Two weeks ago I lost the first ferret I ever brought home.  Ming was
sick and it was time for her to go to Rainbow Bridge and not be in pain any
longer.  Mischief, my 2 1/2 year old, and her greatest bud in the world
accepted her loss very badly (as of course I did).  Before Ming died, I
bought a male kit.  I had absolutely no problems introducing anyone.  In
fact, they were all sleeping to- gether within three days (unsupervised)!!!
However, when Ming finally did leave us, I was not expecting the emptiness
of only having two.  Mojo (the kit) has his operation (neuter) coming up
before Christmas, so I knew I couldn't afford another kit.  I called around
and found a number at a vet clinic of someone who had a ferret that needed a
good home.
 
    I dragged Jen, a fellow FMLer, with me.  We took Mischief (Mojo is WAY
too hyper) and went to make sure the "new" one was healthy.  Mischief is a
very mild-mannered ferret and so was the "new" one (Mandy).  They sniffed
and that was about it.  So, I brought the new one home.  I was expecting
some stand- offishness because Mandy had been an only ferret for 5 years.
However, it has been a week and a half and Mandy still squeeks like a
wounded bird when they come near her.  She hides whenever the other two are
playing or runs to lay on me.  She sleeps A LOT.  At first I thought that
she was just a ferret that sleeps an extraordinary amount, but when the
other two run back to their cage to sleep, Mandy runs around quite happily.
Mandy is an extremely gentle ferret with me, but when they come near her,
she keeps her mouth open and just squeeks.  It sounds very sad!  She also
tries to bite them.  Mine are used to playing with other ferrets, but they
are even starting to bite her back now.
 
    I will say that it has given us all something to concentrate on besides
losing Ming, and I can tell Mischief is interested, because she tries to
antagonize Mandy.  (Mojo can't be bothered, he just wants to play - although
he has started to mimic that horrible-sounding squeek when he plays with
Mischief!).  Right now, I keep her locked in a cage beside them.  Their cage
is never locked, so they run around freely.  I wasn't locking her cage, and
she would crawl up in my bed to sleep.  This was fine with me until she
decided to use the bottom of my bed as a pottie.  She hadn't done this
wonderful bathroom trick with her previous owner, so I am assuming she is so
terrified of the other two, that she will not get off the bed once she is up
there.
 
    In short, I am looking for advice.  I have NEVER had problems
introducing ferrets before.  Is she too old?  Ming was older too and I know
that if I could ever ease Mandy's terror, Mischief would probably LOVE to
curl up with her!  ???  Even when I brought Mischief home (Ming had been an
only ferret), it still only took one week until they were sleeping in the
same cage.  My girlfriend Jen got the sister to Mojo and it took her 5 weeks
before they got along.  Even if I knew it would happen eventually, it would
make me feel better.  It is jusor a weekend a short time before I took her
and they had a really aggressive female, so they brought her back!  Don't
get me wrong - I took her into my home, and here she will stay, even if I
have to keep her sleeping quarters separate forever (it doesn't take any
time at all to get attached to these guys, does it?).  It isn't TOO bad.  I
can leave them unattended in the same room, and they can be close to one
another until someone gets right in Mandy's face, then she must interpret it
as an attack and from then on she squawks and nips at them, but it still
isn't vicious.  I just want them ALL to play and sleep together!!!  By the
way, I also have two cats, and Mandy doesn't even blink - they had a cat and
a dog in her previous home.
 
A very frustrated (and probably impatient),
 
Gail Sampson
Halifax, Nova Scotia
CANADA
[Posted in FML issue 1274]