Young Ferrets First Day - Sunrise Ferreting 19

A ditsy young ferret inadvertently scares rabbits from their hole as she explores the unfamiliar environment. After quickly bolting a lone rabbit, I ventured further up the hedge and found a warren with lots of freshly kicked dirt around the entrances. Nine months old is an ideal age to introduce a ferret to hunting rabbits. They can be started earlier in life but if they receive a particularly bad kick from a rabbit it may discourage them. Leto has been eating rabbit and I have got her used to wearing a collar prior to her first day hunting. She has received no training. I’m relying on her natural curiosity and prey drive to seek out and harass the rabbits. I expect her performance to improve with experience alone. Athena is being worked beside her to set a good example and get the rabbits moving around the warren. The rabbits seem to sense the confidence of each ferret and don’t seem too bothered about the clumsy intruder at first. --------------------------------------