> 1. I have discovered my six ferts can be catagorized in having two
> different reactions to the kitten (Now cat) that grew up with them:
 
Let 'em be?  It sounds like they have worked out arrangements the way
they like them.  You can't force them to be friends (especially across
species), so just let them do what they will.  As long as you aren't
seeing serious fights, you're doing pretty good.
 
> 2. Having six ferrets, I realize the odds are not with me to have
> them all pass at a ripe old age, free of illness.  O'kay, so this
 
Boy, you do ask the tough ones, don't you?  I don't think anyone can
really decide this better than you, and even you will have to decide on
a case by case basis.  It really depends on the illness and the animals.
 
I'll tell you one that happened to me, but don't take it as a
recommendation.  Like I said, you'll have to decide for yourself when
the time comes.  When my Bear developed juvenile lymphoma, we initially
let him sleep in the ferret room, eventually moving the food and litter
closer to his bed.  When he became sick enough to be basically bedridden
(a matter of a few days), we had to separate him, since some of the
others would try to play with him too roughly and drag him out of bed.
They made him scream, which he had never done before.  The couple of
times he felt good enough to walk around, he wanted to go back to the
ferret room and sleep with his friends, so we let him.  Eventually we had
to separate him again, because I needed to watch him and care for him
constantly and because he was wetting his bedding by this time.  In our
case it wasn't really the reactions of the others that was at issue, but
instead it was the reactions of the sick one.
 
> 3. Lance (for the most part) is ignoring Nikita now.  When he does
> get rough with her, I just take her from his line of vision and all
 
Have you tried swapping bedding, Ferretone-on-the-neck and all of the
other tricks?  If so, Lance may just not like her.  I certainly don't
feel qualified to give advice here - we have one (also a Lance as it
happens) who doesn't like our youngest, and another one who doesn't like
anybody BUT Lance.  None of the introduction tricks seem to work on them,
either.
 
> 4. Nikita is such a praise-oriented ferret, and she is so wonderful
> on a leash.  I want to teach her more; are there any tricks she
 
Heh, heh, the sky's the limit.  What would you like her to do?  Getting
any of them trained to hit the litterbox 100% is a pretty good trick in
my book!
 
roger & the wolverine wannabees
missing bear
[Posted in FML issue 4031]