I had been having trouble with Bob, my lone male. He has never been
around other ferrets before. Well, except when he was born. But since
then, he has been alone. I know he was in his cage 23 1/2 hours a day.
With nothing but a monkey hammock and pine shavings for bedding. So,
since I have gotten him, I also adopted 2 other ferrets. The family has
a premature baby and they did not have the time for the ferrets like
they did before. I understand this, I really do. Especially since I
had preemie babies too. He brought all of their stuff, cage, hammocks,
toys, shampoo, vitamins and food. I did put them together right away.
They are a happy little trio right now. Bob has so much more energy and
is very playful now. I made a huge hammock so all three can fit on it
and be comfortable. Most of the hammocks are just so small. I guess
it's more of a sleep sack though. Its 3 layers with the top layer being
more of a blanket that covers them. It's made of fleece and they just
love it. The new ferrets-- A male named Jay and a female named Samira.
Jay is 2 1/2 and Samira is 1 1/2. They have full fluffy coats and you
can tell they were well taken care of. I can't thank the previous owner
enough for the quality of care he gave these babies. His wife cried
when they came to the decision of re-homing them. I can't imagine how
hard it was for them. They are teaching Bob to use the litter box. So
I'm pretty happy about that. They have all come alive since being here.
It's amazing how playful they are when one of their own kind is around
to talk to and sleep with and play with. The problem I'm having now is
that Jay and Samira are biters. They LOVE to bite anything they can,
including people. When they bite I say "NO BITE" and tap their nose.
Not hard mind you. But hard enough that it gets their attention that
the behavior is not acceptable. I continue what we were doing, whether
it be playing or sitting. When they don't bite they get "Good Boy or
Good girl" and extra lovings. I want them to know that biting is not
OK. But I also don't want them to be afraid of me either. We have come
a long way in 2 days. They don't bite near as much. And at least they
aren't drawing blood anymore. I can handle the bite better on my hands
because I have sugar gliders. And they still nip now and then. But when
they go after my feet, I jump every danged time. And I'm not ticklish;
I just don't like my feet messed with. I have read Ferrets for Dummies
3 times now. I'm trying to do right by these guys. They deserve the
best. I refuse to give up on them. I have the bitter apple spray and
put it on my feet...BAD IDEA; they went nuts over my feet then. It was
not good. Do you have any other tips or tricks that might help?? I need
to make sure you all understand that I don't hit them. I tap their
nose, not hard. I just don't want you guys thinking I beat my animals.

[Posted in FML 7351]