Hi Rachel,
 
The noises you've been hearing from Goober are his protest in having his
castle invaded by a newbie and are perfectly normal in the ferret world.
It will take time and patience to integrate Goober with his new playmate.
First, you'll need to start off by housing the new furkid in a separate
cage and giving them separate playtimes until they bond.  Ferrets have
a definite social order among them and your two will have to establish
which fert is going to rule.  Chances are that it will be Goober, since
his is your resident ferret.  Start by putting them together in a small
room and watch while they say hello.  Your presence is necessary to make
sure neither ferrets gets hurt during their introduction.  Five or ten
minutes or so is enough time for their first few meetings and as a
start.  The ferrets will likely face off and begin fighting, but this
is necessary for them to bond.  Put some of Goobers bedding in your new
ferret's cage and some of the newbie's bedding in Goober's cage so they
can become famiiliar with one anothers scent.  A side note: If your new
ferret is a kit and much smaller than Goober, introductions may have to
wait until the kit grows.  As time goes on, and Goober becomes more
familiar with the idea of his new playmate, you can increase the time
they spend together during the introductory period.  If you hear either
ferret screaming or see 'fright poop' being flung about, separate the two
kids immediately.  Give Goober lots of cuddles and reassurance during
this process so he won't think you're replacing your love for him with
his new friend.  And don't forget to cuddle and comfort the new fert to
reassure that it's welcome in his/her new home.
 
I am in the process now of introducing a new kit to my ferret business.
Nada, my deaf dew female, is a matriarch and is adamant about ruling the
roost here.  It took time, but Nada has accepted her two brothers since
she adopted me, and she was a lone ferret too, for the first 22 months
of her life.  Good luck with this.  There's also an excellent book on the
market titled Ferrets for Dummies, authored by Kim Schilling, which has a
wealth of information for ferret lovers.
 
Cordially,
Greta Hoisington
[Posted in FML issue 4323]