Ferrets keep fighting :( help please :(

Question

Yet again another question from me to you ever so wonderful people!

I have 1 male ferret who is just over one year old, recently i bought an 8 - 10 week male kit for my sister and for the otherone to have a friend.

Mikey (1 year old fez) keeps fighting with Charlie (new one). Im sure its not playing because just the way he does it, its really rough with alligator rolls, draggin etc...

I decided to let them fight it out under constant supervision and its getting worse as the new fez has a few little scratches on his back from the biting so now i have decided to stop them from fighting.

i let them sniff each other through cages and swap there cages over so they sniff around the others cage for a couple of mins. i bathed them together and they got on! Mikey wasnt bothered and even licked the other one on the head but then started again.

I have bought some ferretone and just waiting for it to arrive and im thinking about putting some on them so they l**k instead of bite each other.. just got to wait till it arrives though!

I really want them to get along and be best of friends!! Its only a temporary seperated cage and cant be kept like this forever.

Please if you have any suggestions or questions contact me!

Either answer this or talk to me on msn : [e-mail]

It's quite an urgent question!

Thank youuu!

Answer 1

They are trying to establish dominance who is the Alpha. I will quote this from the book Ferrets by animal planet.

The first encounter should begin by placing the ferrets' cages side by side. In this way, they have an opportunity to become acquainted safely through the cages. There may be a few spats because ferrets can be territorial.

Keep the ferrets separate for a few days. When you feel the time is right, open both cage doors, stand back, and let them come out. They probably will sniff each other from nose to tail, which is normal, then either get along, wrestle a bit, or fight. Allow the initial contact to last for a few minutes. Do not push togetherness. extend their social time slowly each day until they get used to each other.

Get- acquainted sessions should be brief and scheduled twice a day until the ferrets decide to become roommates. you will know that they are ready when you see them cuddle together in their chosen cage. Friendship takes time; some within two to three months, and unfortunately, some never bond. If your ferrets do not bond after six months , separate housing and playtime will be necessary.

When I got Loki she had been by herself for a year and a half (maybe longer I'm not sure if the girl lied to me about her age) she had never seen another ferret. I got Rolo 2 months after I got Loki she was an 8 week old kit. There was lots of hissing screaming and dragging around and barking. It was scary looking. I just made sure I stayed far back and didn't intervene. I sat on a chair with my feet up (when there is a ball of fur flying around the room and they are biting at each other they can easily mistake you foot leg or ankle as another weasel. I've gotten bit quite a few times being in their way. So just try to do what this article says and then hopefully it goes well from there. Loki and Rolo would not sleep together for about a week then one day I woke up and they were cuddled together in the same hammock so all was well.