Hi Susan and FML Family:
 
I completely sympathize with your problem of the ferrets not getting along.
I was just about to lose my mind a while back, when I had six ferrets of my
own, plus three in the shelter.  Of these 9 ferrets, only two could be
caged/let out together!!!!  That meant, in every 24 hour period, I had eight
"rotations" just so my kids could all get out every day.  I got no sleep.
 
I don't really have any words of wisdom.  I have a few suggestions.
Recently, I decided that these *&#$ ferrets were going to get along, and
like it!  So, now there are eight ferrets here, seven are mine (one rescue
went to a home, one rescue won Best in Show at Ferret Expo, so I kept him,
and I still have one rescue here).  I still have the pair caged together
(Ricky and Sassy), then I have Trouble, Shadow, Koto, Spaghetti (the
rescue), Slinky and Patches.  I bought a brand new cage, a big 2 1/2 story
one, and put it in the kitchen, rather than in the ferret room.  I decided
that my first project would be to get Slinky and Patches, and hopefully
Shadow, to all get along.  So, I put fresh new bedding in the cage, bathed
all three, and let them out to play together (a first).  Slinky kept
fighting with Shadow, to the point that I had to split them up (I'm a
wuss...can't bear to hear my kids cry).  Slinky would try to sniff up
Patches, but Patches is such a wuss that he'd slinker away (he's my slothy
piggy ferret that's trying to lose weight).  At the end of play time, I put
Slinky and Patches in the new cage together; I let Shadow off the hook for
the night.  No fighting at all!  For the first couple of days, Patches was
always on a different level than Slinky.  It was really funny when Patches
wanted food and Slinky was sleeping by the dishes...Patches would try to
"sneak" past Slink without waking him, and if he did, he'd dart away
quickly.
 
I think this method worked because the new cage wasn't either one's
property, and it was a new experience (in a new room) that they were
"sharing" together.  The second night I put Shadow in with them, and they
didn't fight, but Shadow decided to put Mommy in her place; he knew the one
way I would let him go back to his cage...he would poop on the second level,
rather than on the first in the box!  Defiant little beast!  So, he's back
on his own now.
 
The past few days I've come down and seen Patches and Slinky sleeping
together.  They aren't cuddle-cuddle together, usually back-to-back, but
touching.  So, this is my first victory!  Next, I'm going to try Trouble and
Shadow, and see if I have better luck.  I'll keep you all posted.
 
I do have one other thought on trying to mix ferrets, and if anyone has
experience here, let me know.  I have one ferret, Koto, who is spayed but
not descented.  If she gets anywhere near my other ferrets, they rip into
her, more than they do to the other ferrets.  My guess is that they just
have some instinct or whatever to go after the "smelly girl." I feel so bad,
because I don't think she'll ever get a cage-mate, but I see no reason to
have the surgery done if there's no medical problem.  She came into the
shelter unspayed (at age 3!!!  I have no idea at all how she lived that long
w/o being bred.  I think her brother must have been sterile--he's passed
away now--and have been bringing her out of heat).  When she came to us, the
owner said she was fixed and descented, it didn't take long to figure out
she wasn't descented.  Then, she got a swollen vulva, so thinking adrenal I
took her for an exploratory.  The vet called me and said: "Well, we're
sewing her up now.  She's fine...she wasn't spayed, but she is now!!" :) My
vet's cute.
 
Kymberlie Becker
Director, Pennsylvania Ferret Rescue Association
"Forget Puppy Love...There's nothing Greater than Ferret Love!" TM
[Posted in FML issue 1890]