Establishing Alpha Ferret

Question
I have three ferrets.  One 1yr old male, one 10mon female and one 4-6mon male.  The newest one, Leo is the youngest and we got him about 2 1/2 months ago.  The eldest male, jack, will not be nice to him.  When we first brought him home, jack bit his neck hard and would drag him around, which my boyfriend and I supervised and broke up when leo got stressed out.  But then it got to the point when jack just would not let go.  He would clamp down on leo neck and we would have to pry his jaw open, which worries me, I dont want to hurt him.  So over the next month we have had little playtimes with one of us always holding jack.  when jack manages to get away he just beats the crap out of leo.  Leo is a marshall ferret and now is big, but is just such a sissy.  They still dont get along, they cannot play together because jack just wont stop biting him and not letting go for the life of him.  The female get double play time because she gets along with both of them.  Ive switched the beds, washed them all so the scent is less.  Ive tried almost everything I know.  I just would really like ANY advice on how to get them to coexist.  Please, how do I get my ferrets to accept each other?

Answer
Hi Ashley:

It is not at all unusual for ferrets to have some problems when they are first introduced. In the animal world, they must establish who is the "alpha" ferret - the boss.  Since Jack has been living in your home and is older and larger, he is trying to tell Leo what he must do to comply to his 'rules'.  Leo is in all new surroundings, not sure of anyone or anything....so it is normal for him to be "submissive" to Jack - to allow Jack to boss him around, rough him up, etc.  Ferrets DO play very hard - especially when establishing who is the alpha ferret.

There are, however, very definitive times to intervene. Most of the time, it is not necessary to intervene - but occasionally we will see ferrets who just don't like one another for some reason. In those cases, the playing can become serious and the two need to be separated.

The rule of thumb for when to intervene: "NO POOP, NO BLOOD, NO FOUL" - if you will just remember that, you will have it made. If the ferret being picked on poops or bleeds, then you intervene and you do NOT intervene until you see poop (which means that Leo is truly frightened and needs rescued) or blood (which means Jack is being meaner than 'normal' ferrets establishing "alpha" ferret).

Ferrets are like people - some they like, others they tolerate, and some they just plain refuse to share space with.  For this reason, if at all possible, I always recommend that a person take the existing ferret/s in a home along with them to the shelter or pet store to choose their new little companion.  Given a bit of time and observation, you will see that certain ferrets do get along with each other and seem almost drawn to each other.  It's always a possibility too, that if you've had a single ferret for a long time, he just may not be willing to share his space and his family with another ferret (refer to the above "No Poop, No Blood, No Foul" rule)....As long as you don't see poop (fear), or blood (too serious fighting), then in the ferret world, the ferret has caused 'no foul'...in other words, it's all fair play.

Ferrets who are playing usually bite the backs of a new ferret's neck, even their face! It's amazing how they seem to have a sense of what will establish their 'alpha' status, yet not hurt the other feret seriously. Sometimes it sounds like they are killing each other, as sounds add more "roar" to the message they are sending to the new ferret.

Do watch closely until you are sure they are playing well together; Do keep a pair of heavy gloves handy before you get them out to play, so you can grab them quickly just in case you need to separate the ferrets; do encourage "happy" play by providing them fun things to do together like chasing each other thru clear dryer hose tunnels (available on eBay), roll small crocheted plastic easter eggs or little balls with bells in them for them to chase, big cardboard boxes can be made into "mansions" for them to play in - be sure to cut out some doors and windows for them to peek in and out of - even a lightweight blanket or sheet ust tossed on the floor for them to chase each other around underneath is a fun thing for ferrets.  A Ferretone treat (about a teaspoonful dribbled on a plate) shared between the two is another good experience for them to share together that will encourage 'bonding'.

Be sure you give one-on-one time to each ferret daily so neither feels like the other ferret is loved more..just like children, they do have feelings and can feel jealousy, love and should enjoy life more with a playmate once the excitement settles down a bit.

I hope it gets better soon. If you allow them to complete the 'alpha' process, I think you will be surprised that they WILL work this out between themselves. Very few ferrets actually won't get along in the long term when left to themselves to work out their problems.

Relax.....really. :-)  It WILL be okay.  I promise.

Sincerely,

Jacquie Rodgers