I need help!  We got a kit about three weeks ago when he was 8 weeks old.
It's our first ferret, although we did lots of research before getting him
(Sydney).  Sydney is wonderful except for one thing--he cries and whines
whenever we put him in his kennel if one of us is still in the room.  At
first we thought this was just a baby thing, and we just have to let him cry
until he figures out that crying doesn't mean we will let him out.  Then he
thought it must not be working because we can't hear him, so he got louder.
We usually end up putting the kennel in the bathroom just to get him to be
quiet.  All his "stuff" is in the kennel--his food, water, litter pan, bed,
toys.  And if I lay down next to his kennel and talk to him he quiets down
and curls up in his bed.  So basically, he wants to be the center of
attention, as far as i can figure.  This whole thing is a problem because we
don't feel he's trained enough to run free if we're not watching him.  The
only real solution I've come up with is to get another ferret, but this
isn't feasible for us right now--we saved for four months to get Sydney.  We
are looking for a good big appliance box that he could run around in when we
can't keep a close eye on him which might help.  But the REAL problem here
is that we are driving to visit our parents for Christmas--11 hours--and we
just don't think we can take the whining for that long.  We wouldn't have
bought him before Christmas if we hadn't read what great travelers ferrets
are!  What can we do?  Is there any hope?  Is it possible to train him not
to cry any other way than we have been?  Will he get over it eventually?  We
are desperate!  The sounds just break our hearts!
 
Thanks in advance!
 
Theresa, Brent, and Sydney
[Posted in FML issue 1400]