top of page
Hobs or Jills?
It’s all down to preference really. From my personal preference I would lean towards a pair of Jills although in my years of breeding, I have found a lot of people prefer to have Hobs. Below I have listed some of the reasons which I think make the two different although as a whole I feel that It doesn't particularly make a difference on which you decide to have apart from the ways that they react when the season comes around.
Jills
- Jills will tend to get on any time of year
- They are smaller than hobs
- They can be more energetic than hobs although obviously it depends on the ferret!
- They do however come into season which as I will mention on the next page can be fatal if left so implants, jabs or spaying is reccomended.
Hobs
- They are larger than Jills
- They tend to be more laid back and cuddly though again this depends on the ferret!
- They do however get aggressive towards each other during breeding season so implants or neutering is recommended.
I’d recommend getting either Jill’s or hobs implanted towards the end of winter just before they start to get the hormonal changes to avoid fighting and coming into season. For hobs neuter, if not implanting, but do it as soon as they start playing rougher than normal long before it turns to fighting.
The main difference is their size. As you can see from the photo on the right, Pip (on the left) and Dave (on the right), jills are smaller than hobs but not by a huge amount although this can vary as some hobs are quite substantially or smaller and same goes for jills. So overall there isn't a huge difference in the two and its based much more on personal preference.
And of course you can mix and match though I definitely recommend getting them both implanted or neutered towards the end of winter well before breeding season starts as there is the risk of an accidental if the jill were to come into season. So the main thing to bare in mind when deciding on which to get is definitely the upcoming seasons to make sure you are properly prepared. I explain a lot more about implanting and neutering on the next page as it is a vital part about owning ferrets.
bottom of page