Hi, Sunshine.
 
Let me put the whole question to rest right here: If you want your ferrets
to care about you, play with you and accept you into their lives, you need
to share your life with them.  By playing with them, you teach them
restraint (they can't grab you by the neck and drag you under the couch,
they can't be quite as rough with you as they can with other fuzzbutts and
they have to tolerate being petted, hugged, kissed, clipped, strip-searched
[for fleas, etc.], sniffed, etc.) and love and interest in lives other than
their own.
 
Now, imagine a weasel in the wild.  How often do you think one of these
little critters would tolerate any of the above actions?  Probably none.
Why?  Little or no contact with humans.  Even if you take a dog that's been
born and raised with humans and put him in the forest to fend for himself,
away from all human contact, they tend to become rather stand-offish, or
even turn mean/feral.  I'm not saying that an ignored ferret would become
mean or feral, but they certainly wouldn't be nearly as friendly or
tolerant as they would be with constant human handling.
 
Just like human children and all other pets, the more interaction they have
with you, the easier it is to continue to have contact with them and the
more they tend to love and need you, as time goes by.  Imagine how you
would feel if you were married to a man that hardly ever spoke to you,
never touched you, never shared meals with you, never spent "time" with
you...how much would you tend to love and care for this man?  Same thing
applies to your fuzzbutts.  Play with them whenever you get the chance,
even if it's only for a few seconds here and there.
 
If my fuzzbutts are in their cages, every time I walk by I put my fingers
in so they can sniff them, even if they only spend a second or so at it.  I
also tend to stop and pick up a fuzzbutt as they attempt to do a fly-by and
snuggle them for a few seconds, before putting them down to continue on
their journey (more often than not though, the slight interruption in their
scheduled romp causes them to pause and look up at me.  I don't know if
they are saying "Thank You", or just wondering who that huge person was
that just gave them a snuggle!).  If they stop for a moment and look at me
(and I notice), I'll talk to them and ask them questions (even though I
know that their code prohibits them from responding to interrogation!),
just so they know that I've seen them.
 
As a result, all of my fuzzbutts are very kind and seek me out when they
can't find another fuzzbutt to play with.  They also like to follow me
around the house to see what I'm doing.  If I'm ironing, they climb my leg
to see *what* I'm ironing.  If I'm taking laundry out of the drier to fold,
they are right there, helping me drag things out.  If I go upstairs to use
the restroom, they are waiting at the top of the stairs to be carried back
down.
 
In the long run, I think that the interaction with the fuzzbutts is what
keeps them to endeared to us.  Much like a mother and a small child,
bonding requires constant renewal.  Play with the fuzzbutts...don't worry
about the intellectual stuff!  Oh...and war dance like no one else is
watching...you'll feel great!
 
Todd and the (OK, Wrestle-mania time!) Fuzzbutt Rodeo Clowns!
 
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[Posted in FML issue 2740]