Ferrets kept only for rabbit-shooting should always be fed as soon as the
day's work is over, but they must not have more food till the same time
the following day. If fed in this way regularly you will find that they
will work very well. It is also advisable to let them drink at a stream
when they have worked about three hours.

When ferrets have been fast in a rabbit burrow, their paws may be full of
down with scratching at the rabbits. Always remove this before placing
them to another burrow. Each time you handle the ferret see that the
muzzle is alright, and in muzzling with string great care should be taken
to remove the long hair on the snout from under the string; otherwise the
ferret may experience a tickling sensation, and not work so well as it
should; see also that the string is tied tightly around the ferret's
neck; if not it can easily pull off the muzzle with its paws.

Whenever a ferret is severely bitten by a Rat the best course to take
immediately you get it home is to bathe the wound in clean luke-warm
water. See that all the dirt is removed, and then apply a few drops of
sweet oil to the wound. Repeat this every four hours, until the wound is
healed, but until then do not work the ferret lest more dirt gets into
the wound. My experience proves this to be the best way to cure a ferret
when it has received a severe Rat-bite.

It is also a good plan occasionally (say once a fortnight) to skin a nice
young Rat and give it to the ferret.



SUITABLE DOGS.