My husband and I purchased our first ferret about three weeks
ago. Oscar was very young and small when we first got him and
seemed to spend most of the first week asleep. He would cuddle in
our laps and seemed to enjoy interacting with us and being held.
 
Fast forward 2 weeks: The adorable little baby has turned into
a juvenile delinquent ferret from hell. He seems to enjoy playing
games like chase and tug of war just as long as we don't touch him
anywhere on his body. He attacks hands and feet and responds to
the thump on the nose and "NO!" by either biting again or running
like he thinks we are going to kill him. We are at wits end because
he will come running to us when we call his name (a good sign) and
is always trying to get us to play with him (another good sign); we
try talking calmly to him and being very gentle when we touch him but
other than the times when he decides he wants to play, he wants nothing
to do with us.
 
We are wondering is this is natural ferret behavior? Up until now
we have had only dogs. Do ferrets in general not enjoy being touched
and/or held or is Oscar a unique case? Is this a "stage" that he will
eventually come out of or is it just his distinct personality? Any
advice would be greatly appreciated. We have grown to love the little
guy already and it is very difficult having a pet who seems to hate
your guts.
 
[Posted in FML issue 0801]