Lonely Hob

Hi, am new here but am hoping sumone can helpme. i had 2 very friendly hobs which were very close but sadly 1 passed away :( leaving the other very lonely :( am lukin for a rescue near me that i can maybe get a friend for Freddy. any help will b very much appreciated :) thanks

Hey,

I don't know where castleford is :S but I'm sure there will be an rspca somewhere about, even if they don't have ferrets they might be able to tell you where your local ferret rescue is. We have a map of rescues hear ( http://www.theferrethutch.com/f31-list-of-rescues )

But its not up-to-date, we rely on the rescue them selves letting us know if they have closed. Have you googled ferret rescues and the name of your area or part of England? Other thing I can suggest is gum tree or pree loved, some people rehome their ferrets on these sites.

I'm sure Freddy ferret would love a wee friend, sorry that his buddy passed away :(

He is more likely to accept a neutered hob or a kit I think.
Jills are just so feisty, but of course still make good friends for lonely hobs, so I guess that is up to you.

Some rescues will let you take your ferret in, I think this is a good idea. That way you can introduce them somewhere neutral and safe. See if they get on, it is normal to have a wee bit of a scuffle at first.

Not sure if you have introduced ferrets before, getting a head of my self lol you haven't even found a rescue yet.

If there are no local rescues on the rescue list and google throws nothing up let me know, I have quite a few ferrety people on my facebook, someone is bound to know your area :)

I'm way up in scotland :D
Good luck :D

thank u so much for ur reply :) my nearest rescue is Huddersfield which is quite a distance away and i hav a 10 month old son so its not easy traveling to far.
i spend alot of tym with Freddy to help with his lonelyness but really want a buddy for him. it was heartbreakin losin Bobby as we tried r best to make him well but sadly we lost him :( we were back and forward to the vets and in contact with him over the phone when we were at home.
i hav never introduced ferrets before so am keen to know wat the best plan of action would b. hes not a large ferret even though hes male. hes such a softy and loves havin his belly tickled lol
i hav bonded rescue guinea pigs and rabbits in the past and at present hav a herd of 9 bonded sows, a trio of boars and a inseperatable pair of rabbits lol i also hav 4 dogs :)
i hav thought of goin down the lines of gettin a kit as then i would b bringin it up and that way i know it wouldnt b nippy as an adult as i handle and play with my ferret alot. wat do u think?? thanks for ur help :)

Kits are great but if youve not had ferrets before they can be hard work. Ferrets use thier teeth a lot and have tough skin so they can bite hard until they learn we can't handle it. You may be OK with kits, I'd advise at least two, as you are clearly experienced with animals but my usual advice to newbies is to get a pair of older ferrets, maybe last years kits from a good rescue. They will already be nip trained but still lively and fun.

Sta Ferret Rescue keep an up to date list of rescues here http://starescue.org.uk/#/other-ferret-rescues/4541664398

i havent alot of experience with ferrets to be honest but i got Bobby and Freddy when they were just 6 and 7 wks old and nip trained them myself and thankfully they turned into 2 very very good natured well behaved boys :) Fred doesnt hav a bite in him and neither did Bobby. nail clippin was never a prob nor was strokin while they were eatin. i would b ok with a kit but my concern is would Freddy lol i wouldnt want him to hurt a wee baby but as i said hes not a big lad and hes extremely placid. he plays with my dogs and there is never any aggression. :)

Na, most animals know its a baby they are playing with and are ok. Ever noticed how they are nicer to older animals as well? You could always email the rescue see what they say, see if they would mind you and the wee one coming out for a visit? Maybe someone on pre-loved or gum tree will have a fee ferret looking for a home.

Some kits are too much for people and end up back in rescues. They can be so fast, and so nippy. Maybe a ferret who is a year or two old would be good for your fella, not too young as to be hyper and bouncing on him all the time.
But young enough to get him playing and having fun again.

I think introducing ferrets on neutral ground if possible is good because I think they are less likely to feel they have to defend their home.
They can live in wee packs, so sometimes they have scraps to sort the pack order. It can often look way worse than it is, they have thick strong skin unlike us. So they do not get as hurt as we would in these scraps, but the screams they make! oh it makes my blood go cold, and sometimes its for no reason, then they end up good friends!

If one of them poops in fear, or is being cased about for too long and is really unhappy, or there is any bleeding they need separated. They often rag at each others necks, and sometimes it can tare a wee bit. Its nothing compared to what the poor jills go though in mating season lol but still looks nasty to us, especially if your not used to it.

Once they sleep together that is it, you win they will live together. its getting them to that stage sometimes is the issue.

There are quite a few different ways people try. you can sometimes take a ferret from a rescue on the grounds that if it doesn't work out they can go back to the rescue.

In that situation, they can be housed separately, but close enough to be able to smell each other and get used to each other. with supervised play times.

Some ferrets will get on like a house on fire from the word go, others take days/weeks/months, some are never friends at all.

Do you know any other ferrty people in your area so maybe you could go for a play date?

ur information is so helpfull :) am really gratefull :) i just want wats best for my wee man :) him and Bobby used to play loads and u would hav thought they were killin each other lol i used to love puttin down cardboard boxes with loads of ripped up newspaper in and watch them go crazy lol their dance is fantastic lol i just love it :) loats of people think am mad loving ferrets as they think they r vicious smelly animals. SO WRONG!! if an animal is visious then somewhere in its life a human has made it this way!! all my guineas and rabbits are rescues and i adore them all.
i only know 1 couple who r ferret people but hav none at the moment.
Fred is only 10 months and only a baby himself i suppose.
i think i will try and luk for a friend and if i go to view any potential buddys i will take fred with me and c wat he thinks :)

I have a little Polecat Hob that was a stray, he has just been neutered today and so isn't quite ready to go yet, but he is desperate for a friend, we are going to try him with ours once he heals a bit and his hormones have settled down then he needs a home of his own.

We are in Sheffield so maybe a little bit too far for you again?

yeah Sheffield is a little far away, pity :( am not from Yorkshire, just moved here a few years ago and am not that familar with places but thanks for ur comment :)

your in Yorkshire? is Bridlington far from you? we have a member from yorkshire, we might even have two.

yeah Bridlington is really far way its about 60 to 70 miles. am West Yorkshire :) thanks anyway

oh well... never mind. Its really bad that I know so little about the geography of the country I live in.