In FML #760 [log in to unmask] (mike janke) writes:
 
> ... When we put them together I'd swear one is going to kill the
 
> other.  I'm not quite sure which would win but it seems about equal.
> So far there have been no injuries, but we don't allow the fight to
> last past a few seconds.  I just can't stand it.  Our local ferret
> "expert" says to let 'em go at it so one can assert its dominance,
> but it looks too much like a fight to the death to me.
 
 
Mike -
 
I may get flamed over this, but these type of postings seem to come
up over and over again... People who don't let their ferrets play
together because of fighting, or don't put them in a cage together
because they think they don't like eachother (maybe they really
don't).  I am a firm believer (like your ferret  "expert")
 
that animals, particularly ones from the same species,
work things out on their own, and they won't continue hating
eachother forever if they are forced to spend time together.
 
Also, we frequently misinterpret animals' behaviors and reactions.
 
 
I had two ferrets (now I just have one), one *really* big, the other
average.  The big guy, Boomer, was not very interested in my other
ferret, Diesel.  Diesel, on the other hand, would always try to
"play" with Boomer.  Boomer, who was not too interested in playing
would beat the living *&$# out of Diesel... it sounded *nasty*,
Diesel making little whiny noises as Boomer dragged him around by
the ears!!  Anyway, the point of all this is that Diesel loves
Boomer tremendously (friends of mine now have Boomer).  After
Boomer releases Diesel and starts walking away, Diesel runs up to
him and jumps on Boomer's back so he can get beat up some more!
 
Whenever they are separated for more than a few days they *both*
act extremely happy to see eachother.
 
 
Anyway, my point is, you say:
 
> So, we have settled into the fact that that they will never get
 
> along and since we love 'em both, we'll just have to juggle their
 
> out time for the rest of their lives.
 
 
*PLEASE* don't do this.  They will *not* kill eachother, or "fight to
the death".  The odds are probably 1:1000 that they'll even hurt
 
eachother THEY WILL WORK THINGS OUT THEMSELVES... animals are much
 
better at that than people are!
 
K.B. and Diesel (The Weasel)
 
P.S.  The opinions expressed above are purely anecdotal...
 
I have no scientific evidence *at hand* to back them
up.
 
[Posted in FML issue 0761]