I have made mistakes and do not profess not to have made any. A BIG
mistake I made was to be careless in not doing a head count with my
separate play groups. I currently have 4 separate play groups that
includes the ferrets I foster, but this episode concerns my personal
fuzzies.

I have one play group of 5, that includes a senior and very dominant
alpha sprite who does not accept Newbies readily. My other play group
consists of 3 DMK sisters, one of whom does not accept ferrets outside
of her sibling group. I had been warned about this fact from the foster
mom who had her before me.

One of my sweetest, gentlest fuzzies Tiramisu was asleep in the kennel
in the hall closet when I put her companions back into the ferret room
to let the DMK sisters their turn out into the rest of the apartment.

I did not do a head count on this occasion to make certain everyone
from the original group was accounted for. I had stepped into the
ferret room to start cleaning cages when I heard the screams.

I knew instantly that Principessa was attacking someone. It took me at
most - 30 seconds to get to where the ruckus was happening. I reached
into the kennel and removed Principessa and then reached in to get
Tiramisu out when Principessa leapt on her again. Then I scruffed
Principessa with one hand while I removed Tiramisu with the other. I
gently set Principessa down (my negligence was NOT her fault) and I
held Tiramisu until she stopped growling and shaking. Her scruff was
bitten all over. I tended to her wounds. I worried what the episode
would do to her and watched her carefully for a possible ulcer.

A week later my worst fears were realized when I rushed Tiramisu to
the vet because she was grinding her face in the floor and vomiting
blood - diagnosis - bleeding ulcer. Probable cause - one unprovoked
vicious attack by another beloved ferret.

After following advice from various members on the FHL, vets included,
Tiramisu fortunately recovered.

Lessons learned:

Lesson 1: ALWAYS, ALWAYS do a head count to make sure everyone is in a
safe place.

Lesson 2: Respect the degree of aggression a ferret is capable of when
attacking another and don't presume they will work it out on their own.

Lesson 3: Do not attempt to integrate a ferret that is capable of that
degree of aggression. Of note, Principessa is totally loving with
humans and not in the least aggressive with her sisters. But she is not
safe with other ferrets and so I have to be vigilant and make certain
she never interacts with fuzzies outside of her sibling group again.
She is large for a sprite - almost 3 lbs. of solid muscle and can do
serious damage if given the opportunity. I love her dearly and it is
my responsibility not to allow her access to the others.

Lesson 4: How quickly a serious ulcer can form in a particularly
sensitive ferret. I am very fortunate that Tiramisu recovered and did
not bleed out. I put her life at risk because of my negligence and
because it was too much trouble to do a head count each and every time.
I now do a head count each and every time. Primary lesson learned -
one can never be TOO careful to ensure the safety of one's fuzzies!

Tressie A. Dutchyn, PhD (c)
Dalhousie University
Research Project Coordinator
Community Health & Epidemiology

[Posted in FML 6092]