Dick Bossart is right - ferrets do grow very strong attachments.  Our
oldest, Squirt, is deeply bonded to my husband.  Although Squirt likes the
attention I give him, what he really needs is attention from my husband.  I
had the poutiest little speed-bump of a ferret when Mike was on a business
trip.  It didn't matter that I tried to spend extra time with Squirt since
Mike wasn't around....Squirt was one unhappy ferret.  He lost weight the
last time we went on vacation even though my sister (who is Squirt's other
special person) spent time with him each day.
 
The bonding in our household seems to be:
        Squirt (the alpha ferret, king of all he surveys) -> Mike
        Pippi -> Squirt, Me (in Pippi's own way - it means she pesters me
                more to play, which means she often attacks my feet!)
        Atlas -> Hijinx, Me (a deep bond like Mike and Squirt)
        Hijinx -> Atlas
 
All seem to pay homage to King Squirt with sniffs to the underside/sides
of his chin. Everybody seems to groom Squirt from time to time, but Squirt
grooms noone save himself. Ahhhhhhh....it's good to be the king!
 
Hijinx and Atlas were litter mates and deeply bonded when we got them. They
had been in the petstore for 2 months and badly needed a home. Mike and I
decided that it was both or none since we felt we couldn't split the two up.
What's one more ferret or two for that matter?
 
In short, be aware of bonds that your ferrets may develop.  It can be
important to their happiness.  When we had only Squirt and Pippi we were
deeply worried since Squirt was Pippi's world.  If anything should happen to
him (like nearly loosing him to a reaction to a rabies vacc.), she would be
devastated.  In the vacc.  reaction, Pippi stayed by Squirt's side.  She
barely left him to eat and use the litterbox.  For a day and a half she
stayed by his side - this is the girl who is never still and always wants to
play.  The depth of emotion that they are capable of became very evident.
We decided to have 3 ferrets (ok...we have 4!) just in case anything should
happen to one ferret, that we didn't have one alone and grieving.  We
figured two would be able to console each other some and the loss may not be
as profound.
 
-kim, mike, squirt (the king), pippi (refuses to give her 2nd in command ranking
 to atlas even though he is 4+ times her weight), atlas (wants to be 2nd
 fiddle), and Hijinx (our Jeckle and Hyde ferret, a loving psycho)
 
Kimberly Burkard     |             _    Everything I needed to know in life,
Eastman Kodak Company|      _____C .._. I learned from my ferret:
Rochester, New York  | ____/     \___/  Frolic and dance for joy often, have
[log in to unmask]<____/\_---\_\    no fear or worries, and enjoy life.
[Posted in FML issue 1320]