Can You Use Ferrets to Catch Rats?
WouterFerrets are excellent rodent hunters. They are very agile, with bodies that can flatten into a buckwheat cake. They have great sense of smell and will chase rats to their prey’s final resting place. Once they have caught their prey, they will eat their brain and then repeat the process with their next victim.
The urine of predators, such as humans, dogs, and cats, is very effective at repelling rats. This is why you should avoid trapping rats with poison. Rats are also susceptible to attacks from terriers, birds of prey, and some snakes.
Rats’ behavior may also be affected by ferret smell. When rats smell a ferret, their stress hormones rise. This could lead to a death. So, ferrets should be used with caution. While they may be a useful tool for rats catching, you must make sure they don’t bite you.
When training your ferret, you should introduce it to dead animals and bury them near rivers or in wooded areas. If you can’t fence off the area, don’t let the dog see the dead animals. Once the dog is used to being outside, he will be able to focus on his job.
Studies have shown that ferret odor increases c-fos expression in rat brains. It also activates the HPA axis and paraventricular nucleus of the hypothalamus. This effect has been shown to be more pronounced in ferret-exposed rats than in control rats.
