Q:" When I say they [the ferrets] seem like they want to kill them [the
other ferrets] that is what I mean. There are fights every now & then
between the females or the other males but I don't think this is fighting."
A: Well, it isn't dancing.....
In a very general way, there are six types of fighting done by ferrets;
1) Defensive fights, like when fighting off a predator or fear biting,
2) Predatory fights, like when the ferret goes after a rat,
3) Play fights, like between friendly ferrets,
4) Dominance fights, like when one ferret is trying to be the alpha,
5) Exclusionary fights, like when the ferret is attempting to exclude
other ferrets from their living space or territory, and
6) Sexual fights, like when a male is trying to get "first rights" to a
lady ferret in heat. Many times, one type of fighting will escalate into
another, like when play fighting becomes dominance fighting, or dominance
fighting becomes exclusionary fighting. Observant people might notice
there are actually only TWO types of fighting: interspecies and
intraspecies.
Interspecies fighting is almost always considered (by the ferret) to be a
life-or-death situation. Things are either considered prey or predators,
and if the ferret thinks it is in danger, it will either run away or turn
nasty and fight (usually only when cornered or when some big dumb Bob picks
them up). Interspecies fights are typically very nasty and short; a ferret
will only attack as long as it sees itself in danger, and then will beat a
hasty retreat. This is why the first thing I do when a ferret fear bites
me is set them down and let them go. They almost always release the bite
and run away. ALMOST always....sometimes they seem to think a thumb in the
mouth is better than two around the neck and you have to do what I THEN do,
which is scream like a woman in an Alfred Hitchcock film.
Intraspecies fighting can be protracted, even seemingly obsessive, but it
is almost never to the death. You can almost always tell play fighting.
Ferrets will do their little dance, bounce back and forth, open their
mouths in the "play face," play tag, and pounce on each other. Each one
of these "play initiation" behaviors tells the other ferret, "Don't worry;
be physical." Dominance fighting is like play fighting, but a little more
out of hand. It is normal for play fighting between same sex ferrets to
escalate into dominance fighting. Dominance fighting almost always ends
when one ferret has enough and takes off to find shelter and the other
bounces around in that self-satisfied "I'm THE ferret" dance. Exclusionary
fights can get nasty, but they are not typically dangerous to either
ferret. They look just like dominance fights, but much more intense. The
exclusionary fight has one goal; to make the other ferret leave and unlike
the cat, never come back. Sexual fights can get very nasty, and it can
result in death or serious injury. The worst instances are between two
strange males in rut, both about the same size and strength, in the
presence of a female in heat. Very nasty; very, very dangerous.
What people who write to the FML report are typically dominance fighting
with the very occasional exclusionary fight. If asked, I will tell the
people to allow the ferrets to fight it out (supervised, of course) because
until the dominance structure is established, the fights will continue. I
can't tell you how many times someone has said their ferrets ALWAYS fight,
but on questioning, the fights start but the humans never let them finish.
No one allows resolution in the matter, and the fighting continues. These
fights are often loud, look horrible and can result in bites and scratches
on the neck and especially between the shoulders. When G.W., Carbone, Tui,
and Silly were establishing their dominance structure, ALL had nappy necks
covered with scabs. THEY WERE IN NO DANGER!!! If I noticed a nasty cut, I
took care of it. After a few months, the scabs healed and the four are now
good buddies. With the addition of Mickey Moose, it all happened again,
but this introduction took less time because Mickey Moose is so huge.
Ferrets use a number of tactics mean to intimidate and frighten, meant to
lessen the chances of injury while still showing the other they are not to
be messed with. I am sure you have seen butt bumping, pushing, hissing,
screaming and hair fluffing. Essentially, one ferret is saying to the
other, "Watch out! I can kick your furry behind!" If you watch carefully,
you will notice almost all the biting takes place between the shoulders on
the neck or sometimes on the face, although mistakes can and do occur. Let
me tell you, if one ferret wanted to KILL another, they have the skills
and abilities to do so, and it would happen so fast that it would be done
before you saw it happening. The skin on the face, neck and between the
shoulders is extremely thick; it has evolved to stand up to dominance and
exclusionary fighting, and it is the target of preference in such fights.
Fights are cyclic in nature, with a lot of people noticing they become
worse in the spring and fall.
When people introduce a new ferret into a group, the group generally sees
the interlopers as territorial invaders and react with an exclusionary
fight. Given time, these fights become dominance fights, which become play
fights as the group accepts the newbes as part of their 'sibling group."
However, there is the occasional ferret which never accepts other ferrets;
they see to have reverted to the "polecat pattern' of excluding others of
the same sex. Your success with these ferrets will be limited and it is
unlikely they will change.
This subject has been heavily discussed in the past, and I recommend you
scan through the archives for a wide range of viable solutions. Almost all
rely on slow introductions to short circuit the exclusionary to a dominance
fight. Keeping one group caged but in the presence of the other group,
swapping bedding, and even covering all the ferrets with vanilla or some
other scent has been tried with varying results. Personally, I think it
ultimately comes down to allowing each ferret to accept the other as a
"sibling." It just takes time.
Bob C and 16 MO Kungfert Fighters
[Posted in FML issue 2979]
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