I recently took a job that made it necessary to take a hiatus from volunteering in person at the ferret shelter, and I miss all the adoptable beasties there terribly. Especially this fella, Toby, who’s four pounds easy and is the sweetest, lolling-est, cuddliest furball you ever met, and is thus referred to as Stuffy, Mr. McStuffins, Sir Stuffs-a-Lot, and other nicknames that imply that he is, in fact, a giant teddy bear:
I have a major thing for the striped-headed ones, apparently.
A.
Nice how he is looking up at you, apparently asking for something or looking for approval.
Out of curiousity, a lot of what I’ve read from you about ferrets makes them sound a lot like cats. How are the other ferrets about inviting the newcomers?
Maple, depends. Generally they will work it out. When we first got Claire, it took Bucky a while to figure out how hard he could rassle with her before she fought back and/or ran and hid. Claire had to toughen up and Bucky had to calm down.
If it won’t work, you usually know right away: Major bottle-brush tails, shrieking, biting, blood being drawn. I’ve known a few ferrets who just flat-out hated other ferrets, or who wouldn’t tolerate anybody but his/her bonded partner. Most of them, however, will argue for a while and then settle down.
A.