Melissa here with a summary of Easel's introduction to Friday and Noodle.
Contained herein: some hints for introducing reluctant and resentful weasels
to reluctant and frightened weasels.
 
After it turned out that just letting everyone meet everyone all at once was
*not* going to work (funny, it's always worked before!) i did the following:
 
1.  Let Easel figure out the new territory.
2.  Traded the aggressive Noodle and Friday for the slow n poky Sloan, who
made Easel realize that not *every* ferret was going to chase and pounce on
her.  in fact, Sloan would amble up, Easel would flee, and then Sloan would
stand there with a 'what the?' look on his face before going off somewhere
more interesting.  After about two days, she started jumping on HIM.  hee.
3.  Brought back Friday and *covered* Easel in Bitter Apple.  Easel rapidly
learned that even though she was being chased, nothing really bad ever came
out of it; the other ferret would back off after one pounce.  Important
NOTE: Your ferret (Friday, in this case, and Noodle later) will be
astonished and then resentful that they can't chew on the new one.  I let
Friday and Easel duke it out with Easel having the definite 'advantage' of
not being able to be bitten, and gave *lots* of attention to Friday.  Friday
would hiss at Easel every time she passed by that first evening and part of
the second day, but Sloan was still around and she'd just go take it out on
him.  :) Another NOTE: i let all three sleep together.  Same result - Friday
couldnt bite Easel, so she gave up.  And soon enough, they were sleeping
together.  This seems to work wonders; she soon forgot Easel was ever a
'new' addition (two, three days).
4.  Brought Noodle back.  He's the sulky one, and he sulked *hard*.  Awwww.
I gave him a BRAND-NEW stuffed animal all for his very own, and he got
better and consented to sleep with Easel, although he still wallops on her.
Still, he accepts her - he just doesnt *like* her.  Awwww.  I give it
another week of careful play monitoring (she's jumping on him now, though)
before everyone's a family.
 
I decided to cage them all together because i have two hammocks and places
in the cage Easel can retreat to in case of serious pursuit; however, I
think that this is the thing that accustoms them to one another the best.
When Easel's been zonked out, both of my ferrets could go up to her, sniff
her over good, try to bite her (and spit-spit-spit afterwards :) and then
ignore her or curl up next to her as they wanted - all without her running
away or pouncing back.  I watch everyone until they fall asleep, too.
 
I havent punished either Noodle or Friday for fighting too aggressively,
although Easel knows now that if she's being chased and she runs past me,
I'll halt her pursuer.  I just pick Noodle/Friday up and let them calm down
for a bit, esp.  when they're walloping too hard.  The first one or two
times they got too excited i scruffed them, and they seem to recognize a
'time-out' now.  The most important aspects have been to make sure Easel
didnt start to fear them and that they didnt start to permanently resent her.
 
and here, i thought they'd LIKE a playmate.  duh.  i wish easier times to
the rest of you out there.  also less stinky ones - phew.  there are some
SCENT glands on that baby ferret :).
 
Thanks to everyone for advice - i really couldnt let them just 'work it out'
this time, so attention and patience (and multiple showers on my part)
seemed to be the key.
 
 Melissa, by GUM this is the last one!
 
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      Melissa Litwicki                              "Is it ... atomic?"
      [log in to unmask]                             "Yes! VERY atomic!"
[Posted in FML issue 1680]