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Post by Deleted on Sept 15, 2012 11:08:34 GMT -5
Well, I think most people who have separate playgroups don't do it on purpose. If a ferret refuses to get along, they have to be housed separately.
However, the large majority of people keep ferrets in groups, sometimes very large ones. I find that my ferrets love each other very much, and have no issues with cohabitation.
I will say, the majority of ferrets in the US are neutered, before they ever reach sexual maturity. This could very well influence their behavior in a group setting, making it easier to exist happily together. It's like they are eternal kits. Kits LOVE to be in a big play group, wrestling and pouncing on their buddies.
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Post by Sherry on Sept 15, 2012 12:40:34 GMT -5
Jackie is right- I only do it with those who try to hurt other ferrets badly(very dominant), or with those who's illnesses are exacerbated by strange ferrets. In one group I have Willow(very dominant) and Suki. Athena is by herself since her cage mate passed because she associated the new boys with being sick, and she's now afraid of them. Lucrezia is alone because she will kill other ferrets. Frodo, Emily, and Cody are a bonded group. Judge, Indie, and Odin are a bonded group. At present I'm working on getting those last 6 into a single group. It's going to take some time, but we'll get there I find it interesting you keep yours alone by choice. If I didn't have to- I wouldn't ;D
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Post by Deleted on Sept 15, 2012 17:46:58 GMT -5
well i do what i think is best for my ferrets. I believe that ferrets are by nature solitaire, and that what we do is unnatural by keeping them in large groups. Even Bob Church agree whit me on this one. Ferrets are domesticated and have juvenile behavior that makes it possible to keep them together. but possible is not always the best option. Groups bigger than 3 are not to by advised.
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Post by Deleted on Sept 15, 2012 18:12:00 GMT -5
You're correct - ferrets in the wild are solitary animals. But many people find that ferrets do well in groups, especially those that are neutered at 5-7 weeks old. They enjoy the company of their buddies. I myself keep 4 females together. 3 were altered before they were 8 weeks old, but my latest girl is intact. She's young and gets along well, but who knows how shell be when she comes into season. She might need to be housed separately until she's either out of season or spayed. I'm ready for that. But for me, I feel like keeping my girls in a group keeps them happy but to each his own. Ferrets can and are successfully housed solitarily.
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Post by Sherry on Sept 15, 2012 23:07:56 GMT -5
Oh, I'm not saying I disagree with you Chaimel! Not by a long shot. For me, however, a group works better simply for the time limits I have.
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Post by darlene on Sept 16, 2012 11:33:54 GMT -5
Shadow is my solidary fuzzy,she did have a buddy before she came to me. I've tried putting her a couple of times with her sister Jayla but that didn't work out. There was no hissing or anything,they sniffed each other for a bit and bam,full on fight I truly believe she'd rather be by herself. I've had her since January and it took her along time to adjust to my home....she came from a really good home. Finally the last couple of months she has really bonded to me. She's really turned into a momma's girl,she just the sweetest.
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Post by Deleted on Sept 16, 2012 11:46:51 GMT -5
Fraggle is an only ferret, and I have often wondered if that was the right decision - it's the first time I've ever had one animal on its own (even when we only had one dog, we had cats and horses for her to play with) I let Fraggle out in the mornings before I go to work - he is not really a morning ferret and tends to just wander round for a few minutes, then come for cuddles. My flatmate is almost always home before me in the evenings, so he plays with him, and of course as soon as I get home we have a good play and lots of cuddles. I take him out for walks and he meets lots of people (ferrets are very unusual pets in London!) so he gets lots of attention, which he loves. He's got boxes and toys and blankets all over the sitting room, as well as plastic bags and a swimming pool (he doesn't actually like getting wet, but he likes to drink from it, and use his scuba suit - have posted about that in the thread on best tricks!) I did try to introduce him to a friend's ferrets - she had five girls. We introduced him to them one at a time, and he was utterly uninterested. He just kept walking away from them to go and explore something else, even though they were very interested and definitely wanted to play with him. So when I'm having doubts about his happiness, I do try to remember that - he had five potential playmates and he still wanted to be with me more!
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Post by Deleted on Aug 23, 2013 20:08:53 GMT -5
Thank goodness peanut thought he was a cat (he still does) they entertained him plenty. Now he has 2 new baby sisters. It is so much more work for me because they are only about 3 months. Two 3 month old girls is a handful for me! I hope when they are a bit more peanut's size they will all bond and play together. At the moment I think we both find the girls to be a bit high maintenance but that is helping us bond a bit more. I think it would have been easier to add newbies one at a time.
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Post by Sherry on Aug 24, 2013 23:12:20 GMT -5
Babies are ALWAYS high maintenance! Hoping they soon settle.
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Post by Deleted on Aug 24, 2013 23:23:15 GMT -5
Gwin's an only ferret for now. I can't really get him a friend until after Thanksgiving when I have to travel to stay with family (it was hard enough getting them okay with Gwin coming with me let alone a second), but I am planning to adopt him one after that. If he'll be around 5-6 months will it be easier or harder for him to bond with a playmate, do you think?
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Post by Sherry on Aug 25, 2013 9:00:11 GMT -5
I don't think it really matters too much. Granted, very young kits tend to accept one another more easily but even at that age he's going to enjoy a playmate.
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Post by Deleted on Aug 27, 2013 14:28:31 GMT -5
Yay that's excellent news then!
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Post by Deleted on Oct 22, 2013 8:24:11 GMT -5
Koda will never learn. Rubber is not food!!! Hank unfortunately loves rubber and foam type things as well, it is the only thing i have seen him destroy of my daughters toys since her room is his room (she prefers to sleep with us lol). I catch him with foam puzzle pieces think i have finally thrown them all out. His stash spot is behind the bookcase, where just last night i found an entire collection of barbie shoes, apparantly he has fashion sense
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Post by Deleted on Oct 24, 2013 13:02:22 GMT -5
I must've just gotten really, really, really lucky with my only boy! He's an odd one...He has never, ever chewed a single thing. I still check his toys daily to be sure obviously (paranoid owner here), but his favorite material to have on toys is teething rubber. He doesn't chew it, he just LOVES to carry the toys around and redecorate his cage with them on the daily. This has made the task of having an only ferret much easier for me, as he isn't so limited on the types of toys he can have. Also, if you're the owner of an only ferret, I have some suggestions for keeping them busy! I've only had Mads for a couple months, so I'm still very new to this, so hopefully my discoveries will help other new owners 1. Electronic toys are a blessing (so long as you have the type of ferret who isn't very destructive to his/her things). There are tons of electronic cat toys Mads loves like the Frolicat pounce, flik, dart, etc. These keep him entertained for good portions of time when I'm studying in his playroom. 2. Crinkle tunnels/play cubes are also great when you need them to entertain themselves, I've found. I have a bunch...some with motion activated blinking lights, too, which he loves. I connect them and change their set up daily and he goes crazy over it. He loves crinkle material to begin with, so the fact that they're tunnels makes it a million times more awesome for him. He will run through them all evening and it never gets old. 3. In addition to having the crinkle tunnels/cubes, I have a network of tunnels that I got from pet stores and Home Depot that I have arranged all over the room and along the walls. Just the other day, I tried connecting the crinkle ones to these, and Mads thought that was the most fun idea ever 4. Interactive toys you put treats/kibble in that are supposed to challenge your pet...great idea! I have several of these. You'll be surprised how easy these are for your ferret, though. I've found that I'm having to buy ones I originally thought he could never do...like ones with wheels he has to spin in order to lift lids to get to the treats, etc. Also, as odd as this sounds, he has a bird foraging hanging toy. It's like a hanging toy with clear drawers that I put treats or small toys in. I have it hanging in his cage and he has to figure out how to hang on/stabilize it, open the drawers, and reach the treats all at the same time. It keeps him busy! 5. An activity I just did the other weekend that's fun for both parties is making fleece tie blankets for your ferret. My mom and I went out and bought TONS of fleece to make blankets since it's starting to get colder. We worked on them in his playroom while he was out playing and he had so much fun. It took several hours to complete all the blankets, so he got to be out running around doing his thing while also being able to interact with us. He loved being able to run all over the blankets while we were making them. There was fabric everywhere...what ferret wouldn't love that? Also, we threw all the scraps into a bin so he had yet another dig box. He loves it and has even fallen asleep in the fleece scraps a couple times this week. 6. Make a warm carry sling! Mads loves to go for walks, but it's starting to get much colder here in Michigan. I took him out the other weekend and he was shivering, so I ended up wrapping him up in my big scarf...that's where I got the idea to make a cozy carry sling for him. He really appreciates still being able to go outside, and he loves the coziness of the sling. You can go to a place like Joann fabrics and find a pattern for a baby or pet sling, or you can search online and find really easy instructions. I've used everything from flannel to fleece and other fuzzy materials to make them. It actually lets you bond a lot more when they're snuggling up with you on walks. He loves it so much that he even will crawl into his bin of slings and sit there staring at me so I know he's ready to venture out! All of these things have helped a lot in keeping him entertained and content as an only ferret. Hope these sugegstions help someone!
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Post by Sherry on Oct 24, 2013 15:11:49 GMT -5
Be very, VERY cautious with your non chewers. I know of people who suddenly lost 6 and 7 year old ferrets to blockages even though they had never previously showed ANY signs of chewing toys and cords. They just suddenly took it into their head one day that this would evidently be a good idea
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