Ferret for rat control?

[LaynaDon95]

Which is one of the reasons I recommended a good barn cat. That, and I have a litter of kittens that will be fit for re-homing in a few weeks. ;P

 

[leadwolf1]

Very good move!!!

 

[LaynaDon95]

My friends call me "Smooth".

 

[leadwolf1]

 

[animals1981]

ferret is not as tough as a polecat or a mink mark my words i know many people who are into ferreting they die VERY EASY and many many ferrets do not have it in them to kill a rat


people think just because they come from polecats they are just as capable think again a dog comes from a wolf can a poodle do what a wolf can? ferrets are bred for a few thousand years of domesication many of them are way to soft


a lot of domestic cats kept their wildness because millions of them breed free in the wild only the strongest make it, dogs with strong hunting ability are still bred but ferrets dont hold up to their wild counter parts not even close when it comes to being that tough i dont know what would happen if u left it over night in a colony of rats by itself if it was a pet ferret i wouldnt be suprised if it died


ferrets have NO predator survival skills either at all they would go right up to a coon or big dog a lot of times and try to play with it worst animal for the job



ferreting ferrets can be good which come from hunting lines when they are under control of another person you still cant leave them alone like a cat they will get thesmlves killed pretty fast have u ever heard of feral ferrets in america probably make easy food for just about anything that wants to eat them


a lot of cats dont make good ratters either u need to get it from a farmer who let the queen teach her kittens how to hunt rats its a skill they learn, u can try ur luck at the humaine society also if they know their personalityies id take the kittens from the farmer in this post a good rat catching cat is worth its weight in gold rats figure out what cats are all play and what cats are deadly serious on killing them fast and will move far as possible away from a cat that is dead set on killing them. A cat with extreme prey drive that is healthy and fed will give up all its time to hunting down the rats it has nothing else to do. Key is to find those cats much easier to keep then a small yappy dog. Rather keep big dogs for protection and cats for pest control.

 

[laxpadre]

It is really difficult to control rats but somehow your idea will work. I hope you will try it so that you can prove to us it worked. I hope you can save your chickens and not be ruin by the rats in your place. [FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]And you can control also the rats that are coming soon.[/FONT]

rat removal Brisbane

 

[settingdusk]

Go with a ratter, like a rat terrier or yorkie. The small dogs can be trained to not go after your chickens and are exceptionally well at catching rats.

 

[pedro29769]

Put ferret poo down rat holes

 

[jenamh]

I think (although I'm not positive) that ferrets can also eat chickens, so I'd definitely do a little more research before going that route. It's an awesome idea, though. If you do get a ferret, see if there are any shelters or rescues (or just random people looking to get rid of a ferret) in your area before buying one from the pet shop. A lot of people get them from the pet shop on a whim, then realize that they're actually a ton of work and abandon them.

As far as the rats.... in my experience, the ONLY thing that will really get rid of them is rat poison. Most people buy a box of the poison and set it out in little trays, but they also sell one in an enclosed box with just a rat-sized hole in the side (so none of your other animals could get to it). You're also not supposed to use it if you have cats or other animals that might eat the poisoned rats, but we've never had a problem with that. But you might want to house your chickens somewhere else until the rats are gone. I know a lot of people want to go the natural route, but when we had a huge rat infestation in our house the live traps just wouldn't do it. I think the rats were multiplying faster than the traps were collecting them!

YES! Ferrets could see the chickens as food or at least engage in a deadly game of play. I tried to introduce my young kittens to my ferrets, and one of my ferrets took on very aggressive posturing with the kittens so the meeting was quickly over. They are also not outdoor animals (heat sensitivities) and imprint on their food at a young age. Many make the mistake of setting their ferrets free outside when they no longer want them, not realizing that they probably will only recognize their kibble as food. Ferrets starving after being outside for several days is a big problem. I have 3 ferrets myself, they are a high maintenance pet. I also help support a local ferret shelter - please think of them first before a pet shop if you wanted a ferret as just a pet.

A cat would be much more appropriate as a mouser.

PLEASE do NOT use poison on rats if you have other animals nearby. We lost an Old English Sheepdog that was somehow exposed to rat poison. He nearly bled out through his gums and it was a horrible event for the whole family. The veterinary school at UGA did all they could to help him, but in the end, his heart was too weak to allow him to recover.

 

[Passin Thru]

Go to Home Depot, buy 10ft- 2 inch plastic pipe and some Ts with the blue stuff and glue and Rat Bar. Cut into 18 inch lengths and secure a 36 in T with an 18 in upright to make an upside down T. Drop rat poison down it and mice and rats will enter, eat bait and go to find water and die. No animals can get the bait. Has worked on our farm for 25 years. We need to breed Ferrets and turn them loose in NYC and DC to control the rats running DC and the UN.