Hi Diana,
 
I think the cuddliness of ferrets varies quite a bit, but you can increase
it over time.  Also, in many ferrets, it seems to naturally increase as they
age and slow down a little.
 
Out of my 5 guys, ranging from 3 to 5 years, one (Grendel, 4 years old) is a
cuddler, one (Gilbert, 3 years) is occasionally interested in being held for
30 seconds to 2 minutes, and the other 3 are generally squirmy.  The squirmy
ones might ask to be picked up, then want down again 15 seconds later.
 
They are all most inclined to be held when they first wake up, or a while
after they've gone back to sleep.  They also seem much more relaxed when I
give them full run of the house all day instead of locking them in their
room or cage them while I'm at work.  (Unless I'm going to be home all day
though, I feel safest putting them in their cage--I worry a little about
someone breaking in to the house and leaving a door or window open when they
leave.)
 
You can probably train your guys to behave while being held by giving them a
small, slow treat (like a drop of ferretone on your arm) after they've held
still for a while (at first it will only be for a second or two) and
gradually increasing the time they have to hold still until they get a
treat.  A daily cuddling routine helps, too.
 
Grendel, the cuddly one, was an only ferret until he was about 1 year old; I
think he is more people-oriented as a result.  He would rather play with me
than with other ferrets, and he seems to really like curling up in my
(large) hand to sleep (until he gets an itch, when he is compelled to zoom
off and scratch it).  During his first year, we took him on outings quite
often, some in which he was walking, running, and detouring on a leash, and
some in which he was carried in a coat pocket or stuffed down the front of
my sweater.  When he was carried or in a sweater, he learned to hold still,
so maybe that's what he's doing when we pick him up now.
 
He loves the outdoors, and knows how to ask for an outing, which is by
climbing onto my shoulders.  Now that we live in California, he doesn't get
to go out very much, but he still knows how to ask.
 
Happy Ferreting!
Dennis
[Posted in FML issue 1556]