Re: Ferret "problems"
>They are both twelve and a half weeks old
 
These little ones are BABIES, please keep that in mind.  How well did any
of us listen to our parents when we were a babies?
 
>Our male, Ottar, is a very mellow sort of fellow
 
then he is the exception, most 3-month old baby ferrets are *very* hyper
 
>and Bandit, our little girl, is extremely spunky
 
this is more 'normal,' if anything about ferrets can be called normal
 
>She chews on his ears (until he screams and we make her stop) and the food
>dish, which we remedied with bitter apple.
 
Let me suggest going out and buying the current issue of 'Modern Ferret' and
reading the *excellent* article by Bob Church on boredom in ferrets.  She
sounds very bored to me; please don't confuse boredom with being nasty.
 
>She is still terribly mean to him, dragging him around by his ears, and
>pestering him until he leaves the hammock to sleep on the floor or in the
>litterbox.
 
This sounds like she needs a lot of exercise that she may not be getting.
Ferrets, especially young ones, need a LOT of play time, a LOT of running
around to burn off that energy, just like little kids.  Do you honestly
believe a three and a half month old BABY ferret is being intentionally
mean?  I don't.
 
>Also, in the past couple of weeks she has decided, after three weeks of
>using the litterbox diligently, that she doesn't need to use the box anymore
 
It's not like she thought about it and decided this is what she is going to
do.  Again, you are dealing with a BABY ferret here--cut her some slack.
 
>when I see it and swat them on the head
 
Why are you hitting a BABY animal at all?  for any reason?
 
>She, on the other, would rather get on the floor and go to the bathroom
>right in front of me while I'm watching her.
 
Again, do you honestly believe a BABY animal is going through all those
thought processes?
 
>We started out snapping their noses when they were bad, but she would run
>right back over and start doing the same thing again as soon as she was put
>down.  Then I went to swatting them on the head with one finger and that
>didn't do any good either.  Then I went to swatting her with my open hand
>on her head (using 3 or 4 fingers) and that doesn't seem to work either.
 
In that case, I think fairly soon you will end up with a neurotic, biting,
miserable ferret!  I strongly suggest you take a look at how she is being
treated.  PLEASE, don't hit a baby animal!  It will just confuse them and
make them mistrust you.  The same can be said for hitting ANY animal,
actually.
 
>Is it possible to discipline them by only rewarding them when they are
>good and not doing anything when they are bad?  Would that work?
 
YES!  Ferrets respond much more readily to positive rewards.  Not much of a
surprise -- that's usually the case with any animals/people.
 
>She is usually good when she is out of the cage playing with him
 
Then why not let both of them out more often?
 
>but while she is in the cage she is nasty
 
Do you honestly believe a 3 month old BABY animal has a nasty bone in her
body?  Although if you keep punishing and hitting her, she will soon learn
that humans are not to be trusted.
 
>We think that it is because she thinks that she should be out more
 
Then let them out more!
 
>We are both college students and both have part-time jobs on the weekends,
>so sometimes they don't get let out as much as we would like, but that is
>why we bought two of them instead of one
 
Companionship doesn't make up for lack of exercise; baby ferrets NEED to
run around A LOT.  How would you feel being locked in your dorm room all the
time and someone saying, "oh, they're ok, they have each other, they don't
need to get out"?
 
>I have thought about giving her toys to play with, but they are all noisy
 
How about some quiet toys?  Would you like being locked in a room all the
time with nothing to do?  Don't you think you might start going crazy too?
That is just what is happening to your ferrets.
 
>and I'm afraid that they will be found if they are too loud.  I also can't
>leave them out at night to play because they need to be supervised while
>they are out becuase they get into my roomates belongings.
 
>I am about at the end of my rope right now with her
 
Adopting animals is certainly a big commitment.  Sometimes people find
themselves in situations where such commitment is not possible.  My
suggestion is that you seriously think about the commitment you made to
these 2 animals when you adopted them.  Ferrets need a lot of exercise and
things to do, they are highly intelligent animals.  They need to be treated
with love and respect, just like you would like to be treated.  I hope you
will seriously think about what you are doing.
 
Ronnie DiComo
[Posted in FML issue 2300]