Tracy: Easel's not nippy, she's a kit.  :) She's actually the most
people-oriented kit i've met in a long time, and she's wonderfully bright
and funny.  We love her.  The introduction of Easel to the rest of the
family is kinda rocky, however, and i was wondering if some of the breeders
and long-time owners out there have advice.
 
Easel is, well, insecure.  She's got three legs, and it seems she's got some
serious lack of faith in her ability to wrestle and sport with the other
ferrets.  She's very skittish, and will flee at the least approach of
another ferret - whether they be dancing, dooking, or just in general
behaving like a happy ferret.
 
Unfortunately, this results in the approaching ferret going, 'Ooh!  Game!'
and chasing Easel, who gets more and more freaked.  This ends up with either
Easel hiding under the cage or with Easel squealing in fright as the other
ferret attempts to wrestle.
 
This happened almost immediately upon introduction, so we separated everyone
and gave Easel a day or two to roam the territory, get familiar with the
landscape, and have everyone get used to everyone else's scent.  And she
still reacted to Friday and Noodle the same way, and they got even more
aggressive as they realized she was just going to run and run and run and
not fight back.
 
So, i traded Noodle and Friday for big, fat, lazy Sloan (a friend's ferret),
and noticed that Easel isnt *afraid* of other ferrets' presences, she's just
terrified of being chased.  Sloan couldnt give a damn about Easel, and Easel
couldnt give a damn about Sloan, except when Sloan galumphs her way.  Easel
*zoom*.  In the cage, in the dryer hose, wandering around, they get along
fine.  Easel's just terrified of being chased.
 
What do i do?  My two are active pursuit hounds and wrestlers; so is Sloan,
for that matter, and I spend a lot of time making sure Sloan and Easel play
in situations where Easel isnt the underdog.  I cant prevent ferrets from
chasing ferrets in play - how do i get Easel's confidence up?
 
Melissa
 
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      Melissa Litwicki                              "Is it ... atomic?"
      [log in to unmask]                             "Yes! VERY atomic!"
[Posted in FML issue 1671]