Hello,
My name is Meghan and as some of you know, I am owned by 3 ferrets,
Munch, Loca and Rufus.  Munch has been my boyfriend's ferret for 3 years,
but since living together, we have acquired Loca and Rufus, along with 2
rats and various foster animals.  He always swore that he wouldn't let
me turn our home into a zoo, but that's a battle he's obviously lost.
 
We've only had Loca since January or February, and Rufus just came to us
a little over a month ago.  When Rufus and Loca met, it was as if they
had known each other for their whole lives.  They are completely in love.
Rufus follows Loca wherever she goes, and Loca protects him from whatever
she perceives to be a threat.  You can catch them sleeping together
completely twisted into a ferret pretzel, and if you watch them for long
enough, you may catch one of them wake up and give the other a few loving
kisses and nuzzles.  They are partners in crime, and Loca has very
quickly taught Rufus all of her naughty little tricks, like the fastest
way to reach the top shelf on the bookcase, or that it's a lot of fun to
crawl up into one of the humans' sleeping pants, and especially fun when
the human is wearing them.  When we first got Loca, she and Munch became
fast friends, but their affection towards each other is nothing like what
Rufus and Loca have.  That's the only thing that makes me sad.  Munch
seems very lonely now.  She absolutely hates Rufus.  She was very
accepting of Loca, but for some reason Rufus really rubs her the wrong
way.  He doesn't attack her or bite her, but he does chase her and sniff
her butt, which really annoys poor Munch.  She seems depressed lately.
 
I don't know if I should get her another friend or if that would upset
her even more.  The poor thing has become very withdrawn and has switched
her sleeping and eating schedules around so that she and Rufus aren't
around each other much.  They aren't confined to a cage by any means.
They have their own room, which they stay in when we aren't home so they
can't hurt themselves.  When we are home, they have free reign of the
apartment.  The only time they go into their cage is to sleep and eat.
So at least they aren't confined to a small space with each other.  But
Munch has lost weight and seems depressed.  Like I said, Rufus doesn't
hurt her or bite her or anything, she just really doesn't like him.
I've been trying to give Munch extra attention and special treats and
privileges, (without the other 2 knowing of course) but she's lost weight
and I'm worried.
 
Giving away Rufus isn't even an option.  Am I doing the wrong thing?
Loca really loves him and I think would be badly depressed without him.
Plus, I love him.  We rescued him from a really bad situation and he
needs a permanent home.  What do I do?
 
Sorry this started out as a nice love story and turned out to be a sad
story.  Thanks for any advice.
 
Sincerely,
Meghan, Munch, Loca and Rufus
[Posted in FML issue 4891]