In answer to the question "has anyone else experienced this phenomenon",
definitely!  I have a male ferret (Masque, 13 1/2 wks old) that gets a
little too roudy once in a while, I pick him up and tell him it's time to
calm down.  While holding him I pet his head from his nose to just past his
ears.  This seems to put him to sleep.  The other thing I noticed is that I
seem to be the only one able to do this to him.  If anyone else is holding
him and tries to pet him in this manner (unless he is truly pooped out), he
continues to squirm and try to get down.  Mostly he is a very good boy and
rarely needs this treatment unless I simply feel the need to cuddle with
him.  During these times he is very tolerant and usually lets me have my
way.  Put simply, he puts up with me.
 
Just us,
 
Charlee & Masque
[Posted in FML issue 1513]