hello list There have been questions of how to introduce new ferrets to an established group. As of Feb, 2006 ; our two new girls have finally been accepted by the rest of the crew. Chai (renamed cookie) and Angel (still named angel) arrived 4-21-05 shortly after our power house baby Wookie died of juvenile cancer. Cookie is a sort of sable, Angel an albino. A bonded pair of sisters that did not play well with other ferrets and animals. Our existing crew was Yeti, a big white deaf dark eye. Sterling, another deaf dark eyed white, and Camus a big laid back cinnamin as gentle as the day is long. The girls loved Camus, Yeti picked on both the girls, and both girls picked on Sterling. Both girl had intact scent glands and when all ferrets were out at the same time, poop flying stinky poofing events usually happened. Camus passed over the bridge the middle of May and that left the two darkeyed whites and the sisters. We kept two cages, swapped bedding , swapped who was in what cage, things stayed pretty much the same through the summer to the fall. WW3 when all four were out at the same time. Around Thanksgiving, we did carpet cleaning of the whole house, all ferrets had to share a cage on the patio. Some squabbling but no more poofing events. By Christmas Yeti and the girls were play fighting and sleeping together. Girls were still remembered for beating up Sterling. he would cheap shot them at the treat bowl and pick on either one until the second would join in, then he would run. Finally this week, after the guys and gals all ran for a couple of hours and had all gone to ground, I searched for them. The usual favorite spots were empty, I started to worry about a mass escape, but then found all four in a big pile behind the couch in the family room. For the last week they would sometimes all be in the same hamock in the cage in the morning , but this is the first time they all went to ground in the same place while they were out. So how long does it take to mix ferrets, for us from april of 2005 until feb of 2006.... rob in phx [Posted in FML issue 5165]