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Ferret News #67: Ferret Ear Biting - Ferret Scent Marking
June 16, 2004

by Mary R. Shefferman and Eric Shefferman
along with Gabrielle (the lone ferret)

contact: marymodernferret.com

Did You Know That...

  Ferrets sometimes bite or suck on each other's ears. While some ferrets don't mind this behavior, others do. Here's what one of your fellow readers asked:

One of my sables continues to climb on top of my two albinos (one is female) and he bites onto an ear and just hangs on. Once in a while one of the ferrets being bitten will cry out, but not usually. Is this play or aggression and do you have any suggestions as to what I can do to correct this behavior?
-- Janet

  One of the reasons for ear sucking or chewing, especially in young ferrets, is early weaning. The baby ferret may suck on another ferret's ear in place of nursing. It's a security/comfort type of behavior that ferrets usually outgrow.

  Another reason for ear sucking or chewing is grooming. You may not always catch them in the act, but ferrets housed together tend to groom each other. (That annoying "lick-lick-CHOMP" behavior also has its roots in grooming behavior -- but that's another topic.) Of course, sometimes the ferret doing the grooming is a little overzealous, and sometimes the ferret being groomed just isn't in the mood.

  Yet another reason for ear or neck biting is sex hormones -- these can be naturally occurring in a sexually intact ferret or occurring in a neutered (or any) ferret who has adrenal disease. If your ferret is neutered, is over three years old, and begins displaying ear-biting or neck-biting behavior, you'll want to look closely for other signs of adrenal disease (see FerretNews #59 & #60 for more on adrenal disease).

  Sometimes the adrenal ferret is the one being "picked on" and sometimes it's the one doing the "picking." You should closely observe both ferrets involved to make sure neither one is showing other signs of adrenal disease. If you notice signs of adrenal disease, take your ferret(s) to a ferret-knowledgeable vet.

Fooey Training Aid (16 oz.) The most bitter stuff on earth stops pets licking, chewing, picking, cribbing and fur or feather biting. Training aid for dogs, cats, horses, ferrets, birds, rabbits and all rodents. Protects anything that pets destructively chew, lick or bite. Easy-to-use pump spray has no unpleasant odor.

  If you determine that the ear sucking is not a sign of adrenal disease, and you have a particular ferret who is annoyed with the ear sucking or ear biting, you can put some Fooey or Bitter Apple on that ferret's neck and the outer part of the ear (don't put the Fooey or Bitter Apple in your ferret's ear). The bad taste will discourage ear sucking or biting behavior. If your ferret's ear is sore, red, or raw, you will want to separate him and let the ear heal before using the Fooey or Bitter Apple.

  In most cases, ear sucking is a temporary behavior that the ferret outgrows or can be trained to stop.

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  The ferret nose is a highly sophisticated, delicately calibrated, and powerful instrument. It can detect scent far more readily and accurately than the primitive human olfactory senses. Therefore, I was taken aback when I discovered that our humans had taken into consideration the ferret's sense of smell when preparing a new playhouse for us ferrets. One would expect humans to overlook the obvious method for deterring less civilized ferrets from using the playhouse as a latrine -- making it smell like a sleeping spot. For round-headed animals, our humans sometimes display a surprisingly high level of intelligence.

  Ferrets mark their various living areas (e.g., sleep, toilet, play) with specific and complex scents. We use our most relied-upon sense -- smell -- to navigate our world in light or in darkness. This is how, for example, even though Sabrina can no longer see, she still finds the litter box, hammock, and food without fail.

  Our humans took blankets from one of our sleeping areas and placed them inside the playhouse. When we entered the playhouse to investigate, we were greeted with a familiar smell. Not only was it a smell we all recognized, but it was a clear signal that this was a sleeping/playing area and not a  place to leave waste material. We exceptionally evolved ferrets certainly appreciated the help in keeping the more barbaric members of our business from inappropriately soiling this wonderful den. Now we all get to sleep and snuggle in the comforting darkness of the playhouse, which pleases me to no end.

  Humans, take note: It is often a good idea to mark with smells the various areas you wish your ferret to use for the various activities he must perform (i.e., toilet, sleep, food, play). Of course, there are ferrets like myself who don't require such olfactory landmarks to figure out what to do in a litter box or in a playhouse: we know quite well what's what and what it's for.

  So the next time you need to inform you ferret what you would like him to do and where you would like him to do it, try thinking smart, like a ferret. Communicate with him in a language he understand instead of that gibberish you humans usually use. Soon your home will smell just right too.

  Note: Both Marshmallow & Sabrina (mentioned in the second paragraph) are at the Rainbow Bridge.

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Quick Cool Tip!

  Summer's here and the time is right for ... a little fuzzy dipping!

  One of the ways you can help keep your ferrets cool and comfortable in the hot weather is to give them a little "pool." Ferrets may not love baths, but most of them enjoy splashing and playing with water. You can use a plastic storage container with low sides, your bathtub, or even a kiddie pool. Make sure the water isn't too deep (your ferrets should always be able to stand in the water) and always supervise your ferrets while they're playing in the water.

  You might want to put down a few towels to make clean up easier and to give the ferrets a place to dry themselves.

  Thanks for reading! Make sure you keep it cool for your ferrets!

-- Mary, Eric & Gabby (the lone ferret)

  Stay tuned for more. You can always get updates by reading my blog (a blog is an online journal). I keep it sporadically and it usually runs to the more personal stuff. But you might like it. It's at

http://www.modernferretblog.com/mary

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