Adding to the family

[Ferret Lover]

I want to add 2 more ferret to my family. I currently own only2, male and female, and they share a fairly large tiered cage. The ferret I own are paired and the ones I want to adopt are paired m and f as well. Do they need separate cages? Should I be careful for ferret turf wars? What things should I consider most before adopting them? Let me know your thoughts and all responses are very appreciated.

[unclejoe]

Hi. Ferrets are all unique and you really can't tell if the will get along until they actually meet. That said, most of them get along great together. We've had maybe 3 out of 30 that caused problems, one with everyone and a couple with a particular ferret. Sadly, Miss Prissy was intolerant until she passed at 10 yo. Scamp picked on Pandy for nearly 1 1/2 years until he finally got over it, whatever it was.
When I was new at this, I just assumed they were all sociable, and would bring home a pair of rescues and just throw them in the cage while the others were sleeping with no problems. That was when they were all Marshall's. 2 problem ferrets were Real Canadians and 1 was private bred.

[brittanyb]

Hi there, Ferret Lover. If you're in the U.S., your ferrets are very likely Marshall's ferrets. Like unclejoe, I have never had any trouble with my Marshall's ferrets getting along with others, as they tend to be quite passive. However, there is of course no guarantee.

When you bring your new family members home, be sure to do a 2-week quarantine with them (in a separate room of the house) to ensure that the newcomers are free of any communicable diseases, and to allow them to adjust to their new home. Then, start "blanket swapping." Put bedding from each of the cages into the other one so that they get used to each other's scents. The next step is to put their cages side-by-side so that the ferrets can safely see each other up close.

During introductions, make sure to start in a neutral place (I use a bathroom, because my ferrets aren't normally allowed in there) to hopefully avoid any territorial behavior. I introduce the newcomer to one of my ferrets at a time so as to not overwhelm them. I've thankfully only ever had positive experiences with this. They typically spend a lot of time sniffing each other, and then immediately start to play and/or follow one another around the room. Keep in mind that it's okay if they don't get along initially. The rule is to step in if anyone is drawing blood or peeing/defecating during the scuffle. Integrating ferrets who don't take to each other right away is possible, but just takes more time and patience. Good luck!

[Lola498]

Hello! We have introduced a total of 4 ferrets into the family throughout the years. You can't expect a ferret to like another ferret if they don't like them, but start slowly introducing the new one. This is kinda what we did:
Say hello through the cage and do a sniff session
Pull one of the old ferrets and the new ferret into a room so they can get acquainted one by one
Keep the ones they got along with, in that room and slowly keep re-acquainting the ones they didn't get along with.
Keep in mind that male ferrets and sometimes 'toddler' ferrets can be harder to get along with. But ALWAYS quarantine the new ferrets for 2 weeks to make sure you won't get your precious babies sick. Keep in mind that you need to give both sides of the ferrets plenty of time, don't rush them.
From,

Owner of 3 mischievous fur babies: Lola, Shelby, and Ari

[Charlie]

Like mentioned above, quarantine the new ferrets for 2 weeks. I'd suggest taking the new ferrets to the vet to be checked over as well. You didn't mention if they are coming from a pet store or ferrets you are getting from someone else.

Brittanyb said it well for introductions. Keep the meetings brief at first and gradually increase the length of time.