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Post by raynebc on Aug 25, 2015 13:20:07 GMT -5
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Post by raynebc on Aug 26, 2015 13:16:44 GMT -5
Sorry to bother you, Sherry, but I was just hoping to get an expert opinion about whether Copper is playing too roughly with Cally. I finally got it on video (I apologize for the orientation, I held the phone landscape style before pressing record, but it shot it in portrait anyways): drive.google.com/file/d/0B1VNFqdtmy_idlF2VFBhVlRiUVk/view?usp=sharingShe starts squealing at around 1:20. I don't perceive this as Copper attacking her, maybe just annoying her beyond her limit. I never see any of them get bloodied up or fear poop during these, just chasing/wrestling/pouncing. When she went to hide in the turtle, Copper seemed to take the hint she didn't want to play and he left her alone. |
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Post by Deleted on Aug 26, 2015 16:09:40 GMT -5
To me, but I'm not really a expert, I'm just very interested in animal and especially ferret behavior, it looks like they are getting to know each other, the one following the white headed one, Copper? seems curious about the newcomer and the newcomer, Cally? don't really want the attention and finds it annoying but shes not so annoyed that it gets into fighting, maybe because she is the non-dominant one.
It's a behavior I've seen when my ferrets where getting to know each other. They're not really fighting and not really playing, something in between, before they have established their hierarchy thoroughly.
In the other video you shared there's the same behavior you can see copper zooming in on cally's neck while playing and then lick her, a bit of force grooming so no one forgets who's the boss. They probably will be getting along just fine given some time.
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Post by Sherry on Aug 26, 2015 19:11:20 GMT -5
They look fine  She is a panda, so odds are she is deaf. They tend to vocalize a LOT  If she was actually upset with him she'd have kicked his butt while screaming at him at the top of her lungs! |
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Post by raynebc on Aug 26, 2015 19:13:48 GMT -5
Thank you both for your input. Maybe Copper's extreme interest in her makes her a bit nervous.
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Post by raynebc on Aug 28, 2015 1:41:34 GMT -5
Copper still pesters Cally a bit, but they still cuddle up to sleep without any drama. I saw Copper trying to pin and groom Rusty today, but Rusty didn't see too happy about it and retreated. Copper will probably be the alpha out of sheer perseverance.
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Post by Sherry on Aug 30, 2015 15:57:33 GMT -5
I think once wee Cally grows up they may ALL be surprised on who is alpha |
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Post by raynebc on Sept 2, 2015 15:13:08 GMT -5
Copper still picks on the new guys every once in a while. He licks their back and then eventually goes chomp. It's a lot lower than on their scruff though, is this normal dominance setting behavior? I don't want him causing any spinal injuries. They do still get along well enough to all occasionally sleep in the same pile, if it's any consolation:  Here's a video of Rusty getting excited for dinner: drive.google.com/file/d/0B1VNFqdtmy_iUmRaVEhtY1ZMRmM/view?usp=sharing |
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Post by Deleted on Sept 2, 2015 15:24:03 GMT -5
They are all so beautiful. You have a couple of tail waggers in there.
My Roamy does the back grooming thing on Wynstan. He gets rather intimate and Wynstan gets some red marks on his neck. Wynstan allows it though.
From what I've read force grooming may be a precursor to Adrenal. I'm keeping an eye on Roamy. Right now I think he just really loves his Wynstan.
All of yours look happy and healthy and are having so much fun.
:wave3:
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Post by raynebc on Sept 2, 2015 15:51:44 GMT -5
I caught Copper biting and trying to shake (but lost his grip) the other day. Is this too aggressive, or normal? Cally is pretty big now so it's not like she's a kit, but I don't know if she knows to fight back.
I never see him picking on Reska like this, before or after the new ferrets were integrated, I don't know if that weighs in at all on the possibility of adrenal.
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Post by Deleted on Sept 2, 2015 16:02:38 GMT -5
I think Cooper is just letting Cally know he was there first. If Cally were truly frightened, she would poop or pee. She would also run away and not come out for a long while.
In your videos, all is going very normal.
Roamy doesn't do this to Juliet his bonded mate. I don't know for sure what it means, but I haven't seen anything to indicate Adrenal on Roamy's end. Just this one behavior and only with Wynstan.
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Post by Deleted on Sept 2, 2015 16:03:39 GMT -5
One other note, when Roamy is beating up on anyone new, then his tail is very bottle brushed.
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Post by raynebc on Sept 2, 2015 17:42:19 GMT -5
I've never seen any of them poo/pee out of fear. Is grabbing and shaking enough to warrant intervening?
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Post by Deleted on Sept 3, 2015 5:10:08 GMT -5
If there is no poo or pee or shrieking, it's fine. No intervening is needed. The shaking is a dominance thing. ^_^
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Post by raynebc on Sept 3, 2015 15:26:28 GMT -5
The new guys have quite an appetite. Cally still likes to stash food, but if I "correct" her by picking her up and returning her to the plate she will eat there until I'm gone and then I'll find a stash somewhere and I'll return it to the plate. The chicken wing they all shared last night went really quickly, and I didn't find a big stash of it so I gave them another half a wing and it was gone by morning. So I'll be upping their meal sizes a bit more, but all four of them collectively eat 2.5 to 3 times as much as when it was just Copper and Reska.
Copper's and Rusty's weights have been pretty stable over the last few weighings, and while Cally has gained about 10 grams since I got her, Reska has lost about the same. I still see her in the first wave of ferrets attacking a fresh plate of food sometimes (like heart+liver breakfast this morning), but I have to just keep adjusting amounts to ensure they've always got food when they want.
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