Hi Buffy . . . (and fml readers!)
 
I found what you said about coat difference interesting.  My first two
female ferrets had similar coats--relatively soft yet still a bit coarse.
 
The girls are gone now, and I have two males, Pepper and Mort.
 
Pepper is a DEW and has NO guard hairs!  I'm serious.  His entire coat is
short and all one length, and kind of coarse.  Where there should be guard
hair is the same kind of fur as the undercoat.  I got him in September and
didn't really notice his fur--it was his weight, 4 lbs, that really grabbed
my attention.  Then winter came and no coat difference whatsoever.
 
Then Christmas came and I bought myself a present--a sable MF kit, Mort.
Well!  Mort's coat is incredibly soft--the softest ferret coat I've ever
touched.  Unfortunately, he doesn't sit still very often for me to really
enjoy it!  And he has both the creme undercoat and the dark brown guard
hairs.  It's not as soft as rabbit fur, but still is surprising soft.
 
Both currently eat the same food, so I don't know what causes the fur
difference!
 
I'd be interested in others' observations and theories about this, too.
 
Oh, Buffy--the shaking is quite normal upon waking up.  Many ferrets do
this--it's their way of raising body temperature--the same way humans do!
 
Here's an interesting thought on biting:  I've always offered my thumb to
biters and then grabbed the lower jaw with my fingers and *squeezed*.  My
ferrets seem to hate this.  It leaves a nasty indent on my thumb sometimes,
but it gets the message across quickly.  One thing I never do is try to pull
away or show any kind of pain or inclination to let them have their own way
when they bite.  (Mine have never broken the skin, either, and my reaction
might be quite different if that ever does happen!) And here's what I've
noticed: Neither Mort nor Pepper ever use biting to get their own way--which
is usually "down" while I'm holding them specifically to keep them out of
trouble while the non-proofed room are momentarily accessible.  They will
squirm, wriggle, scratch, hiss, dook, and generally act completely furious
with me . . .  but biting does not seem to be a reaction that ever crosses
their little minds.  And I've recently been thinking that maybe the reason
is because all biting has ever got them is an uncomfortable squeeze to the
jaw.
 
--Sheri
[Posted in FML issue 1867]