Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Hi I got 2 new ferrets a month ago and I am in need of seriouse help. Their names are Mary jane and 18. 18 like to interact with me, but mary Jane doesn't. They dont play tug of war I was kind of paranoid about them wrestling so I used to stop them when I first got them You know new mom paranoia Now thay barely even play with each other. They interact but they dont PLAY I have been working my hardest with them, and getting as much help from my family as I can but I dont get home till 6 and leave at 5 AM. I then have home-work, chores, and the little leisures of 7th grade like eating and sleeping more than 4 hours a night. I cannot spend more than 2 hours maybe three on them week days but I try and I take them out side on the weekends and le them explore with water( they hate "bathtime" and other rooms, smells, and tastes. Mary Jane is a little larger than 18 and I can post pics if I can figure out how to work that camera. Please any tips would be great. And one other thing, before I read a whole lot more on htem which was like the first two weeks of their stay with me, I didnt really react with them at all. I want to thank you soooo much for acctually getting to the bottom of this giant post, but I really do appreciate any help you can give on any thing that has to do with caring for and making the lives better of a ferret.

Thank you

Get the book Ferrets for Dummies, and try surfing on www.ferretcentral.org. There are many links and articles on that website to help you learn more about the needs of a ferret. Don't give them a bath too often, if you do, they just overproduce oils and smell more, change their bedding frequently instead. Unless they get into something that gets them dirty, I wouldn't bathe more often than once every few months. Do they have any toys? Try getting some tubes for them to run in, you can get the black plastic drainage tubing at Lowes or home Depot really cheap and cut it into sections so they have several. There are more ideas for toys on the web if you search around for it. Good luck with your new friends.

thank you soooo much. I have been reading ferrets for dummies and I know about the baths and stuff btu thanks ne ways. I am really concerned about them not being the phsyco fuzzbuts everyone makes them out to be. They dont wrestle ne more I thinks cuz I used to tell them to stop, and they dont play tug of war thay lose concentration in tiys they have a few like those chicken fat chewy toy 2 easter eggs that have knittted covers and tails and I intentionally cluttered my room with blankets. I am testing with new food that dummies guid to ferrets approved new treats they like it out side thay hate being put in the water, and Mary Jane like to bite me if I pet her. 18 is more doominant she doesnt bully but if 18 and mary jane fight over a toy 2 seconds into the fight which is just tug of war 18 wins wiith no reall tugging. thank you soooooooo much

The fighting is actually a form of playing for them. They will also try to wrestle with you to play. I have never had a ferret that liked being just held and petted. They get bored really easily. Try some paper sacks for them to play in, or some plastic ones, but if you use the kind from the store cut through the loops for handles so they don't get tangled and strangle themselves. I even use clean plastic trash bags for mine to play in sometimes. Try dragging them around on a towel, or flipping the towel over them so they can jump and run in and out, or hold it up and let them climb up it. I will take plastic balls and roll them through the plastic tubing I told you about and they go chase them down and drag them back out. I have not tried this one yet, but many people make dig boxes for their ferrets by filling a box with regular rice (not the instant rice) and letting them dig around in it. They love to dig. try some of those things and see how they like it.

I don't leave them alone with the plastic bags, that is always supervised so they don't get wrapped up and suffocate. I don't really know that they would, they end up shredding it with their claws before it's all over, but I don't leave them out when I'm not there just to be safe.

thank you sooo much I hav heard of a few of those tricks but most of t hem I havent

mine loved bags as well...boxes were also a hit with mine, I would make sure they had several holes cut into them that they could get in and out of...remeber they all have their own personality so what one likes another may not...you could get a new pair of socks, ball them up and let them play with that, just watch that they don't chew the socks up...

Hello, I am ASK's Mother ecb
She took your advice and made a city of small boxes attached to each other with holes, and a new adventure in each one
both she and I am Proud of what she has created for them

She stopped seperating the Ferrets when they began to wrestle in her presence, and just yesterday they started up again
She is VERY happy about that

Unfortunatly
she was giving 18 kisses, and 18 was kissing her back and 18 decided she was JUST AS COOL as a Ferret, and BIT HER UPPER LIP
I tried to explain that it was most likely a compliment (of course I know NOTHING about Ferrets, but this was logical from what I have been told)
A is feeling a little tender (figuratively as well as literally)
Please let her know your impressions of this interaction

thanks in advance

sorry to hear she was bit and I hope this does not dampen her affection for the ferrets...I have had plenty of pets of all different sorts and they are at the top of my list...yes, ferrets will bite but they can be taught not to...we had a very wild ferret several years ago...my daughter was holding it once too close to her face, which she was warned about...well long story short she got bit...of course that was soon after we got the new ferret and did not have her for long enough to have breaken her of the habbit of biting...wrestling is very normal for ferrets....typical play for them...one (the boss) may even grab the other by the scruff of the neck and drag it across the floor...it is their way of asserting dominance...as long as the skin is not broken they are just playing...I am glad she took my advice about the boxes and it is great to see she improved upon it by joining several...give her a pat on the back from me...

thank you no I still love them very much I normally dont mind being bitten and I say NO and stuff and if it gets really bad the biter is locked up for a few minutes and they are sooo sweet. I will try to post a few pics that I took of them. i just spazzed because normally when they give kisses they dont bite and my lip skin is more tender. now I have noticed that they goe nibble nibble and then BITE so i say NO before thay can bite me. Thank you again

glad to hear it...it sounds like you are really enjoying them...keep me posted and I would love seeing some pictures...