My ferrets seem to be adjusting okay which is a good thing.  I was a
little worried for a  while.  What I have noticed is that there are no
books readily available nor much information about ferret _behavior_...
and what they do and why they do things... like cats and the way they
move their tails as signs of moods etc...
 
For instance, my two girls have a habit sometimes when I try to stroke
them to turn and try to bite which I have heard as being interpreted as a
playful motion for a ferret, to turn and nip and then wrestle, quite
difficult since my hand dont move in weasel ways... and then they
sometimes jump backwards as if  alarmed, still being cautious about being
around me as they are still getting used to me and me them.
 
So.  What kinds of things can I try to do with them that they will
interpret as playful? What kinds of things can I do to interact with them
in a playful manner to help them get to know me etc...?
 
Secondly,  Helen happens to be a bit of a carpet biter... pulling up
strands and eating em or something... so I have been giving her some
kittymalt in hopes that that will alleviate any hairball or intestinal
blockage problems.  However, it is not going to stop her from munching.
What can I do to try to stop t his type of behavior?  For one, I dont want
my carpet ruined, it comes out of my sec.  deposit if it gets real bad...
(its nowhere near noticeable now) and second, I know its bad for them too.
 
I tried some bitter lime but they actually seem to LIKE the darned stuff!!
 
Thirdly, they have been scratching lots lately which appears to be a case
of dry skin.  I bought some FerretSheen with Aloe and Jojoba in it which
should help but asthey are still becoming acquainted with me, it may be
difficult to bathe and shampoo them...  what is the best way to go about
getting this done in as stress-free (for the ferrets and me) manner
possible?
 
I have been trying to train them to poop in one corner of the room and have
been leaving a single piece in the box as a reminder to them as I have
heard from here and elsewhere that this isa good method.  Unfortunately
they seem to go in whatever corner they darned well please and I have tried
hanging around and waiting for them to poop and then picking them up and
putting them in thebox and then rewarding with linatone.  This works to a
point but...  sheesh they're smart.  They actually waited for me to leave
the room tonight and then proceeded to go poop right next to the
litterbox...  I know someone out there has been havingtroublew ith a little
"poopinator" as well.  If anyone can suggest any other ways besides what I
am trying now, to reinforce this preferable behavior please let me know.
(ifnotI will just get more litterboxes orsomething *chuckle*)
 
Also, can someone email me the phone number or address for a ferret toy
catalog?
 
Thanks muchly!
Dave Welch
Helen & Ceridwen
[Posted in FML issue 1310]