Morfe the Ferret and nipping behaviour

Question
Hi,We have a jill ferret that we found in a wood, we don't know how old she is but she was quite small.  Within a week she came into oestrus.  She received a Jill jab and we intend to have her spayed in December, the reason for December will be explained.  When we found her it was evident that she was used to being handled and was very placid.  She was very undernourished also, but within a few weeks, she was putting weight on and the vet informed us she was now quite healthy.  We have a ferret proof room (safe from our 2 pet terriers) and after a week we allowed her out for about 2 hours a day, trying to interact with her, but all she wanted to do was cache her food.  When she went back in her hutch, she seemed quite distressed and was causing a fair bit of damage to the hutch.  Along came Mindi a 9 week old ferret to keep Morfe company.  We intergrated them gradually and within 2 weeks they were curled up together outside the cage and therefore we felt it safe for them to be joined in the hutch.  Over time, Morfe started to become more ferret like, playing occasionally but not overly.  As Mindi has grown, Morfe has become more outward.  She remained very placid until today, where she has started to nip both myself and my husband.  Morfe does not like, it seems too many people around.  Yesterday, 2 of my friends came to see the girls but Morfe was trembling and it was apparant that she did not enjoy too much human company (I think).  Could the nipping be as a result of my trying to introduce too many humans? or could this be a change in temperament?  She is also being very dominant towards Mindi, virtually stalking her every moment.  Please could you advise about the nipping and really the best way to stop this behaviour.  Many Thanks
Sian Dalziel


Answer
It is possible that she is still very people shy, but it may also be an issue with her being intact?  I wouldn't worry about Mindi, but the first thing I recommend is to have Morte checked by a vet to make sure she isn't in season again.  If that is Ok, then she may becoming a little more comfortable with her surroundings and as she plays, you will see more normal ferret play behavior.  In young ferrets we see a lot of nipping and the same can be seen in ferrets that are learning to play.  Some of it she may grow out of, some of it she needs to know is not Ok.    You need to determine if she is nipping for attention (in which case don't give it to her) or if she is nipping because she doesn't want attention (in which case don't give in to her).