Hi ferret lovers,
 
Since I got my first ferret in 1980, I have always had one or two ferrets in
the house when bringing home a new darling.
 
My experience is that they fight for a while, sometimes heavily and
sometimes up to 6 months, and then they become friends, provided they are
castrated which I have always let mine be.  You will have to let them fight -
or they will never stop.  However, I have never kept my ferrets in cages, I
have kept them like cats and the two I have now live in the bathroom in a
cupboard where I keep dirty laundry.  Each week when we have washing day
they have only like a towel to make bed with but eventually during the week
they have a lot of clothes and as we are going to wash the laundry we let
them cuddle there.
 
During the 18 years I have kept ferrets I have learnt to make my house
ferret-proof but some ferrets are more "Houdini-like" than others.
 
My advice - let them fight - don't keep them in cages.After some time you
will probably have a lot of fun looking at their playing games.
 
As for SOs daughter; - have you considered that she might feel unsecure with
the ferrets?  Maybe she is afraid they'll bite orelse harm herself or her
things.  Would it be possible to share the house between girl and ferrets?
We have gates to certain rooms where the ferrets are not allowed.  I.e.
with me they are allowed everywhere but my husband does not like ferrets
playing under his blanket when he is asleep so therefore we have had a
carpenter make a nice gate for the bedroom entrance and at the entrance
door.  Surely there are many solutions if there is a wish from both sides.
When I met my husband I was already a ferret freak so I told him he would
have to take "cow with calf" and he did.
 
I wish you good luck!
 
Ingella Arwidsson
 
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[Posted in FML issue 2217]