Hello all.
Russ Hazzon- I can't say much about telling whether a ferret is fixed but
I do know that my female does a lot of butt sniffing. Since she is spayed
and the ferret she sniffs on is also spayed, I would say it's like dogs,
a type of identification. Nothing unusual I would say. I personally
wouldn't want to have to sniff someone to know who they were, but if it
works for them, so be it.
Something sad, funny, interesting happened yesterday. I bought a squeak
toy for Alex but she didn't like it because she couldn't get her teeth
into very well, so I went back and got her another that is softer and has
more available tooth holds on it. Well, she got kinda psychotic when we
squeaked it at her, promptly (very gently) grabbed ahold of it and
dragged it into a hole she has made in one of our chairs. I wanted to
watch her play with it, so I dragged it back out and started squeaking it
at her. She rushed to it and made maternal noises at it, like her mother
used to do when she was a baby. It was just like she thought this toy (by
the way, it's shaped like a high heel slipper) was her baby. Again, she
gently grabbed the "baby" and took it under the chair into the hideaway.
I was surprised with her behavior because normally, she loves rubber and
will tear into it. Also, she's spayed, so I didn't think she would have
maternal instincts. It made me feel bad, like she must be really lonely
and then I started thinking about if I get another ferret. Is she going
to start dragging the new kid around by the scruff of it's neck, sticking
him/her into various nests? She doesn't do this with her sister when she
comes to visit. Could it just be the squeaky noises the toy was making? I
suppose it could sound similiar to a baby ferret. I was totally mystified
with her behavior. Has anyone ever had a ferret adopt something as their
child? Should I be concerned with a new ferret in the house? Have a great
day!
Tracy, Matt, and Alex (with new baby in tow)
[Posted in FML issue 0976]