Hi,
 
I response to a few questions about why ferrets do the backwards hugging and
scooting of objects, preferably round ones.  This is something that I
believe all feerets have done or will don in their lives.  As we know,
ferrets love to play with just about anything the can walk off with.  If
you've ever seen a ferret try to take something to his hidey hole you will
understand this.  Ferrets don't generally carry things in their mouths to
transport and hide them.  Mant things they steal are too big for that
anyway.  Ferrets are not skilled at pushing somethign with their snout
either.  I think ferrrets also don't do this because their new prized
possesion might escape them and be lost making it more work to retrieve.
Ferrets seem to get very possesive about an object that they want that they
have recently aqquired.  That is why the hug it to their chest with their
front pwas, so no other ferrets or anything else can steal it away from
them.  In order to move the object and keep it secure, they must scoot
backwards so they can get it safely to their hidey-hole or favorite spot
where they like to hide things.  Some people think that because the
attention span of a ferret is so short, how could they latch on to something
and keep at it for so long, as most ferrets who display this behavior take
quite a bit of time to accomplish this task.  I really dont know why, but I
think it may be a territorial thing in regards to the scent that a ferret
may add to his new found treasure to tell others ferret that it is his
property.  It is the same as animals marking their territory.  Like places
around a multiple ferret owners home, where the owner frequently lets their
ferret run free, each ferret will mark out areas of the home that it wants
to have control of.  The ferret will also mark objects, etc..  and other
items that are in the area he marks as well.  Ferret s are always curious,
so they will try and take objects that are movable from another ferret
sterritory into their own.  I think the hugging is a ferret's defence
angianst theft.  After hugging, the ferret will them proceed to stash the
object to evade the other ferrets inquiries.  My ferrets always mark the
areas in my home, especially the movable objects, which are always the
targets of theft by other ferrets.  Regardless of attention span, when my
ferrets try for a steal on others of mine, long drwn out battles ensue over
the protection of their properties.  I have managed to lacate all of the
hiding spots which are all easily accesiblr for me, so sometimes I like to
have some fun.  I will remove all of the ferrets tresures from each of the
spots while they are caged or asleep.  I will then jumble them up and put
them into different hiding spots different from before.  The boys are then
let loose and the battles begin.  The first reaction is, Hey who stole my
goods, followed by numerous different, elaborate, and drawn out weasel war
dances by each of my ferrets.  Because each ferret has to get back his loot
as well as defend his territory from invaders.  My ferrets become confused
with which task is more important.  They will be dashing for other hiding
spots, while also trying to defend themselves from attack, and will then get
back to their own area, to discover another ferret in the proccessof
burglary, so they will have to drop their ecovered loot and goo on the
defence.  The fleeing ferret will the steal the loot from the ferret who
dropped his to attack.  These furious and confusing battles can go on fro
hours before the ferrets will just become content with the objects that they
have and re-mark them so they are theirs.  The worst is when a ferret has an
object stolen that he really wants to have back no matter what and continues
to attack others for it.  My Dewey did this once with a superball and ended
up giving and recieving lacerations to the face when he got too personal
with Louie and a serious ferret fight broke out.  In casses like these,
where object possesion gets hectic, I have to take all of the objects and
descent them.  My ferrets are then put into their normal playroom with the
door closed while I proceed to scatter the objects all over the house.  I
then let the loose to find the objects that they want.  An object wanted by
more than one ferret is discareded, or if a ferret discovers that the object
he was looking for is already taken, that object is also discarded as well.
That way I don't have to make trips to the vets for stitches.  All of the
above is actually a large scale drawn out Stratego game so to say.  Only
there are no winners and losers because that would end up with to the death
fights.  Instead, I often change objects or clean them, and do not allow for
winners and losers, so the game just go back and forth.  Seek out steal, be
raided and stealed from so to say.  Win and the lose, win and then lose,
where the score is tied allof the time.  My ferrets are all about the same
size and weight, so there are no situatiuons where a ferret cannot ever have
a good chance and defense or raid.  This id their favorite thing to do, and
they refuse to do anything else except one on one and group tug of war when
the Stratego game gets boring, because no one wants to attempt a raid
anymore for the time being.  I notice this occasionally, and that is my
signal to get out the small dogs pull toys.  The hug and scoot, as I call
it, is probably one of the most entertaining forms of ferret play that I
know of that rate up there with the weasel war dance.  Ferrets often dook
quite a bit when they perform the hug and scoot, and are often very intence
with there movements as well.  Dewey has been known recently to hug
ping-pong balls and then proceeds to roll over and toss them like you would
if you were shooting a basketball with your back turned to the hoop using an
inderhand two-handed shooting style.  This si fun on smooth hard floors,
where the pig-pong ball will go bouncing away while he gets up, so he dooks
after it, hugs it, scoots back to where he was before, and tosses it again.
I like this becasue each of my ferret have a trick of their own that is
unique and is not mimicked by the others or taught to them by me as well.
Enjoy the hug and scoot if your ferret does it, if not, try finding him some
objects that he has a good liking for that are not edidle and will not be
things that he normaqlly likes to chew on.  However, my ferret have a few
objects like mini-nylabones that they chew on as well as drag around.  I do
not know of very many ferret s that do not on the occasion take the
opportunity to collect objects that appeal to them.  Have fun!!!
 
Sincerly and ddok, Max Holmquist and the hopeless mustelids (In loving
memory of Uwe, who resides at the rainbow bridge)   :-)
[Posted in FML issue 1759]