>I am going to be a foster mom to this 5lb little boy ferret for the Kodiak
>Humane Society.  I have never attempted this before...
 
5lbs... You sure its not a bear? I hear some of those can get that big :)
 
I would suggest patience and a lot of early supervision.  Every time we have
added a new ferret there has been upheaval for between 2 and 6 weeks while
the "dominance" hierarchy gets established.  With a large weight difference
maybe they will settle very quickly as there won't much of a competition.
However, I would carefully supervise to make sure that "Slinkie" doesn't get
beat up on too frequently or too hard.  Rough housing is normal.  Just watch
for times when she tries to run away and he won't let her.
 
When it gets necessary, I've found that picking up the one that is the
agressor and holding him and petting him till he "cools down" works in
several ways:
  1. It stops the fight, temporarily.
  2. It gets the new one used to being handled.
  3. They would rather run than be held, so its very mild "punishment".
Picking up the one being beaten on seems to often aggravate the situation
when they are released again.
 
Be prepared to use separate cages for one or two weeks so they have a safe
place away from each other.
[Posted in FML issue 1628]