Ferrets sucking eachother's ears

[Sword619]

So, recently I got my first ferret. I decided to get another one so they could play while I'm out of the house and whatnot. 

They're both only about 2 months old, but whenever one of them sleeps, the other one sucks on its ear until it falls asleep too. They both do it- it isn't exclusive. 

Were they not weaned properly? Can somebody explain this behavior so I better understand it? It isn't a big deal or anything (that I know of) - I'm just curious. 
I DID get them from a local Petco (though I generally don't like purchasing pets from pet stores), and I've heard Marshall ferrets are often taken from their mothers a bit too early (I assume most mass breeders probably do this). Is this perhaps why?

It reminds me of how my cat tries to suck on my face when she's hungry or sleepy (I rescued her when she was 4wks old or so from the side of the road in a cardboard box). I nurtured her back to health but she never really had a proper weaning process, so she retained some of her past kitten behaviors.

And, by any chance, could this be harmful to their ears? As in, sucking the skin raw leading to irritation, etc.

Sorry if these questions are extremely obvious, but I'd rather ask than not. Thanks for reading!

[LindaM]

Yes, ear sucking is common behavior when kits have been removed from their mothers too young, and it's very common for that to happen to them on the farms. It can also be very uncomfortable for the one whose ears are getting sucked on, and can indeed do damage, they can develop cauliflower ears from it. Blood vessels will burst inside the ears, creating blood blisters that will need to be opened and drained by a vet then stitched up again. The ears will never heal quite right either due to damage to the cartilage.

So you will need to do your best to discourage this behavior. Make sure they have things to chew and suck on like chicken wings and gizzards.

[Sherry]

I would also pick up some sudocream(you can get it from amazon in the US), and use that on their ears to discourage this.
And yes, it is because they are weaned and removed from mum about 4 weeks of age

[Sword619]

I've ordered some Sudocrem and a few other things (as suggested) to work towards discouraging the behavior. Thank you both! It means a lot to me.

[Stef]

Feb 10, 2017 15:08:51 GMT -5 Sword619 said:

I've ordered some Sudocrem and a few other things (as suggested) to work towards discouraging the behavior. Thank you both! It means a lot to me.

What else did u buy? I'm looking to discourage mine.

[Ferret mom]

Is there anything you give them to suck on instead of there buddies? I was thinking maybe a pacifier or a nipple of some kind?

[Corvidophile]

Those are made from thin folded over prices of silicone, and would be fun to chew, but h*ll to swallow and create a blockage. Give chicken gizzards, they’re very bouncy and safe to eat. Most pet (and infant) chew toys that I can think of are a no-go for ferrets, as they have a penchant for swallowing them and getting blockages.

[unclejoe]

Please don't give your ferrets any kind of rubber toys. They can cause intestinal blockage and be deadly. I know. It happened to Scamp.