Anyone Interested

[julzjc]

Thankyou so much for all the information on your ferrets guys, great read. If anyone goes ferreting near sydney(within 2-3hr drive) please give me a shout, I would love to come and experience it for myself someday. I wont be owning a ferret for a long time yet though, doubt my resident bunnies would appriciate it.

ps. Ill deffinatly wear tight jeans, dont really fancy having a ferret stuck up my trousers :p

[cannibalgoldfish]

Moselle, I hope you enjoyed that tasty vegetarian bake you mentioned a few pages back. Obviously you have no problems with the fact that millions of animals are killed, shot, poisoned, electrocuted, ect every year just to keep those tasty vegies safe until they get to you. So a few thousand fruit bats and parrots die every year in very slow painful deaths, all tangled up in netting protecting the fruit you buy, not to mention the thousands of wallabies and possums poisoned just to keep them off the crops that provide you with your meals. If I was an animal, I'd choose sudden death by hunter or farmer rather than the above. Wouldn't you? At least people can choose to buy ethically killed meat. Vegetables dont come with signs saying "No wallaby was poisoned slowly by 1080 to provide you with this tasty bunch of silverbeet"

[Dory the Doted One]

Moselle, I hope you enjoyed that tasty vegetarian bake you mentioned a few pages back. Obviously you have no problems with the fact that millions of animals are killed, shot, poisoned, electrocuted, ect every year just to keep those tasty vegies safe until they get to you. So a few thousand fruit bats and parrots die every year in very slow painful deaths, all tangled up in netting protecting the fruit you buy, not to mention the thousands of wallabies and possums poisoned just to keep them off the crops that provide you with your meals. If I was an animal, I'd choose sudden death by hunter or farmer rather than the above. Wouldn't you? At least people can choose to buy ethically killed meat. Vegetables dont come with signs saying "No wallaby was poisoned slowly by 1080 to provide you with this tasty bunch of silverbeet"

I feel ashamed to say, I never even thought of this. :p

[mushka]

Moselle, I hope you enjoyed that tasty vegetarian bake you mentioned a few pages back. Obviously you have no problems with the fact that millions of animals are killed, shot, poisoned, electrocuted, ect every year just to keep those tasty vegies safe until they get to you. So a few thousand fruit bats and parrots die every year in very slow painful deaths, all tangled up in netting protecting the fruit you buy, not to mention the thousands of wallabies and possums poisoned just to keep them off the crops that provide you with your meals. If I was an animal, I'd choose sudden death by hunter or farmer rather than the above. Wouldn't you? At least people can choose to buy ethically killed meat. Vegetables dont come with signs saying "No wallaby was poisoned slowly by 1080 to provide you with this tasty bunch of silverbeet"

I feel ashamed to say, I never even thought of this. :p

I'd never thought about this either. It makes me look at vegetarianism with a new perspective.

[Danois]

Oh no - I am going to hell! Dad taught my sister and I how to use a .22 when we were kids and we'd go rabbit shooting for the cats. Mum had her own .22 too.

Given Dad had been a professional hunter for the government and was ex-army, rest assured we knew where to aim.

[Bulldust]

Oh comeon....so people who kill their own meat are simply doing it from the goodness of their own heart? Nonsense. IT is purely for selfish reasons and none other than....

Jesus are you still on this thread? That quoted above is probably one of the most idiotic posts ive ever read. So you dont eat lamb, (dont know what you're missing out on Moselle), you havent eaten pork 'for ages', not eaten beef in 18months (thats pretty specific is that something you're proud of?) but you eat chicken.... where does your chicken come from again?

Are you having a go at vegos?

It is a personal choice, and I assure you we are not all unbalanced and sexist

Whaaaaaaaaaaaat??!! That was certainly NOT what i was doing AL! What i have a problem with, is someone spouting how long theyve not eaten cruelly killed meat yet say they still sometimes eat chicken which dont get treated very well at all and probably worse than the majority of other animals, lamb, beef etc. I actually tried cutting all meat from my diet when i was a teenager, sadly after a few months i could not keep myself away from yummy lamb chops any longer Though since i started in the dairy industry 6yrs ago i very rarely eat beef anymore & if i do it has to be cooked to the consistency of an old leather boot

[Andisa]

Oh no - I am going to hell! Dad taught my sister and I how to use a .22 when we were kids and we'd go rabbit shooting for the cats. Mum had her own .22 too.

Given Dad had been a professional hunter for the government and was ex-army, rest assured we knew where to aim.

looks like I will see you there Danois - the .22 was my choice too.

[dunnwarren]

Oh no - I am going to hell! Dad taught my sister and I how to use a .22 when we were kids and we'd go rabbit shooting for the cats. Mum had her own .22 too.

Given Dad had been a professional hunter for the government and was ex-army, rest assured we knew where to aim.

looks like I will see you there Danois - the .22 was my choice too.

I'm joining you two as well, still have my old .22 plus my newer one. One day I will sit up all night and shoot that mongrel fox.

[Staranais]

I feel ashamed to say, I never even thought of this.

I'd never thought about this either. It makes me look at vegetarianism with a new perspective.

I've heard that argument before, & although it's interesting, I don't really buy it. No one can eat a diet that doesn't involve killing some sentient animals, it's almost impossible to do that, unless you grow all your own veges I suppose & are prepared to lose a lot of them to the bunnies! But, I also wouldn't throw up my hands and say, well, I'm not sure if the farmer has killed some animals while growing or harvesting my vegetables, so I might as well eat meat at every meal since I may already be a killer.

I'd personally be more concerned with the cheese & milk that are probably in the vegetarian bake. Dairy products involve the direct and deliberate killing of animals, just as much as meat products do. Baby calves are a byproduct of the dairy industry, and are treated as such. Any vegetarian who lectures people on the cruelty of killing animals for meat, but then buys dairy products for themselves, is a bit of a hypocrit.

[Dory the Doted One]

I think at the end of all this discussion. I shall just give more thanks to my food, and be more aware of what I eat and why I'm eating it.

I think the why I'm eating it, might actually have more of an impact than what I eat. But I should definately be giving more thanks as well.

[ncarter]

are you vegetarian Moselle?

I eat eggs obtained from a farmer neighbour of mine (free range). I also eat chicken and on rare occasions....fish. Have never eated lamb. Have not eaten pork in ages; haven't eaten beef in 18 months.

grammar police

[asal]

Female ferrets will die if they don't breed, which is why you should always have non-breeders desexed.

I've heard that the females commonly get a type of fatal aplastic anaemia due to bone marrow suppression from estrogen if they come on heat & aren't allowed to breed?

Don't know much about it though since we don't keep ferrets as pets over here.

\

yep lucky the thought police havent decided to make it law yet u cant breed a female ferret three seasons running eh?

Edited October 11, 2010 by asal

[cannibalgoldfish]

Sorry I have nothing against people who are vegetarian. It is their own choice after all. I have been ranted at by some all about how eating meat makes you an evil animal killer. It works both ways. But seriously, so much crap goes on with our food that if we all took it to heart we would starve to death.

Back to topic, my mum had an evil blood sucking weasel a ferret. It was a teeny thing named fee fee (yes, seriously!) that used to raid my bag and steal my morning tea snacks so when I would get to work I had nothing to eat. The sadistic blood sucker cute little thing would stash them in my mums drawer and she would find this horde of stolen food festering away. I like ferrets, and the "pronging" is so cute! (I know what you mean there) But doubt I'd get one any time soon.

I'm joining you two as well, still have my old .22 plus my newer one. One day I will sit up all night and shoot that mongrel fox.

Just dont eat it afterwards. That would make you an uncouth animal killing hunter.

Agree with you there Staranais, a friend guilt tripped me out of enjoying my yogurt last month after telling me the facts about gelatine. I decided I like yogurt, and ignored him....

Edited October 11, 2010 by cannibalgoldfish

[sas]

are you vegetarian Moselle?

I eat eggs obtained from a farmer neighbour of mine (free range). I also eat chicken and on rare occasions....fish. Have never eated lamb. Have not eaten pork in ages; haven't eaten beef in 18 months.

grammar police

Seriously, who cares. Surely you can get your kicks from other means other than making people feel bad about themselves.

[Polecatty]

Female ferrets will die if they don't breed, which is why you should always have non-breeders desexed.

I've heard that the females commonly get a type of fatal aplastic anaemia due to bone marrow suppression from estrogen if they come on heat & aren't allowed to breed?

Don't know much about it though since we don't keep ferrets as pets over here. :D

\

yep lucky the thought police havent decided to make it law yet u cant breed a female ferret three seasons running eh?

If left in season the jills do run a very high risk of developing Pyometra and/or Aplastic Anaemia. Unfortunately a lot of people use that as an excuse to breed willy-nilly without giving much thought to their breedings year after year, despite there being a lot of alternatives.

Breeding to a vasectomised hob will bring them out of heat without a litter- a very good solution for people who have a lot of jills. No need to be breeding 10+ litters every year as I have heard of some folk doing!

There is a hormone injection that can be given to bring a jill out of heat. It is best given two weeks after the ferret comes into season. Depending on the jill it may need to repeated twice. I have used this before with good results.

And Suprelorin Implants. These will sterilise a jill for two years before returning her to full fertility. A wonderful way of ensuring a ferret can be properly tested before breeding.

Ferret contraception is a fascinating topic.

[Polecatty]

Moselle, I hope you enjoyed that tasty vegetarian bake you mentioned a few pages back. Obviously you have no problems with the fact that millions of animals are killed, shot, poisoned, electrocuted, ect every year just to keep those tasty vegies safe until they get to you. So a few thousand fruit bats and parrots die every year in very slow painful deaths, all tangled up in netting protecting the fruit you buy, not to mention the thousands of wallabies and possums poisoned just to keep them off the crops that provide you with your meals. If I was an animal, I'd choose sudden death by hunter or farmer rather than the above. Wouldn't you? At least people can choose to buy ethically killed meat. Vegetables dont come with signs saying "No wallaby was poisoned slowly by 1080 to provide you with this tasty bunch of silverbeet"

I feel ashamed to say, I never even thought of this.

I'd never thought about this either. It makes me look at vegetarianism with a new perspective.

Amusingly enough, farmers who have crops to protect are often very keen to have ferreters 'tend' to their properties. Even female ferreters!

There is no such thing as a bloodless diet. For life to exist other lives must end....doesn't matter if a person is a vegan, vegetarian or omnivore!

Staranais, I don't think Dory was suggesting that people shouldn't be vegan or vegetarian, that is a valid personal choice after all. Perhaps just suggesting that Moselle's diet isn't as 'guiltless' as she likes to believe. :D It is certainly true that billions of animals die due to pest control being carried out to protect crops. Won't somebody please think of the locusts?

[Polecatty]

I have seen lots of video clips on ferret's and love watching the ones with the happy dance. I am amazed at just how trainable they are!

It may have been mentioned (but due to placing someone ignore im having trouble piecing together this thread a little now it seems to be a look at me, look at me, thread sadly) but i have been told that if ferrets are not desexed and then not allowed to bread they will actually become ill and die is that true?

For those that do hunt their ferrets where did you learn from? Is there any ferret type shows or competitions?

My dad taught me when I was 14. There are some ferret shows but they have never been to my liking...fat ferrets being judged on the colour of their coats. I do my own judging out in the field on a good cold day when the bunnies are bolting hard and fast.

Edited October 11, 2010 by Polecatty

[asal]

Female ferrets will die if they don't breed, which is why you should always have non-breeders desexed.

I've heard that the females commonly get a type of fatal aplastic anaemia due to bone marrow suppression from estrogen if they come on heat & aren't allowed to breed?

Don't know much about it though since we don't keep ferrets as pets over here. :D

\

yep lucky the thought police havent decided to make it law yet u cant breed a female ferret three seasons running eh?

If left in season the jills do run a very high risk of developing Pyometra and/or Aplastic Anaemia. Unfortunately a lot of people use that as an excuse to breed willy-nilly without giving much thought to their breedings year after year, despite there being a lot of alternatives.

Breeding to a vasectomised hob will bring them out of heat without a litter- a very good solution for people who have a lot of jills. No need to be breeding 10+ litters every year as I have heard of some folk doing!

There is a hormone injection that can be given to bring a jill out of heat. It is best given two weeks after the ferret comes into season. Depending on the jill it may need to repeated twice. I have used this before with good results.

And Suprelorin Implants. These will sterilise a jill for two years before returning her to full fertility. A wonderful way of ensuring a ferret can be properly tested before breeding.

Ferret contraception is a fascinating topic.

now that is interesting, i thought it was a case of they had to be bred or desexed

[cannibalgoldfish]

Breeding to a vasectomised hob will bring them out of heat without a litter

files that away for future reference... Do desexed male ferrets still want to do the job though?

[Black Dog in WA]

Not desexed- those fellas dont. Hobs need to be 'snipped'or vasectomised to keep their 'keen-ness'

They dont remove the testes just snip the tube

Hope those dog biscuits and dog meat were made at one of those 'male only, guiltless, stress-free abbatoirs'.

Edited October 11, 2010 by Black Dog in WA