John:
Some ferrets are the cuddly type and some aren't.  We had Sid for 7 years
before he passed away and he never cared much for being held.  And believe me,
we spoil the heck out of our babies so it wasn't because of lack of attention.
They get Full run of the house, LOTS of handling, playing, attention, etc.
 
After Sid died, we adopted two ferrets from our local ferret Shelter.  Max is
about 2 and Duncan is about 3.  Max is the sweetest, cuddliest (is that a
word?) ferret you'd ever want to see.   He just loves attention and came to us
that way.  Perhaps it was due to the fact that the former owner kept him in an
aquarium in a shed outside and never paid him a bit of attention.  He'll lay in
your arms for hours and loves to have his neck and/or belly scratched.
 
On the other hand, Duncan is just like Sid.  Pick him up and he just can't wait
to get back down.  He's all squirmy and just doesn't like to be held.
 
All three have been neutered males.  So I guess it's just a matter of
individual personality.  The person that runs the shelter agrees that some like
to be held and some don't.  I doubt there's much you can do though constant
handling and attention will probably make yours less jumpy.  In other words, he
may eventually put up with being held but may never like it 100%.
 
  [log in to unmask]
 
[Posted in FML issue 0709]