ferret fighting

Question
I need your help I have 4 ferrets and have had ferrets for 8 years now. I recently adopted a male,elroy, and Jack my other male fight all the time. Jack screams,hisses, pees, gets a fuzzy tail and attacks elroy. Elroys screams, pees, runs to get away. This is horible to hear and watch. I've tried, bitter apple, punishing in carrier, treats, scruffing both of them.  It's been two weeks now and I have them separated when we are not home. They are never in a cage, they roam around my house. Please help

Answer
Hi Sarah:

First please let me apologize, I just now received your question from the Expert robot :-(  i always try to reply in a timely manner so I truly apologize you did not receive a timely reply to your question.

It seems strange to me that your ferrets pee when fighting. That makes me think it is a territorial issue.  Usually if a ferret is truly scared while playing/fighting, they POOP. As with people, some ferrets simply do not like each other. If one is constantly the aggressor and the other constantlt running from him, I hate to see it continue, tho the saying is No blood, no poop, no foul" meaning as long as you do not see one of them poop when attacked, neither is bleeding, it is just rough ferret play.  

Are both male ferrets neutered?  If not, neutering may well fix the problem.  Make sure they don't have to share a bed or toys, etc, that there is plenty of space for each to be king of his own little area.  If they are both neutered, it may be a decision you have to make to give one ferret up in order to have peace in your home again. Thats sad, but also sad to have continual peeing and fights.

I hope and pray your home is extremely ferretproofed having that many ferrets run loose. Something as simple as a pencil eraser, shoe insoles, socks,  or rubberband can spell death in the form of intestinal blockage.  It sounds like you are an experienced ferret owner, so hopefully you understand the dangers of ferrets running loose in a home.  It is, of course, harder to separate two fighting ferrets when they are running loose also.  Instead of punishing and using Bitter Apple, might I recommend you go the opposite route and put Ferretone on each ferret?  Maybe they will forget to fight and lick each other and suddenly realize they can be friends.  If that does not work, rather than punishing them for what really is normal instincts, it just might be a good idea to rehome your new guy, as sad as that is, it may be the only path to a peaceful home once again.  I hope and pray Feretone does the trick :-)

I would like to invite you to join my Facebook ferret group called THUNDERING FERRET PAWS where we exchange stories, pictures and experience and advice is always just minutes away instead of having to wait for the Experts system to process it to me.  Hope to see you there!

Sincerely,

Jacquie Rodgers