Dear Andrea,
 
Don't feel bad that Ollie didn't get along with the little baby.  Some guys
are just happier being single ferrets.  When I first went off to college and
had to spend a semester in a pet-free dorm, I kept my ferret Ellie with
another family.  They already had two ferrets of their own, Gilligan and The
Major.  The Major was really sweet, and I think that she and Ellie might
have gotten along well.  However, the first time Gilligan got sight of
Ellie, she started chasing Ellie around the room like a tyrant.  Poor Ellie
ended up shaking in the corner, scared to death.  After that, the owners
were sure never to let the other two out at the same time as Ellie, but I
still felt so bad for her the whole time that she was there.  After I moved
into my own apartment (still pet-free, but easier to smuggle one little
ferret into), Ellie was once again a happy single pet.  I tried bringing her
to some ferret frolics after that to introduce her to some more gentle
animals, but she would always just go and hide in her bag.  Ah, well.
 
When I got my two new little babies, I made sure to get them from the same
litter so that they would already be used to each other.  Now Delta is the
tyrant... he's always running up behind Epsie and jumping on him.  But Epsie
doesn't mind because Delta is his brother who makes a warm sleeping
companion and helps to distract me when Epsie is trying to sneak out the
door.
 
Anyway, I'm happy that your wonderful relationship with Ollie has been
restored.  If he likes it being just him and you, no need to change that.
 
Happy cuddling,
 Julie
[Posted in FML issue 1715]