Ferret Play With Each Other

Question
I don't really have any problems. Both my ferrets are doing great and silly as ever. What I am wondering is.... is it normal for them to play with eachother rather than me? They will play with me for about 10 minutes then ignore me and play with eachother. I know they are happy cause they bounce around and wag tails and all that silly stuff. Just wanted to ask if that was normal or am I not doing something right.

Answer
Hi Claudia:

It sounds to me as if your ferrets are very well rounded, actually. What you are seeing is very very normal. In fact, we usually recommend that if a ferret owner does not have enough time to spend one-on-one time with his ferret on a daily basis, he should get a second ferret to help entertain the ferret, then, even tho he will need to spend *some* one-on-one time with each ferret daily, they will also entertain each other a good part of the time also.  For someone who wants a ferret to be completely engaged with them at all times, having only ONE ferret is the best idea for the closest bonding experience.  Along with that close bonding, however, goes the responsibility of daily interraction with the ferret, which is not optional since a single ferret is solely dependent upon its person for all social interractions.

I hope *your* needs and wants are being met by your relationship with your ferrets. Do keep in mind in the future that a single ferret will always bond more closely with its owner, depending solely on its person on a daily basis; where two or more ferrets will include their person in play activities, but are also happy playing with each other.

If you would like to have your kids include you a bit more in their play, try slowly dragging a blanket as you walk thru the house and watch them jump on the 'magic carpet' and go for a ride; get another person and each of you hold two corners of a sheet, put the ferret in the middle of the sheet held above a bed (for safety sake), then GENTLY toss the ferret about 6"-8" in the air repeatedly ala trampoline style. Get down on any clean bare floor with your kids and play "ferret bowling" using the ferret (again, GENTLY) as a bowling ball...roll ferret onto his back and sliiiide him 5 to 7 feet (be sure you are not close to any walls tho!). They LOVE this and will RACE back to you and line up to be next!! One at a time, roll a ferret on its back, slip your fingers underneath and give a nice backrub by gently rubbing up and down NEXT TO the spine. Get a CLEAR dryer vent hose "tunnel" 20-ft length (eBay & Drs Foster & Smith -was Ferret Store- have them), tie it in knots, changing the shapes constantly; OR, stretch the hose out loooong and as the ferrets race thru it, rub your fingers along the outside of it, which makes a 'rattatatt' sound that makes them get all silly when they are inside the tunnel and hear this. If you fold the tunnel in HALF, they can see the other ferret going down the other side and will race back and forth chasing each other while you 'rattatatt' on the hose and they get all silly.  Another thing I LOVE to do is plop the kids up on the bed when I'm folding clothes. They have to check out each and every item I fold, sometimes re-folding; not recommended if you're on a time schedule! :-)   We have a porch swing and I love to take mine out and lay him on my legs while singing him a song, swinging and enjoying the beautiful spring weather (well, here in the desert we are having 70-degree spring weather already).

Your ferrets will enjoy doing with you whatever it is that you enjoy doing (that is, of course, safe for them). We have even been known to take our ferrets and our dog out into the desert and turn them loose in the wide open flat desert so they could run and run and run (while the weather was in the 50-60 degree temperatures) - with us VERY CLOSE BEHIND, of course, for safety sake. The LOVE to chase the dog and are amazingly FAST and long-lasting! (NOTE: Do be sure to take fresh water to drink if you ever take the ferrets away from home for exercise, AND be sure it is in an area where there are no other predatory animals or opportunities for injury and/or death in the immediate area); ALSO, some animals who *may not* have been considered predatory animals normally *will* suddenly become predatory when the ferrets start running, so exercise great caution and have more than one adult present - lots of hands available to grab ferrets up quickly if needed.

There ARE ways to include yourself in their playing - and their playing will be more fun if you play WITH them when you can...together IS better for everyone involved. My kids especially love Fischer Price toddler-type hard plastic toys with lights and sound. Many of these require someone to push a button or trigger a sound to play - moms are *always* needed. :-) The little plastic sliding boards that are about two feet tall are GREAT for ferrets - put a pillow at the bottom tho! Sometimes we just have to look to see where we fit in, just as with children playing - there is ALWAYS a place for us if we have time to spend with them.

On the days you  don't have time, be very glad your kids are so well rounded and can entertain themselves.  Don't let them convince you that they don't want you to play with them, cuz they really DO. They are trying to make it look like so much fun that you can't help but join them! Do you notice that they keep looking up at you to make sure you are still watching?  Yes! It's really true. Playing with ferrets absolutely will keep them entertained and it will keep you YOUNG too!  Ferrets are the BEST anti-aging secret in the world!  Enjoy!

Sincerely,

Jacquie Rodgers