Just FYI - it's considered rude to post in all caps - it's the equivalent
of shouting.
The reasons that no-one has responded are likely that (1) your subejct was
not considered particularly critical, and that (2) people are often a day
or two behind in the reading.
People with the most knowledge generally only respond to critical posts,
where ferrets' lives are at stake, because there are only so many of them,
and they only have so much time. People with less knowledge often wait to
see if the people with more knowledge intend to address an issue before
they'll step in. If you are really interested in finding out about
ferrets' personalities, there are years' worth of archives of this list
that you can read.
That said, it is not at all abnormal for some ferrets not to be
particularly interested in a lot of human interaction. They have
remarkably distinct personalities, and some just don't find people all
that interesting, or are tremendously shy or timid of people (this may
have nothing to do with anything a person "did" to them, but sometimes is
just the way they're born/made). However, as time goes on, the
stand-offish ferret may surprise you and become much more affectionate.
I have had more than one ferret that didn't seem interested in me when it
was young but is now much more affectionate. It's hard not to take it
personally, but you have learn to appreciate animals for who *they* are,
and not try to make them into something they're not, or demand things of
them that they cannot give.
Regarding the pooping issue, the archives are chock-full of suggestions
on how to keep ferrets from pooping where they're not supposed to.
Suggestions include changing the type of litter, how often you scoop, the
size and location of boxes, adding more boxes, not letting the ferret out
of the cage until it poops, rewarding the ferret when it goes in the box,
and many others dealing with ways to "remove" areas that the ferrets like
to poop in, by covering them with other materials or somehow protecting
them so the poop doesn't harm the underlying material. Most ferrets
don't respond well - or at all - to being yelled at. They simply don't
comprehend that you're trying to keep them from doing something when you
yell.
It might be more rewarding for you to attempt to develop relationships
with other individuals on the list as opposed to posting such general
inquiries.
Best of Luck,
Melissa
[Posted in FML issue 3793]
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