Getting a new boy to cooperate

[jenkg]

I'm seeking advice. I got a new boy and girl from a rather desperate situation. The girl has settled in with our four girls nicely. The boy on the other hand runs over and jumps on top of one of our girls grabs her by the neck then shakes her and tries to drag her off. Of course she shrieks horribly.  I intervene each time with a scruff and a "no" then he goes in his cage or our carrier for a timeout. I got him to lick salmon oil with one of the girls but as soon as the oil was gone he was after her. I've been told he's three years old. Our girls are in the range of 5-7 years old. He's a big boy so I worry that he will hurt the girls but I really want to make this work. I've swapped bedding. His cage is a smaller one that's supposed to be temporary and I have it next to our Ferret Nation.  I've put him in the carrier in the same room as everyone else but they all avoid him.  If I let him out he seeks out one of the girls and goes after her aggressively. They're all scared of him.  They see him and immediately the tail bushes out, hackles go up and they find somewhere to hide.  He's only like that with our four girls.  He's fine with the girl he came with.  She on the other hand sleeps with our girls and while somewhat aloof, is doing fine.  Thoughts?

[unclejoe]

All you can do is give it time, and it may take some. We've had all personality types around here. A couple males that were intro'd to a new business literally took a year to accept them all.

[jenkg]

Do I just keep trying supervised visits and putting him away when he gets aggressive?

[Corvidophile]

Yup, just keep at it slowly.

[Charlie]

If it doesn't work out you may have 2 separate businesses....the new one with the little girl and they boy and your other ones. At least there isn't one on it's own.

[abbeytheferret6]

If I let him out he seeks out one of the girls and goes after her aggressively. They're all scared of him. They see him and immediately the tail bushes out, hackles go up and they find somewhere to hide. He's only like that with our four girls.

Well I am going to be more negative by saying---this is not going to work.
I had the same thing happen to me with a new boy that I introduced to my girls.. Matter of fact, I attribute my Annabelle's broke leg to a fight she had with the male. After they got in a fight, the next morning she was holding her foot up. I took her in for an xray and she had a butterfly break. It is the break that looks like a triangle. It is on the leg that is shown more fully in the pic.

My boy sought out my girls too and dooking as he did it. So what I do, is block off a section of my house with a Kaytee playpen for ferrets. I have one of the ends lodged between a book shelf and the other behind a drawer.

I got him to lick salmon oil with one of the girls but as soon as the oil was gone he was after her.

Oh yeah, that doesn't work either--- I think it was Poncesmom who tried washing all her ferrets together in a tub, and when they were dry, it was the same old story. I thought I was lucky when mine all ate together, but when the meal was over---yes, you guessed it.

I intervene each time with a scruff and a "no" then he goes in his cage or our carrier for a timeout.

The forum does not promote scruffing---only when trying to make a ferret be still for medication. They will take it as a sign of aggression on your part.  If you notice a lot of times when a ferret attacks another they will creep around the side of the other one and grab the neck area. Anyway, that is what I have observed. This behavior I do not think will resolve with time-outs. I think you are going to wear yourself out putting him in there all the time.
(my two cents worth)

[unclejoe]

I might as well add that we had one female, Miss Prissy, that lived to be 10 and only accepted one other ferret her whole life. She would viciously attack with intent to kill any others that invaded her space.


IMG_0099 by unclejoe1158, on Flickr