Ferrets taking turns being dominant?

Question
I had 3 male ferrets, and about a month ago, we added another 2 males.  The originals were ages 2.5, 5 and 5.  The new arrivals are aged 2 & 5.

One of the original 3, Dean, ended up having a stress reaction to the new arrivals - he had a stress ulcer and was treated and isolated for about 2 weeks while the other 4 lived and were caged together.  During the first 2 weeks, the new 5 year old, Menard, was clearly establishing himself as the alpha male.  He would quietly hiss and tackle and chase the other ferrets.  He would also lick and sometimes bite the other ferrets' ears.  This continued pretty frequently for about 2 weeks.

Then Dean, fully recovered, was re-introduced into the pack.  Menard and Dean challenged each other, and Menard backed down and Dean now seems to be the alpha male.  Menard has stopped licking & biting the other ferret ears, and has become quite mellow.  (The shelter we got him from reported him as mellow from the beginning, so it appears he is now himself.)  Dean is now showing some of the same behaviors as Menard - he'll tackle the others and sometimes won't let up right away, but no hissing and only occasional tail puffing from the new 2 yr old.  No fear pooping.  He seems to particularly target the new 2 year old.  I'm wondering if this is because he has made his peace with Menard and now he and the other new arrival need to make peace.  He will also assert himself over some of his original brothers sometimes as well - but this is usually short-lived.  Do you think Dean is trying to re-establish his role as alpha male?

He was with the other 2 original ferrets for about 1 year before these new additions, and he also came from the same shelter.

Answer
Hello there, Danielle,

I am so sorry it has taken me so long to return this answer. It has been very hectic for me lately. It sounds to me like they are just figuring out the pecking order, which is to be expected when new members are added. As long as no one is pooping out of fear, screaming, or bleeding, you should be okay. You want to keep a close eye out though, for any signs of anything like that and keep an eye out for your little guy's stress ulcer flaring back up. My female, who is I think the dominant one in my group, chews on her brother's ears and things like that and honestly, I think it is a grooming technique. She also hisses sometimes when her brothers are hassling her. It isn't a bad behavior, really, you just want to keep an eye on it.

If you have further questions, please don't hesitate to ask!

Sincerely,
Emilee Andrews