>From:    Alayne Avery <[log in to unmask]>
>bothered to eat.  When I filled the food dish, the baby ferret decided
>she owned it, and kicked the other ferrets away rather forcefully and was
>very vocal.  After a few times of telling her no, we decided to separate
>her from the others, set her in a different part of the cage with some
>food and she ate like she'd never seen food before.  She even started
 
I am definitely in the "let them work it out by themselves" camp, so not
everyone will agree with me, but I'd just let them alone if they aren't
drawing blood on each other.  If this baby is dominant enough to keep
three full grown ferrets away from a food dish until she's done eating,
more power to her! :-)  It's not as if that was the last food in the
world and they weren't ever going to have any more.  She won't understand
"no" in this case - all she can think about is "I'm HONGRY - get outta my
way!"  The other three aren't going to suffer any harm by being made to
wait a few minutes.  Ferrets aren't kindergardeners - they don't really
need to learn how to "play nice" and "share their toys", and it's not a
concept that they will understand anyway, even if you try to teach them.
 
>choking on her food.  Well, after that, the other three ferts kinda kept
>their distance for a few days, then I'd see them sleeping with her again.
>Now, she seems to be trying to boss them around in other ways too.
>They'll be walking around, and she'll jump on their back as if to pin
>them down, they want no part of it, and get away as soon as they can.
>Is there something I should be doing when I see this behavior?
 
Yes.  Videotape it. :-)  Seriously.  She is just trying to play with
them.  Maybe they need some reminders of how to play and wrestle with
each other.  Maybe she'll end up being the dominant ferret too.  That's
OK - someone has to be.
 
>Should she be separate from the others after all?  I don't want her
>to spend her cage time by herself, but is she necessarily going to get
>along with someone around her age?  (The others are around 1 year old,
>she's a few months)
 
Don't separate her.  She wouldn't understand why and she would just be
miserable by herself.  There aren't any serious aggression issues here,
so just let them be ferrets.
 
Cheers!
 
Karen
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=======================================================
No greater love than this
That You should lay down Your life
For someone such as me
I'd spend a lifetime wondering why
The beauty of heaven is here in my heart
And I know there can be no greater love
Than this
                                -- Rachel Lampa
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If you love ferrets, check out:
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[Posted in FML issue 4373]