# Ferrets as mouse deterrents?



## anndankev

subbing


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## MissingStar

They still don't explain how they get the, er, "ferret essence" into the bottle. "*Created with love*" :shock:?

What's wrong with more traditional methods, like a cat? On the job, 24/7 .... zzzz









Hmmm, maybe I need to look into this product. Subbing also.


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## Saddlebag

Eau de Ferret (Ferray- French pronunciation). Is it safe in a house as there are those who don't want a cat.


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## Captain Evil

MissingStar said:


> They still don't explain how they get the, er, "ferret essence" into the bottle. "*Created with love*" :shock:?
> 
> What's wrong with more traditional methods, like a cat? On the job, 24/7 .... zzzz
> 
> View attachment 300097
> 
> 
> Hmmm, maybe I need to look into this product. Subbing also.


I know, I'm not sure about the "created with love" part either, that's why I was thinking of an actual ferret. The ones that are sold as pets are de-scented, so I am not sure if they would work. They would probably have to live in a day cage in the barn, a night cage in the house and come out on leashes, but the lingering smell is supposed to work.

Cats...

I love love love cats, but if they are free range/outdoor cats, they get hit by cars and kill all the birds. At the barn where Djinn lived for a couple of years, we had a feral cat whom we loved, tamed, and called Hobbs; he got hit (sob!!!) and then another really feral cat moved in, black with stunningly lovely eyes. 

We were in the process of trying to tame that cat; leaving top quality kibble and extra tidbits of fish and chicken out. After a bit we stopped seeing the cat, but the food kept disappearing. Finally the woman who leased us the barn clued us in; the cat was long gone, but we had some mighty fine rats running around. We went down at night with a flashlight, and they were the size of opossums!

Also, and I really hate to be this honest, I kind of like mice, and hate to see their tiny mangled bodies around. I would rather they would just go away... Hmmm, maybe I should delete that last sentence; makes me sound a little soft in the head...


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## Speed Racer

Ferrets were tamed hundreds of years ago for the original pupose of keeping mice out of houses. I don't know how well just their scent would work, although some people do keep them in cages in their barns to help deter mice and rats. Since they're weasels, they'll most definitely go after rodents.

Mice are cute, but they're also destructive, disease carrying vermin. For me, those far outweigh any cuteness factor they might have.


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## ApolloRider

My pet rat was never worried about my ferret. I know they were both domesticated, but animals are strange sometimes, the rat and the ferret loved eachother!


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## jaydee

One of my sons had a couple of ferrets and their poop/pee did smell very strong - can see why it might put rodents off
I have heard it said that mice and rats rarely live in the same space but not sure about that
Ferrets would eat the young mice and rats too but a cat will do the same


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## Saddlebag

My son, after he was on his own, had a ferret. I didn't notice an odor but she was silly as a kitten. When he swept the floor she loved to pounce on the broom and run for the couch repeatedly. I don't now where the potty pan was but no odor on the main floor.


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## Endiku

We had 6 barn cats at my old barn and I STILL always saw little mice running around... ._.


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## its lbs not miles

Wow, people talking about ferrets on a horse forum :lol:.

I use to have ferrets a LONG time ago and yes, we had them to take care of rodents in the barn, chicken coop, hay shed, etc......

If you are thinking of getting any there are a few things you should know.
The domestic ferret is not going to become feral. They'll die if left in the woods on their own.
If you have a non spayed female you must breed her when she comes into heat. She might survive the first heat without breeding but the odds of her surviving any after that are not good. So if you're not planning on breeding then you'll need to spay in order for her to survive.
Ferrets are born predators. The domestic cat (feral or otherwise) can compete with the ferret for lethal determination.
They must have a meat diet. If we weren't hunting them we use to feed them strips of pork liver, but any good meat protein can do the job.
If you're hunting them (e.g. cleaning the rats out of the hay, etc...) don't let them have a dead rat until they've finished clearing them out. They'll stop to eat and not hunt. If you're knocking the rats in the head as they race out (and they'll "break a leg" to get away form the ferrets) make sure you're hitting a rat (don't smack the first head that shows itself...it could be a ferret).
If we let them play around in the chicken coop (with the chickens out) and in the barn, hay, etc.... it did cut down on the pests coming back so their scent apparently did keep the undesirables from returning.
After we killed our last cat (it had taken eating my grandmother bantams which was a death sentence :lol we never got another one. They never did the job as well as the ferrets. But then how is a cat going to compete with a predator that can go anyplace the rat can go. There's no place for them to escape from a ferret.
I could go to a neighbors and turn a pair loose in the corn crib. In a minute or two there would be rodents coming out from everywhere :lol:. Some folks were amazed at the number of rodents they had. They thought their cats were taking care of it, because they weren't seeing many, but cats can't visit the pest where they live. They can't work their way into the small little space between the bales or through the corn like ferret can.
The females tend to make the best hunters. Plus they're smaller so they can get into tighter places.

Have no idea about using just the scent. We had the real thing and I can attest to how well they worked.


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## its lbs not miles

Sorry...typo.
....cat *cannot* compete......


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## DuckDodgers

Captain Evil said:


> I know, I'm not sure about the "created with love" part either, that's why I was thinking of an actual ferret. The ones that are sold as pets are de-scented, so I am not sure if they would work. They would probably have to live in a day cage in the barn, a night cage in the house and come out on leashes, but the lingering smell is supposed to work.
> 
> Cats...
> 
> I love love love cats, but if they are free range/outdoor cats, they get hit by cars and kill all the birds. At the barn where Djinn lived for a couple of years, we had a feral cat whom we loved, tamed, and called Hobbs; he got hit (sob!!!) and then another really feral cat moved in, black with stunningly lovely eyes.
> 
> We were in the process of trying to tame that cat; leaving top quality kibble and extra tidbits of fish and chicken out. After a bit we stopped seeing the cat, but the food kept disappearing. Finally the woman who leased us the barn clued us in; the cat was long gone, but we had some mighty fine rats running around. We went down at night with a flashlight, and they were the size of opossums!
> 
> Also, and I really hate to be this honest, I kind of like mice, and hate to see their tiny mangled bodies around. I would rather they would just go away... Hmmm, maybe I should delete that last sentence; makes me sound a little soft in the head...


Descenting a ferret does nothing to alter the odor that they naturally produce. Removing their scent glands only makes it so that they cannot produce the strong poof of odor that they will do when upset or frightened. If you went your whole life without upsetting the ferret then you wouldn't have to worry about that aspect of their scent anyway.

It's not a method of rodent control that I would personally use. Ferrets are little mischevious little creatures that can get into lots of trouble. Having one free roaming in a barn could be damaging to the ferret, and not worth the trouble. I love my two ferrets to death, but no way would I let them loose at the barn!!


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## ponyboy

jaydee said:


> I have heard it said that mice and rats rarely live in the same space but



Rats will eat mice.


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## Captain Evil

DuckDodgers said:


> It's not a method of rodent control that I would personally use. Ferrets are little mischevious little creatures that can get into lots of trouble. Having one free roaming in a barn could be damaging to the ferret, and not worth the trouble. I love my two ferrets to death, but no way would I let them loose at the barn!!


Yeah, they are so freakin cute! I wasn't thinking of letting them loose; 'cause they would probably get lost and killed in the woods. I had a sort of ferret Habitrail in mind, with two major "homes", one in the tack room and one in the feed room, with a series of wire overhead tunnels connecting the two, so they could kind of race around overhead. I was thinking two ferrets so they would have company. We would probably bring them in the house at night for warmth and safety: God knows we have plenty of mice there too.


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## Heelsdown

I'm afraid to ask but what does this mean?


> After we killed our last cat (it had taken eating my grandmother bantams which was a death sentence


I used to have ferrets and they were adorable and so playful. I can't imagine them being in a barn either. I'm sure wild ferrets could kill mice but their playful nature may make them more like raccoon in the barn. I know mine loved to get into everything!

At my current barn they got their cats from a rescue. The barn owner just contacted a rescue and said to let her know if they had some barn cats that needed a home. The rescue said they keep a list on hand when they are contacted by people looking to rehome barn cats. A couple of weeks later someone who was moving and selling their farm needed to find a home for the cats. They were brought to this barn. At first they were a little scared not knowing what happened to their previous home but they got the hang of it quick! I'd definitely opt for using a barn cat over a ferret.

And I agree about mice being cute. I know they are naughty in a barn but I'd feel bad killing them. However letting nature take its course is a different story.

Having a barn owl is really the best though! They are so amazing and do such a good job keeping a barn mouse free.


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## its lbs not miles

Heelsdown said:


> I'm afraid to ask but what does this mean?


But you did ask. :lol:
It means what is says. The last cat we had got caught killing chickens. So it was a short trail and the sentence was death. That sort of thing isn't tolerated on a working farm and it could have gotten worse if the cat started visiting the neighbors and killing their chickens which we would have had to pay for.
No different than if we'd caught a fox of coyote taking chicken (or a calf in the case of the coyote). We'd have killed it. Of course the wild animal is doing what it does to survive. The cat was well fed so it had no need to kill the chickens.
My grandmother had suspected the cat was responsible for some chickens missing until she caught him in the act. To top it off she caught him killing her favorite bantam hen and he did it in front of the kitchen window while she was there in the middle of the day. That cat definitely needed to be out of the gene pool.


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## RhondaLynn

I understand about killing an animal that is eating your chickens.. I have hens and have to keep a trap set most nights.. I have caught, possums, skunks, squirrels, and a cat or two.. they all met the bad end of a 22 bullet. I know there are lots of squeamish folks out there.. but those hens feed me and my family, I am not going to tolerate my hens getting killed. 

Rhonda


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## Captain Evil

So, I went and bought a whole pile of Mouse-B-Gone. It came in 12 little spice jars with mesh lids, and a plastic flip up lid on top of that. It looks like earth and cat litter mixed together. You add a little water to the jar and then set it in the path the mice take to get into your house.

Since my house is now gone, I gave some to my Mom as a tester, since she has an old farmhouse and the mice there really party hard. She set out her little jars, and Voila! No sign of any mice!


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## PunksTank

My ferrets live in my (heated) tack room, in cages but loose in the tack room when I'm in the barn. They do stink. I love them and don't mind, but that's why they're in the barn not the house  
As for mouse deterrents - not at all! I have caught mice eating the food my ferrets have spilled right outside their cages!! I've seen mice scurry across my floor while my ferrets are playing - they do not chase them. Maybe mine are too domestic, but the mice don't mind them one bit!!


The best thing I've done to keep mice out of my feed is making a big wooden feed bin and maintaining the edges.


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## Saddlebag

A female terrier will go after mice. Both my Cairn and my min. Schnauzer/poodle cross did. So would the big retriever except he was the proverbial bull in a china shop when in persuit of a mouse.


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## DuckDodgers

Saddlebag said:


> A female terrier will go after mice. Both my Cairn and my min. Schnauzer/poodle cross did. So would the big retriever except he was the proverbial bull in a china shop when in persuit of a mouse.


So will a male terrier? Haha. My boyfriend's family has five rat terriers and a farm. One of them in the bunch is a big ratter, and she gets all of the others excited and into the game.


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## Captain Evil

PunksTank said:


> My ferrets live in my (heated) tack room, in cages but loose in the tack room when I'm in the barn. They do stink. I love them and don't mind, but that's why they're in the barn not the house
> As for mouse deterrents - not at all! I have caught mice eating the food my ferrets have spilled right outside their cages!! I've seen mice scurry across my floor while my ferrets are playing - they do not chase them. Maybe mine are too domestic, but the mice don't mind them one bit!!
> 
> 
> The best thing I've done to keep mice out of my feed is making a big wooden feed bin and maintaining the edges.



While I love the mental image of mice snitching food from the ferrets, it's frustrating. I asked my dad about the mice last night, and he said the mice in their house were actually as bad as ever; he said that they had a big party in two of my Mom's flowerpots, and that while my Mom thought they were gone, they are not. I don't want to hurt or kill them; I just want them to move outdoors. The mice, not my parents. Just want to clarify.


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## Saddlebag

"I don't want to hurt or kill them". Mice bring all kinds of filth and disease with them. Killing them is the only way to get rid of them. Tell your father to fill a 5 gal. pail 1/3 full of water. Cut small holes near the top rim so a piece of dowelling will span the pail. Drill thro the cap and end of a small plastic bottle and thread it on the dowel to the middle. Smear a little peanut butter on the bottle. As the mouse attempts to get the peanut butter, the bottle will spin and mousey will drown in the water. I'm told this is the only way that's 100% effective, better than traps.


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## Zexious

This is very interesting; I have never heard of ferrets being used to deter mice. Or...really for anything. xD They sure are cute, though :>


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## Captain Evil

Granted, mice are dirt and filthy. But should that warrant a death sentence, if there is another way to get rid of them? They can’t help being disease-carrying, flea-infested, freaky almost human-handed little vermin, can they? I have to say though, with the dismal failure of the ferret stink deterrents, my Mom is seriously considering walking down the De-Con trail. Just before Thanksgiving they stole all of her pumpkin seeds and buried them in her herb window pots, making a huge dirty mess behind them, AND they peed on her egg timer. She is not amused.

So, I have been inspired by Saddlebags ingenious mouse trap, and have invented a Have-A-House trap. It works off of the same principal, but is a non-lethal alternative. I have included some drawings for illustrative purposes.



Saddlebag said:


> Tell your father to fill a 5 gal. pail 1/3 full of water. Cut small holes near the top rim so a piece of dowelling will span the pail. Drill thro the cap and end of a small plastic bottle and thread it on the dowel to the middle. Smear a little peanut butter on the bottle. As the mouse attempts to get the peanut butter, the bottle will spin and mousey will drown in the water. I'm told this is the only way that's 100% effective, better than traps.


My trap uses a large flower pot with an attached saucer, instead of a five gallon bucket. Two holes are drilled up near the rim, and a dowel with a peanut butter smeared bottle is inserted. There is also a biodegradable funnel under the dowel. See picture:

View attachment 327809


Note that the attached saucer has a bit of water in it so the mouse won't be thirsty before you check your trap. When the mouse is trapped inside, you put a lid on the flowerpot and carry the whole thing by the supplied handle to a far away place or to a disliked neighbor's home, flip the pot over, and remove the handle/dowel. See picture:

View attachment 327817


The net of supplied food swings over and the fluffy bedding falls down. By removing the handle, you open up two escape holes, and the mouse can go; yet it has a little home to return to if the weather is fierce. The attached saucer now stops being a water bowl, and becomes a rain-proof roof. Ingenious, no?


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## Celeste

Keeping or selling a ferret that is not spayed or neutered is illegal in the state of Georgia. The reasoning on this is that if they got loose and reproduced, they could devastate our chicken industry. I really don't think that keeping ferrets loose around chickens will work out well...........


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## 4horses

It seems silly to get a predator and expect it not to go after the chickens. Cats, ferrets, and dogs are ALL designed to chase and kill prey. Shooting it for acting out a natural instinct is idiotic. Should I shoot my dog for killing squirrels? Or shoot my cat for bringing home dead baby rabbits? Or shoot my cat for killing birds? Yet I want this same cat to kill mice and rabbits?

How is a cat supposed to know the difference between a chicken, a bird, a rabbit and a mouse? They all are prey. 

It never makes sense to me when people try to raise predators and prey together and the predator gets blamed for eating the prey. Dogs are different in a way as they can form packs, and recognize the family pets. But still it is instinct. I even catch my dogs trying to chase the horses if they could get away with it. Except one of my horses thinks it is equally fun to chase the dogs! The dogs now hide when they see her coming! 

My cats are great at getting rid of mice, rats, and any flying bug they can get. Nothing makes it into my house and leaves alive. I suppose it depends on the cat. Some overfed cats can't be bothered, others will even go after your prize chickens. My cats will eat anything they can catch. I'm sure chickens would be fair game, except around here if you want your chickens to live, you better have some fox-proofing!


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## JeepnGirl

Endiku said:


> We had 6 barn cats at my old barn and I STILL always saw little mice running around... ._.


Stop and think about how many nooks, crannies, and cracks are in a barn. From hay stacks to grain sacks.... And the term breeding like rats? Yeah, they can breed when they are 3 months old and can get pregnant right after giving birth. They are breeding machines. I put out two repeat live traps and they had about 15 mice in EACH one the next day and for days afterwards. My Muscovy ducks loved eating the mice. My little barn cat can't possibly catch that many mice. Neither can the chickens or ducks... But I think I've finally made a dent. Ugh there was mouse poop everywhere for a while. Just gross...

How would you keep a ferret in the barn? Or are we talking about keeping it's cage in there? Ferrets stink - even descented. When we lived in California, I was thinking about putting a ferret down the ground squirrel holes. But we never did it.. I wonder if that would have worked any.


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## its lbs not miles

JeepnGirl said:


> How would you keep a ferret in the barn? Or are we talking about keeping it's cage in there? Ferrets stink - even descented. When we lived in California, I was thinking about putting a ferret down the ground squirrel holes. But we never did it.. I wonder if that would have worked any.


"in the old days" :lol: we kept them in connected, elevated pens with some "houses" in each. Took them out to play or "hunt" each day. Put them back in when they finished or had run around enough. Fed them pig liver on days they didn't hunt. They were given their prey after the hunt on days they hunted.

yes, they'll clear out ground squirrels. Just make sure you know where all the holes are or keep a close watch...you should find them as the squirrels vacate for their lives or if the ferrets pop out (but they might got right back down too so you need to be ready to catch them or they could stay down there for a bit hunting and/or eating if they caught any)


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## JeepnGirl

It'd be neat to strap a tiny video recorder on them and see what they see when they are in the squirrel tunnels.


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## its lbs not miles

Rat snakes work GREAT for both rats and mice.

If you think mice are cute you obviously haven't had to deal with the amount of damage they can do to your home in short order and the cost of getting it fixed.

Kill the little ******s. Moving them just allows them to keep breeding and just adding to their numbers which will eventually result in you getting another infestation and suffering more damage. Not to mention you'll be adding to the problems of not just those you don't like, but to people you like too. My vermin don't distinguish between someone you like or dislike. You all get targeted equally.


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