This looks like a job for Bob Church!  SuperFerretMan!  But since I don't
know how closely he keeps tabs on the FML, I will offer what I know (that
Bob told me, of course!).
 
At 04:02 AM 3/9/2003 -0500, Dave wrote:
>So which is it, solitary or communal animals?  The evidence suggest
>that mustelids are solitary in North America.  Wolverines, Sables,
>Weasels.  etc are very solitary.  Are polecats solitary in Europe?  Has
>domestication bred into ferts a desire or social need for interaction
>with other ferts?
 
Polecats are solitary animals.  But as kits, they are social (it helps
them survive and learn hunting and fighting skills, plus it keeps them
running off while they still need their mom).  When they mature, they
each go their separate way.  Domestication tends to juvenilize behavior --
thus, ferrets are eternal polecat kits.  Social.
 
However, Bob C. has noted that when a ferret is an only ferret, it is
not likely to try to escape the house and disappear.  More commonly, it
is a ferret in a group that will try to escape the house and tend to not
come back on his/her own.  That's the solitary thing coming into play.
Of course, domestication has all but destroyed the ferret's ability to
survive in the wild, so the escaping/solitary thing is yet another of
the truncated behaviors that a ferret will engage in, but not be able to
carry out to full fruition.  In other words, they get out there and then
they don't know what to do.  Much like a ferret will scoot a plastic egg
into a corner, but never think to try to open it up to eat its contents
(that's what I mean by "truncated behavior").
 
What's best for ferrets?  Well, keeping them securely in your home, for
one. ;o)   But they *are* social.  My belief is that you can have one
ferret as long as YOU are their companion.  You must spend a lot of time
playing with the ferret and talking to him and all the mushy stuff, too
(I mean, how can you avoid the mushy stuff anyway?  They're so darned
cute!).  Ferrets are, perhaps, more strongly social than solitary.  Even
though that solitary thing can kick in, I think it's a real throwback.
All I have to do is look at my ferrets and the hundreds (thousands?) of
photos I've seen over the course of publishing Modern Ferret -- ferrets
all snuggled together like one giant ball of fur.  Even when there are
clearly many different places for them to sleep -- they gravitate towards
each other.
 
Does that help?  Bob -- is this close to the truth?
 
--Mary & the Fuzzies
 
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
 
Mary & The Modern Ferrets
Trixie, Koosh, & Gabby
Read my blog --
http://www.modernferretblog.com/mary
[Posted in FML issue 4082]