Keeping two cages (to separate ferrets who fight) is not always a pain.  I
posted a couple of months ago about how I separated my wimpy ferret,
McKenzie, from the rest of the pack because she was terrified of them.  I
gave her her own cage for sleeping.  When ferret playtime arrived, I let
the big bunch (four of 'em) out first, and McKenzie came out when she
asked, usually after the first half hour or so and the others were somewhat
slowed down and less likely to bug her.  This seemed to reduce everyone's
stress level considerably.
 
Lo and behold, after a couple of months, I began to find McKenzie sleeping
with some of the others when they were out.  Eventually, I began to get
televibes from McKenzie that she was kind of lonely in her big empty (of
ferrets) cage.  So, I took a deep breath, and one day piled them all back
into one cage when the time came.  I figured the first fight would erupt as
they all scrambled for their raisin rewards for going into the cage.  Nope.
To make a long story short(er), not only is everything going reasonably well
in the cage, and out, but McKenzie has been developing some ferrety traits,
like wardancing, that she never had before.  Keep in mind that all these
ferrets are several years old, and all have been with me at least a year.
 
The message to me is that if ferrets suddenly decide they don't like their
situation, they'll tell you.  And if they change their minds later, they'll
let you know then too.  Our job is to notice, change something, and see if
it makes them happier.
 
On another subject, my cat tolerates the ferrets, but my big dog with
sensitive skin does not.  It took about six months of her snarling every
time a ferret came near (carefully watched over by me, the alpha woof) until
I realized that no ferrets ever bothered her any more.  She can lie in the
middle of the floor, and they all carefully romp around her, having figured
out that she is not, and will not be made to be, a ferret toy of any merit.
The message here is that they worked it out among themselves, it took at
least six months with no changes in the local population, and I kept a very
close eye on the process to make sure no one got hurt.
 
To those of you devotees of ferret math (and I understand), try calling a
halt to it for a while and see how many problems work themselves out.  I've
been quite amazed how much more orderly the household has become (to be
sure, a relative statement where ferrets are involved) since I capped the
population.
 
-- Kim, who would take in an older ferret in a minute if any came around
[Posted in FML issue 2308]