> From: [log in to unmask] (Alayne M. Whaley)
> I have a question regarding introduction of ferrets to each other.
> [...]  He made a noise I've never heard him make before and whenever
> I looked at him, his mouth was open, as if to show his teeth.  The
> noise, at first, seemed to me like short puffs of air leaking from a
> balloon.  Can't figure out how else to describe it.  He seemed to be
> attacking her, and didn't stop the hissing noise until a few minutes
> after they were both separated and caged.  She, when being
> "attacked" did squeal a few times.
 
Sounds like a perfectly normal altercation to me.  The hissing is a
common frustration noise, and what you see as attacking he probably
thinks of as playing.  Our pair get along just fine, sleep together
and divide up the book "rearrangement" jobs pretty evenly, and they
have scuffles like this all the time.  When we separate them, the
female runs back toward the male, not away, so we figure it's okay.  I
let it go unless she starts chittering (as opposed to squealing), in
which case I take the male by the scruff, hiss at him, and tug him
gently about a foot across the floor.  That cures him for as much as
an hour. :)
 
> From: [log in to unmask]
> One of our guys (Fezzik) put on a lot of (well, some) weight with
> his winter coat (which he didn't put on until March, silly thing)
> and he hasn't lost it yet.  [...]  He doesn't really slink anymore,
> since his belly wiggles a little... (you just can't slink right when
> you're not svelte) but ferrets simply *don't* waddle...  Any
> ideas???
 
Rusty didn't get his 'till March either.  Luckily for him, he lost it
-- and the combination of winter and "baby" fat -- in June.  While he
was still plump, he "galumphed".
 
> From: [log in to unmask] (Alayne M. Whaley)
> Avi, the 1 1/2 year old female I just bought has this habit of
> emptying her food dish onto the floor of her cage.  [...]  She also
> grabbed a mouthful once and took it to the closet.
 
Digging in it with her front paws, right?  Ours too.  I don't know
why, although they do seem to do it less with food they like more.  As
for the closet, ours have at least four little stashes of six or eight
kibbles around the room.  Shouldn't hurt anything, as long as it's dry
food, but if you give them fruit or anything watch to be sure it gets
eaten. :)
 
 
- Pam in Rochester, NY
friend to Pixxel and Rusty the furry torpedoes
 
[Posted in FML issue 0884]