Hi all. I'm looking for some advice about Buddy. Some of you may recall
that I got Buddy last May, and was concerned that he didn't seem very playful
(especially based on what I was hearing about other ferrets). He seemed to like
crawling around in things, but almost completely ignored the toys I bought for
him, with the exception of occasionally wrestling a tennis ball. I could some-
times get him ferret-dancing by chasing him and tagging him, while saying "I'm
gonna getcha. Gotcha! Gotcha!". Most times, though, he would just crawl away,
no doubt wanting to avoid the 'crazy human' :). I thought having another ferret
around to play with might help, so in October I bought Cassidy. For the first
week or so Buddy didn't like her, but then suddenly his attitude turned around
and they began playing together fairly regularly, wrestling, ferret-dancing,
and generally following each other around. This lasted for a couple of months,
but gradually tapered off. I haven't seen Buddy ferret-dance in at least a few
weeks now. He still seems quite healthy, eats and eliminates normally, and
wanders around exploring, and crawling through things, but he seems to have no
interest in playing with Cassidy anymore, and moves away if she tries to play
with him. He doesn't seem to want to play tag with me anymore either, though
he used to do this only occasionally anyway. It was so good to see him enjoying
Cassidy's company so much at first, I hate to see him again seeming to become
so bored with life. Also, I'm sure Cassidy would like it more if Buddy would
play with her again; she's quite affectionate and *very* playful. It's getting
so I'm considering getting *another* ferret to keep Cassidy happy. Does anyone
have any suggestions for bringing Buddy out of his shell? I'm thinking maybe I
should have the vet check him out, except Buddy has *always* been very reserved
(anyone else ever hear of a reserved ferret?). He was also rather nervous when
I first got him, but gradually became comfortable around me (he's still nervous
with strange people/places/situations). I have no idea how the people who owned
him before me treated him; maybe his current behavior was because of how he
was handled when young (mistreated? caged all the time?). Any ideas anyone?
I hate to think my little boy isn't happy.
 
John, Buddy, and Cassidy
 
[Posted in FML issue 0427]