>Come to think of it..the squeak in that toy proably did something to him
>to make him so into the "kill mode" I'm thinking it probably hurt his
>ears...anyone else think something different??"
 
This is one of the great mysteries of the ferret world.  I have
experienced similar events, not only with my own, but also with other
ferrets.  Squeak-toys only seem to cause a few ferrets to go into the
retrieval frenzy (more below).  I call it "retrieval frenzy" because in
nearly ALL cases, the ferret is trying to retrieve the toy, and bites are
almost always accidents when a finger or hand gets between the ferret and
the toy.  You will read a number of hypotheses on this behavior, and NOT
ONE of them supported by proved evidence (including my own).  Here's the
run-down:
 
1. The squeak-toy triggers the killing instinct because it sounds like
   prey.
2. The squeak-toy triggers the maternal instinct because it sounds like
   a baby.
3. The squeak-toy triggers the defensive instinct because it sounds like
   a predator is attacking and harming other animals.
4. The squeak-toy is just an irritating sound provoking a number of
   responses, attacking the toy being just one.
5. The squeak-toy hurts the ferret's ears.
 
Additionally, some people have suggested the EXTREMELY FEW instances of
ferrets biting children may be tied to the phenomenon, based on sound
being the trigger.
 
I've investigated this for years, with my own and other ferrets, and I
can say without a doubt than NO EVIDENCE supports any of the above ideas.
None.  Put simply, that means no one knows exactly what triggers the
response, and no one knows exactly why.  Moreover, we don't even know
what percentage of ferrets react to squeaky-toy noise; I only have 3 out
of 19 that react, and only 1 of those reach the "frenzied" level.  What
we can be sure of is that some small percentage of ferrets reacts to the
sound, with a somewhat smaller percentage becoming VERY reactive.
 
As for my own ideas, I've found most (not all) ferrets that react to
the squeaky toy sound also react to other high-pitched sounds, such as
jiggling keys or mouth squeaks (I have a "hider" that ALWAYS responds
immediately to jigging keys!).  Thus, I tend to think sound frequency
probably has something to do with the behavior.  Also, I have personally
observed the behavior in females at a much greater rate when compared
to male ferrets.  That in itself is NOT evidence that it is a maternal
instinct because the food needs of lactating females are GREATER than
in males, so it could just as easily be of a predatory nature.  As for
triggering a killing instinct, I'm not so sure.  Ferrets, or rather,
polecats are solitary hunters and prey animals do not generally squeal
prior to being preyed upon, and if they do, the only predator likely to
hear is already at work.  Besides, the idea that animals squeal in terror
during predation is a myth; most utter no sound outside of limited
warning vocalizations.
 
I tend to think it is a maternal instinct, even though a (lower)
percentage of male ferrets will also respond to squeaks.  I think there
are at least two factors that complicate the behavior: domestication and
neutering.  Many male ferrets--when early neutered--show feminine
behaviors, and male response to squeaks may be similarly initiated.  The
great spoiler is domestication, which changes adult behaviors towards the
juvenile end of the spectrum.  It is possible that domestication has--in
some ferrets--INCREASED the "squeak response" instinct, while in others
decreased it.  I think this is the case because about as many ferrets
that go into frenzy are matched by those that show NO response, the
number of ferrets greatly interested are match by those with little
interest, and a large number of ferrets show moderate interest.  That
is a description of a (normal) distribution, and I think domestication
has flattened or skewed the curve.
 
If forced into a "best guess," I would say I think the behavior is a
maternal instinct, skewed by early neutering and domestication.  I have a
"no squeak toy" policy for those ferrets that become highly excitable by
the noise simply because I think it is unethical and unwise to provoke a
sweet floor monkey into even an accidental bite.
 
Bob C
[Posted in FML issue 4377]