I'm not sure if my new ferrets are getting along or not.  My first ferret,
Tango, male, is 10.5 weeks old and I've had him for a month now.  My newest
one, Chico, male, is 7 weeks old, just got him a week ago.  I slowly
introduced them together, but being Tango is bigger than the new kit I think
he plays too rough with Chico.
 
Chico constantly "whines" or "grunts" whenever Tango is playing with
him...the thing is, I'm not sure if Tango is really hurting him a lot or if
Chico is just whining.  Sometimes Tango will grab Chico by the ear and pull
him, then I immediately stop them & put Tango in his cage for a time out.
From the time I take them out of their cages, they will go at it for almost
an hour, (if i don't break them up), usually Tango always being on top of
Chico.  I don't want this to keep going on, I try to distract them but they
always end up wrestling each other.
 
I'm worried that this may cause a lot of stress on such a young kit, since
he can't fully defend himself, and I don't like reprimanding Tango all the
time, I feel he's getting resentful for me constantly pulling him off of
Chico & putting him in his cage.  I've tried playing with one at a time
while the other is in his cage, but they seem to look for the other one &
get lonely fast.  I give them both lots & lots of hugs, kisses & attention
to reassure them that I love them both very much.
 
Does anyone have any suggestions?
Thanks,
Tracy
Tango & Chico
[Posted in FML issue 2284]