Ferret playing

Question
Hello there, my roommates and I bought a baby ferret almost a week ago. He
loves to play with our socks, but today he was very aggressive with it and
whenever I tried to touch him while he was playing with it he made a kind of
barking noise and a hissing noise and started to scratch me. Once I finally got
the sock away from him he was fine. Is this normal, should I scold him? Also,
what is the best way to scold the ferret? I was told to lift him by the scruff of
the neck until he yawns, but I have not read this anywhere. Also, sometimes
when I hold him he licks my nose and yawns a lot, is this a sign of
submissiveness? Thanks!

Grace

Answer
He may just be wanting you to play with him with the sock, hence the barking and scratching. However, hissing can be a sign of "back off, this is MINE". Ferrets can become very obsessive with their toys, especially if they have claimed something as "theirs". There is a fine line between a ferret just acting like a ferret and respecting you as an owner; you don't want to scold him unnecessarily just because he's doing what ferrets do. However, if he is hissing that may be a sign of defiance. What you have heard about scruffing a ferret and him yawning equals submission is correct; this is what the mommy ferret does to her kids, and this is also what the dominant ferret does within a group of ferrets. Ferrets do have a pecking order among themselves, ferrets will "fight" (play wrestle) to figure out who gets to be in charge. The winner will grab the loser by the neck and drag him across the floor. The losing ferret will signal that he accepts the winning ferret's leadership and yawn in response.

You definitely want to establish that you are the "mommy ferret" as well as the head of the household here, otherwise he might get it in his little head that he can do whatever he wants! If he hisses at you, even during play, he needs to know that that is not acceptable and gently scruff him and hold him up until he yawns. Ferrets can be stubborn, so he may not yawn for a while. Try dragging him gently across the floor a foot or two. Since he has already been licking you and yawning a lot that's a good sign, he already clearly sees you as his leader. He may just need to be reminded sometimes.