[archiesgems]

nor myspace or twitter - see I know what they're called just can't be bothered to join  .
Would have liked to see the polecat as my uncle and cousin breed them.

There we go joyful one of mine for ya

[joyfull]

Sure the ones my uncle (the game keeper chap I've told you about) has are darker than that and seemed bigger - or is that just that I was smaller? 

[archiesgems]

thats a baby

[joyfull]

that explains it 

[chickenlady]

We had a proper polecat at school! it was called Turpy! after dick turpin, cause of its dark eye mask!   they are lovely looking!

Debbie

[archiesgems]

and excellent at detering rats!

[Jane-M]

My two pennorth, I found all this out from the ferret rescue last year when a ferret and her two babies turned up in my utility room eating my cat food.  We live in a rural village.

Every year many many pet ferrets are dumped in the countryside when people realise just how many babies they have. As they are long domesticated by breeding and pets by nurture they often are poor hunters and do not survive well in the wild. However they are instincitive predators and will attack and kill to eat. Those who are able to adapt will go feral and I believe they can interbreed with polecats. They are very agile and flexible and can get through tiny spaces.

"Our" jill ferret was a delightful and tame little thing and I was sorry not to keep her, she went to the rescue people down in Gateshead. They reckoned she had probably been dumped with her litter, which may have been up to 8 kits, the 2 survivors were about 4 weeks old.

She could easily have got amongst the hens though and I was lucky she found the catfood first!

[8doubles]

There were always a few ferrets loose in the winter rabbiting months when they get lost underground. The owners try and get them back by leaving the carrying box with food and water and return later to pick up the ferret which is normally asleep in the box. This does not always work and the ferret can be running wild for some time, twice while rabbiting i have put one ferret down the hole and got two back !

Electronic ferret locating collars help to stop this happening while working but not the ones that escape from their home.
I have never known them to chew through wood to get in or out of anywhere but they will pull a loose section of wire off, one of mine did this and when i went to get it back from the finder his eight year old daughter had it tied on a piece of string taking it for a walk in the garden.
I was lucky to get it back before she dyed it pink.

[joyfull]

ooh pink Ferrets - now they could catch on 

[Sassy]

I was lucky to get it back before she dyed it pink.

This gave me a good laugh. Thank you.

[trinacooke]

I was always told by the ferret rescue people, Essex and the suffolk ferret society that polecat colour is just a colour variation and is still genetically a ferret and not a polecat so they are known as polecat ferrets because they are the colour of them.

we have bred several and we have whites, silvers and polecat colour in the same litter.

I am sure they do breed together polecats being indigious but I was lead to beleive there is a difference.

Your Kit is lovely archielittegems.

Trina

[rossivale]

Hi,

Sorry I haven't replied sooner.

We found him/her a good home, my neighbour rang around a few farmers friends etc, who in turn rang around others, so a good home was found eventually.

here is a picture for those who don't have facebook 

hope its not too big

and he/she was very friendly indeed, almost wanted to keep it myself  , but thought better of it, it did smell really bad too

thank you all
Jo

[rossivale]

hi it looks like a ferrett to me, did you find it a good home, i use3d to have 1 when my son was younger, keep asking my other half if we can get 1 but he say's no( still working on it thro)...
where abouts are you??

Hi Newatthis

I am in South Wales
Jo

[joyfull]

It looks lovely - if I had found it I would have been tempted to keep it 

[Big Jen]

Just found this piccy
Jenny