>From:    Marion Houle <[log in to unmask]>
>The problem - ever since Bartles had his adrenalectomy, he has started
>displaying the most bizarre behaviour.  Are you ready for this?  He is
>trying to have sex with his brother Jaymes.
 
A friend of mine (who, at the time, also had three male ferrets)
experienced this several years ago, though there was no adrenalectomy
involved and the ferret in question -- Homer -- was slightly younger than
your Bartles.  You didn't mention the age of the other "involved" ferret
but if the pattern fits, Homer was the youngest of the three; also, this
behavior did not fit Homer's personality -- he was always the shy one.  We
never did figure out why he was doing this but after several months, the
behavior went away and never resurfaced.
 
>From:    Nancy Brenny <[log in to unmask]>
>Subject: MF Tooo Young!
>I work at a pet store that sell Marshal Ferrets and out of the last three
>batches we have had problems.  The first ferret was shipped too young and
>we had to put cortaid on her rear end because the harder food that she had
>eaten on the way.  The next problem we have had was a little black eyed
>white that was not even weaned from its mother.  We are feeding her a milk
>like product used for feeding baby animals.  I was wondering if anyone else
>has had this problem.
 
Again, the same friend special ordered a Marshall ferret (also a black-eyed
white) less than a month ago who was not ready to be removed from his
mother (she was told that he was 6 weeks old).  I'm sure that the stress of
being shipped across the country to the eastern Iowa area -- first by plane
and then by truck and, finally, by car -- and a new home within the course
of 12 hours added to this, but that little fuzz baby screamed at the top
of his lungs (except when sleeping) for a full day or two.  He was also a
biter during those first few days, but once he settled down he was -- and
is -- the sweetest little thing.  It doesn't sound like he was as young as
the ferret you describe, but we definitely felt that he was a little on the
young side.
 
-- Andy, Tripod Bob, & Lily
[Posted in FML issue 3014]