>ferret psychologist needed
>PLEASE HELP!  We have two females - one is 1 1/2 y.o., the other 1 year.
>They've been sharing large living space, sleeping, playing, and eating
>together peacefully until Friday when we bathed them both after 3 month s
>of going without.  Bandit, our eldest, suddenly (like within 15 minutes
>after the bath) began VICIOUSLY, AGGRESSIVELY, AND PAINFULLY attacking Ali
>to the point when Ali yelps, screeches, and accidently poops on the floor
>she is so frightened!
 
 
Well, nothing on my wall states "ferret" so I will offer this advice under
this caveat.
 
Ferrets are highly sensitive to each other's scent and this appears to be
predominantly used as an identifier.  It appears in your circumstance that
this scent was altered by whatever shampoo you may have used, especially if
you used one either heavily perfumed or with a deodorizer.  It may be best
to keep them completely separate until the effects of the shampoo have
subsided.  They're normal scent may return in a few days.  Keeping them
separate may preventing any further "imprinting" from occurring.
 
Even though they are popular, most "pet" shampoos are no better for your
ferret than ordinary Baby Shampoo under normal circumstances.  The suds kill
any fleas by asphyxiation, minimal epidermal drying occurs, it is ph
balanced not to cause any eye discomfort, and there are no additives such as
lanolin or such that a fuzz butt may lick off and digest.
 
Oddly, you would think ferrets could recognize each other by sight since
they reportedly score very high on object recognition.  However, this
ability does not seem apparent.  Your ferret's reaction appears stronger
than is generally seen, but none-the-less typical in its flavor if not in
degree.  Often, an extended butt-sniffing practice occurs when giving baths
in multiple ferret households.  I hope this helps.
 
best wishes,
until next time,
alphachi
[Posted in FML issue 2177]