I just thought I'd share my funny story for the day!

Now, all of the ferrets I've had before loved to steal things - as
every proper ferret does - but it was usually small things like cat
toys, small stuffed animals, basically anything that they could sink
their teeth into.

My recent adopted boy, Benny, seems to have great ambition and
super-ferret strength when it comes to ferret-thieving. Today, I caught
him dragging my husband's very large and heavy sneaker behind the
couch! I swear, that shoe probably weighed more than him! And when I
looked into his little hidey hole ( a corner behind the couch) he had
manged to also hide several of my daughter's beanie babies and
Cricket's (chihuahua) full sized tennis ball!

Benny isn't very large - we went to the vet today and he weighed in
at 2.6 lbs. I'm not sure where he gets the strength to drag around
all of these toys that are his size or larger but he does! What is
even funnier is that Joon just lays there and watches him labor over
dragging sneakers and beanie babies with a ferret smirk on her face, a
jaunty twitch in her tail, and a pitying look in her eye. As soon as
he leaves to find more loot, she runs into his hidey hole and tries to
raid the booty! But poor Joon isn't as strong as super-ferret and she
usually gets caught and reprimanded with a nip on the neck and a swat
on the head as Benny chases her out. I should record a video of this
and put it on YouTube - but with my luck, the fuzzles would be more
interested in the camera than in raiding the house!

I also wanted to say "Thank You!" to everyone who offered advice on the
nip training. I spoke with my vet in depth on this matter and he told
me - as many of you already have - that nipping is sometimes part of a
ferret's personality. Sometimes ferrets will only nip when hurt, ill,
or irritated and for others it's a way to communicate and express how
they feel. To make the ferret who does this stop nipping completely
would be like forcing him to change his personality - and it would also
be nearly impossible to do. So I've been working with my ferret, Benny,
to teach him that he can nip, nibble, and gnaw a little but only with
a small amount of force. So far, it has been very successful. Thanks
again!

Melissa

[Posted in FML 6467]