I love them all. They are trained to follow me at the sound of my voice, this is done one at a time with a piece of meat as a treat. With regard to dogs I am very wary of anyone bringing their own dog unless it is "broke to ferret" as we call it, this simply means a dog that will not attack a ferret. My own dog is a lurcher who was broke to ferret at an early age, she soon learned that if she got too near she got a bite on the nose. However this only works on a dog with a calm temperament. I have found that a Terrier's first instinct is to attack, but a firm no and a tap on the nose soon cure this. My own ferrets will drink milk out of the same bowl as the dog.
Of course you may print my letter, please write again soon with any other questions about keeping ferrets in England.
Yours, Matthew

5/99 Dear Editor, I currently own six ferrets which are all worked to rabbit, with the aid of either dog, hawk, or gun. I have worked ferrets for a number of years (both sexes), and would be pleased to hear from anybody who also works ferrets. Matt King Lincoln, England MY E-MAIL IS MATT@billinghay79.freeserve.co.uk	Matt, Thanks for your comments. Could you give our readers more information about how you train your ferrets? It stands to reason that animals prefer to work or "earn their keep" and we at The Domestic Ferret are interested in learning more. Well, are there other readers out there who work their ferrets? You can contact us at The Domestic Ferret or Matt King. Domestic Ferret Seattle
2/99 Dear Jon, You have a very nice web site. I have a question. My ferrets are always scratching themselves. I'm sure they do not have fleas, and their skin apears healthy. Is this normal, or should I have this checked out by the vet? LJ Seattle	LJ, I am glad you asked! Ferrets really are domestic and need your attention and care. With scratching and biting you need to do a little investigating. You have already searched for fleas and found none (ferrets usually pick up fleas from other animals in the house). Most ferrets do bite and scratch their fur. However, if redness develops it may be a rash or food allergy. Monitor their food closely and feed only high protein dry food. Try using Bitter Apple found in most pet stores. The ferrets hate the taste and will learn not to do this behavior. If these tactics don't work or the behavior gets worse, go see the vet! Domestic Ferret Seattle
9/98 Dear Domestic Ferret, I was sooo glad to see your cybermag! You have great pictures and wonderful information and that is why I am writing to you. A friend saw ferrets in the pet store and he thought they were going to kill each other because they were moving so fast and making funny noises. Is that okay for ferrets? Julie T.	Juile, Great question! Yes, ferrets do play very hard. Sometimes it can be a little frightening watching ferrets wrestling. This is perfectly okay for them in most cases. As with any pet, however, personalities do clash. If this happens the ferrets should be separated. Domestic Ferret Seattle

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