Before I launch into yet another post about Scooter (Hey Rocky, watch me
pull an FML post out of my hat!  Again!  Bullwinkle!), I will say in
advance that I know I'm probably just being a nervous (read: neurotic)
first-time ferret parent and I realize none of my fears are likely to be
true.  That said, I will commence worrying about how I may have
pyschologically scarred my little buddy for life.
 
I took Scooter to the home of the breeder I bought him from for some
exposure to other ferrets, the first time he's seen any since I brought
him home.  When we had him an any of three other males on leashes, there
was a good deal of chuckling (he never does that at home) and wrestling,
and eventually the others finally decided he plays too rough.  He finally
started to get along with one called Kinky (weirdest animal I've ever
seen--no tail, very yellow coloring, hops like a rabbit instead of
walking).  then when we put him and Kinky in a room together off the
leash, Kinky kicked his little ferret butt from here to next week.  No
blood, but a lot of squealing and a very frightened Scooter who ran and
hid when Kinky released his grip on Scooter's back.
 
I'm not worried about this incident (at any rate, he reestablished his
manhood by coming home and peeing on the couch), but about how he acts so
differently from the ferrets at Sue's house.  I finally saw the Weasel War
Dance--Scooter doesn't do it.  Ever.  He bounces around in place
occasionally, but never bounces around the room like that.  The other
ferrets seemed much less serious and more playful than Scooter is, too.
And he doesn't make any noises at all.  The chuckling he did when bullying
Sue's fuzzies was the most noise I've ever heard him make.  He only
vocalizes when I accidentally step on a paw.
 
I know ferrets are highly varied in their behavior, but does Scooter sound
normal?  I had a hard time learning to be patient with him, and he often
got yelled at when he didn't deserve it.  I feel awful already about that,
but it would be worse if I thought maybe I'd managed to interfere with his
development.  He also gets lots of love (more than he sometimes wants to
put up with), so I know I'm probably just being silly, but I worry anyway.
 
Any thoughts?
 
Chris and Scooter
Bellingham, WA
 
        I am Ferret of Borg
                Bitter Apple is Irrelevant
                        Litterboxes are Irrelevant
                                Your Socks will be Assimilated
 
[Posted in FML issue 0868]