Young ferret screaming?

[laurxnr]

Hi guys!! So, I own 2 ferrets. My oldest is about a year and I just got another one who is quite younger. They get along pretty well but my youngest has screaming fits? He’s pretty vocal when he wants out of his cage which is nothing new to me BUT about a week ago he has latched onto my finger pretty darn well and he started hissing and screaming while at it. It freaked me out but he let go and just carried on. He had bit my sisters boyfriend 2 days ago and did the same thing. Today he had a toy in his mouth and started screaming with it in his mouth. I’ve looked up the screams on youtube and they do sound like the ones they have when they have a seizure but he is not convulsing, shaking, or anything. Just screaming sometimes. It scares me pretty bad and I’m unsure what it means! If anyone has any similar experience please please give me some guidance here! I will be taking him to the vet next week.

[okojosan]

What does he look like? Does he have a blaze? Is it possible he's deaf? Deaf ferrets can be noisy because they don't know how much noise they're making.

He might just be a screamy baby. Some ferrets are very vocal. I have a female ferret (Nefertiti) who hisses like a little cobra, and she squeals in her sleep a lot.

If he's alert when he screams and doesn't seem impaired, he may just be warning your other ferret or humans not to mess with him.

If he bites, put him in a "sin bin" (I use an empty carrier) for 2-3 minutes. Be consistent with this and do it immediately when he bites. I say "AH-AH-AH" when my girls bite and put them in the sin bin. Now when they hear the "AH-AH-AH" they sometimes back off from biting. They do learn. If your new little guy is deaf, you may have to figure out some other way of signaling him that the biting is unacceptable. Do not scruff him.

[brittanyb]

I agree that your little guy may be deaf, and just unaware that he is making so much noise. On the occasions when he has bitten you or others, could he have been accidently startled in some way? Deaf/HOH ferrets tend to be more bitey than others (at least initially) because they may not hear you approach them, and therefore may bite out of fear when you pick them up. It's purely instinctual, not personal, I promise you. Your vet can help you ascertain whether your ferret is truly deaf, but in the meantime, you can run tests of your own. Make noise out of his line of sight (jingle a bell, clap your hands, etc) and watch for a reaction.

If he *is* deaf, this won't slow him down much at all. You will just have to make sure he either sees you or otherwise senses you (through vibrations of his cage or the floor) before interacting with him, so he isn't startled. After a short time, this will become second nature for you.

If he's not deaf and is just a biter, this can be trained out of him with patience and (most importantly!) consistency. I can attest to the effectiveness of the "sin bin" method mentioned above. I've successfully trained two of my ferrets this way, and it didn't take longer than a couple of weeks. Good luck!

[abbeytheferret6]

I had one of my ferrets scream--- I don't know if it is the same  sound you r talking about though. We both were coming around a corner and I surprised her. she also did it once when my hubby chased her --I think she felt threatened in both incidences. She was not deaf.

However Blazes tend to be vocal and they are deaf.

Most all our babies were biters plus a 1 year old craigslist female. They grew out of it.
Maybe you can videotape the screaming  on your phone and show your vet.

[laurxnr]

Thank you so much guys!!! He is a blaze and I did use the clapping behind him method, even turned the vacuum on and he had no reaction whatsoever, leading me to believe he is deaf! I looked up typical deaf ferret behaviors and the screaming/screeching was one of the first things to pop up. He hasn’t done it since then which is good. I do think the poor lil guy just can’t hear himself being as loud as he is He hasn’t been biting as much/hard either since i’ve put him in his cage for a few minutes when he does.

[Charlie]

Awww that is so sweet, your little guy is getting more comfortable in his new home.