Hi all,
It's been awhile since I last posted--usually trivial little things like
the one I'm about to unleash.  I have a question for all those who have
ever had experience with breeding: I was watching a show on the Discovery
Channel about cats, some time ago, and it was mentioned that domesticated
cats that are not exposed to people before the third week after being born
will develop a natural fear of humans.  I have owned several "wild" cats in
my life and yes, they do have a fear of humans that never seems to go away,
even after years and years of being really nice to them.
 
I was wondering if that was the same for ferrets?  Do they experience
imprinting?  Similar to baby birds thinking that the first animal they see
after hatching is their mother?  (Don't know if that really is true or not,
but that's the rumor going around)
 
I have two wonderful little ones, Betty and Chopper, that are quite
different in behavior.  They are both MF ferts I got at a pet store when
they were (what I was told) 8 weeks old.  Chopper (the male--fixed, don't
quite remember if it's gib or hob right now, and don't care) is Mr.
Kissy-face and has NEVER broken my skin while playing in the four years
I've owned him.  We even play a little game where he puts his canines
around my pinky, locks his jaw, and then I pick him up and tickle him
silly--he stays clamped on for a long time until he just has to dook and
dance like crazy, all the while squirming and clamped to my finger.  He
never bites down.  Betty, on the other hand, seems to draw blood whenever I
play with her, although I've figured this out some time ago and am way more
careful now.  Could this be that she is afraid of me, or is it due to bad
"parenting" on my part by not training her to take it easy 'cuz dad's skin
isn't as rough and tough as her brother's?  She does war dance, and dook,
and come back for more, so that would lead one to think that it's not fear
biting.  At least that's what I think.
 
Anyhow, it's also been brought up by some people on the FML in the past
years that Mink do not make good pets due to their being wild animals and
not domesticated.  Would imprinting have anything to do with this?  If it
would be possible to 'survive' trying to handle them right after birth
would they be less apt to, for lack of the proper term, bite the crap out
of you?
 
Food for thought, and Dooks to all,
Chris Frick, slave of weasel
[Posted in FML issue 2809]