Dear Emily - so you have never heard of the weasel wardance!?  Your little
Nietra is a happy, happy ferret, and she is trying to tell you so!  She is
also trying to get you to play with her, so please don't shy away from this
behavior of hers - join in the fun!  Since she has been with you for only 3
weeks, she is probably just now feeling confident and secure in her new home
and with you.   Yes it's cute when they do that - it's absolutely adorable!
Chase her and play with her - that's what she wants!
 
Sorry, but I just can't get used to the idea of keeping ferrets outdoors.
In fact, the idea really bothers me.  We have 36, and I would never consider
keeping any of them outside.  And what's the problem with keeping your PET
indoors anyway?  If your house is too good or tidy or clean for your ferret,
then why even have one?  He cannot wake up from his sleep and enjoy the
scents of the household and you or watch the activity of his beloved people
around him - even if it's not his time to come out of his cage.  There's
bound to be much more of a sense of lonliness and isolation with ferrets who
must live outside, away from the domain of their humans.  I have heard of
ferrets dying from the heat outside, and one who escaped from her
"unescapeable" outdoor hutch, never to be found again.  I also know of a
ferret who was swiped several times from her outdoor cage by neighborhood
children.  Besides the dangers of keeping your ferret outdoors, he is being
cruely deprived of his innate desire to be with his human friends.  And just
because wild relatives of the ferret reside outdoors in cold climates, it
does not mean that your DOMESTIC pet is comfortable or happy out there.  I'm
curious to know if the people who keep their ferrets outdoors allow their
cats and dogs into the house.
[Posted in FML issue 1719]