Hello again,
 
Some ferret behavior is pretty mystifying, but I think that I have figured
out one of the lesser ferret mysteries.  My small BEW female, Lulu,
compulsively organizes shoes and socks by taking them to her nest.  If you
move them, she puts them back.  If you take her to a room that has socks
and/or shoes in it, she will move all of the shoes and socks to one place in
the room.  She will take socks out of drawers, out of the laudry hamper, and
off people's feet, but she will not rest until every single sock is put
away.  She picks up the socks and boots only at a spot just above the heel,
and shoes by the tongue, or (with flats) just above the toe part.  After
watching a special on PBS on European mustelids, I am convinced that she
thinks that she is putting kits in her nest.  The place she grips would be
the scruff of the virtual-kit.  My other femael does the same sort of thing,
but she is not quite so determined, and she is just as likely to try to tear
the guts out of the socks and shoes than put them away.  My large male has a
stuffed tiger that he plays with by scruffing (and rolling around with it),
but he wont put it away.  Any ideas?
 
Gwen M. Daley
Lulu, Winnie, and Mo
[Posted in FML issue 1486]