Hello,
I have a ferret named Lu Lu Bell (AKA Lucifer) who is quite a challenge.
She is extremely hyper and smart.
 
She has now learned how to jump to the top of the plexi glass Weazel
Watcher gate and hangs there until she can scramble over.
 
I need some suggestions to help ferret proof the gate now.  The house is
not "ferret proofed or safe" so I do need her to stay in the ferret room.
Out of all nine ferrets and 5 years of having ferrets, none have managed
this feat yet.
 
She is now 1 1/2 years old and shows no signs of slowing down from that
hyperactive kit stage.  The only difference is she sleeps less than a
kit.  All of my ferts have at least calmed down a tiny bit when they hit
over a year old, but not my Lu Lu.
 
She is a superb climber and nothing is out of reach.  She is very tiny
and so cute, she has white mitts and a white face.  I love her dearly.
She has also learned to climb me and climb my leg so that when I go over
the gate she is clinging on my leg and goes over with me.  It is a real
hassle when I have my hands full, like with water bowels.  I usually end
up spilling the water all over.  I try to quick make it to the gate and
she leaps on to me.  She is fast!!!  Or no matter where I walk she is
clinging to my pants.
 
And...she is bitey, I have been working with her for a long time and she
seems to get a little better and then she is back at it.  She constantly
bites and scratches at my feet and ankles.
 
The thing is, she is kinda a loner, a real independent ferret.  She gets
along fine with the others, but likes to go off and do her own thing.
Unless I am in the room, then she is constantly bugging me, nipping,
scratching, climbing up my shoulders and up to my head, scratching on my
head, pulling my hair.  I think she considers me her personal playmate.
She sometimes will get mean to the other ferrets if they try to play with
me at the same time.  She hisses and chases them away from me.  She seems
to need so much attention from me.  She always wants to play with me
instead of the other ferrets.  And I do play with her, for hours and she
doesn't tire out.  And if I want to stop she gets more pesty and
insistant.
 
I try to give her extra attention and bring her on trips to other rooms,
closely supervised one on one, like the bathroom or computer/office room
so she can run around and get her ya ya's out.
 
Out of all nine ferrets, she is so crazy.  They all are hyper and crazy
in their own way, but Lu Lu takes the cake.  I know all ferrets are
different with their own personalities, but she has enough personality
for 10 ferrets.
 
As I have sat here and wrote this, I have taken her out of the lampshade,
stopped her from beating up the poor cat (twice), gotten her off the 6
foot shelf several times (where she pushes all the stuffed animals down)
Taken her out of the printer numerous times, removed her from my tea cup
(4 times) and now she sounds like she is making a hole digging in the
mattress.  This has been in the space of about 15 min.
 
I guess she is just a nut and I am going to have to live with it.  But I
really need a way to stop her from going over the gate.  So if anyone has
any suggestions, please help.
 
suzi
P.S can ferrets take Ritilan? (just kidding, I would never do that)
P.P.S O.k, now she is on my head again...pulling my hair out!
[Posted in FML issue 4450]