# Keeping hobs and jills together



## Kate455 (Dec 10, 2017)

Hi there, we have always kept ferrets for working up until about a year ago when we gave our working ferrets to somebody who had time to work them, and we got 2 female kits in August this year to keep just as pets. Now they are about 6 months old, and are due to be de-sexed probably in January. However they are in a big 6x8 foot shed in the garden, and it seems a waste when we could house a couple more rescue ferrets and give them a good home! It has been adapted for ferrets (lots of tunnels, one side is mesh, loads of hammocks etc) and we have been wandering about adopting a pair of ferrets from a local rescue, the pair are one male and one female. The male has been desexed, but I have read threads about vasectomised hobs still pestering females during breeding season and exhausting them. Like I said, my jills will be desexed before breeding season, but will the hob still pester them for months? And would he ideally be seperated from all females during that period? By the way, we haven’t yet reached out to the rescue, as doing research on rescue ferrets before hand seemed like a better idea. Any responses will be appreciated, thanks!


----------



## Babyshoes (Jul 1, 2016)

You say he's been desexed, but then mention vasectomised. It's more likely he's been castrated if it was done by the rescue, in which case he can happily cohabit with girls. 

The difference between the two operations as I understand it is: 

Vasectomy - they cut/block the tubes leading from the testes to the outside, so they still produce hormones & sperm & will act like any other unaltered male including mating with females, they just don't make a jill pregnant. The operation is not always successful or it can reverse itself. Accidental litters can happen. It also does not reduce the male ferret smell & aggression to other males that is common in entire hobs. Not a common operation here in the UK. Used to be done as a way to bring jills out of season without getting pregnant. These days the jill jab or implant is a more humane method of avoiding a jill coming into season if you don't want to spay her. 

Castration - a simpler operation where they remove the testes. Very small incision needed, heals up really fast. Once the levels of testosterone in the body have dropped after a few weeks, they can't produce any more, and won't make sperm either. They no longer have any sexual urges, & won't see other males as competition. They smell less & don't get all that yellow/orange smelly oil on their fur during the breeding season. The lack of hormones *can* become an issue leading to illnesses later on, but only if they're desexed too young, which is why most good ferret vets will wait until sexual maturity, usually 9-12 months or later. Much of the research comes from the USA, where ferrets are neutered soon after weaning...


----------



## Kate455 (Dec 10, 2017)

Babyshoes said:


> You say he's been desexed, but then mention vasectomised. It's more likely he's been castrated if it was done by the rescue, in which case he can happily cohabit with girls.
> 
> The difference between the two operations as I understand it is:
> 
> ...


Thankyou so much for that, we've never really had hobs so I'm not familiar with the terms! I thought they were the same thing. Again, thanks


----------



## noushka05 (Mar 28, 2008)

I have neutered hob & also an implanted hob, they both get along brilliantly with my 2 jills


----------

