Why is my ferret jumping up and down?

Question

When i gave my ferret a bath he started jumping up and down and running and play bighting me, what was he doing?

Answer 1

He was probally scared of the faucet or something.

I would recomend that you get a bucket and fill it with water. so whenever you have to give him a bath you dont have to have the faucet on,you just get the bucket fill it with water get a cup and just use that to pour water on him.Or you can do what i do get a small inflatable pool and you just stick him in there:]

Answer 2

He was playing with you. Baths are very exciting to ferrets. He was probably also trying to dry off. Dooking, that strange oinking kind of noise they make is indicative of happiness/excitement. Listen for it!

Answer 3

He was doing the 'weasel war dance', it's normal for them to be very excited after a bath and to dance around both to dry themselves off and to let out some of that excitement.

It doesn't really mean he liked or disliked the bath, I have one that screams when he comes near water and one that dives in to play all the time, both jump around with excitement after. The excitement of a new experience (something they don't do everyday) gets them going and this is how they show that excitement. It also helps the fur to dry off faster when they jump around and rub up against other things which you probably also noticed.

One thing to keep in mind is that bathing should not be frequent as it will dry out the skin and cause the glands to produce more oil which can lead to a not so fresh smelling ferret. I bath mine on an as needed basis, or if they've been really clean about 2x a year.

Answer 4

If he was playing he probably liked his bath! They love to play and as long as you know he was playing then that is a positive! remember to dry him real good and make sure he doesn't get cold!

Answer 5

Was it like an insane, manic jumping and running? Mine gets like a dog after a bath. He gets extremely hyper, charging all over the place, rubbing up against everything, attacking me and everything that moves, and just having a great time

Answer 6

Ferrets do that when they are excited. It's playing with you.

It can also mean: "Why in the world did you just do that???"

"I can't believe you just did that!"

"You butthead, you got me all wet!!!! I'm gonna get you back!"

The list can go on and on. :D