my baby ferret whines

Question
i got a baby ferret that whines a lot and i don't know how to get her to stop i got her and was holding her to get her used to me the next morning she woke me up at 5:30 which didn't bother me cause i had to get up for school anyway well i had her for 4 days now and this morning she woke me up at 2 and every hour on so i had to find somewhere else to sleep so i could get some rest how can i stop her from whining i have her in this ball right now and she is whining  again i don't know what to do

Answer
Hi Nicole:

Congratulations on your new baby! Sorry, but I can't help but laugh just a little bit....she IS a baby and she is crying out because she is probably lonesome, scared, hungry or thirsty....just like human babies do.

The good news is that they don't do this for long; it's a stage they go thru when they are teeny tiny.

When she whines, here are the things you should do, as her "mommy":

1. Check to be sure she has food (Totally Ferret or something equally as good) softened with water. Be sure to change the food at least 3 times during the day because it spoils quickly after you wet it, but baby ferrets have to have it wet down or they can't eat it (maybe you were giving it to her dry and that's why she was crying?).

2.  Make sure she has fresh water and hasn't spilled it or can't get to it.

3.  Make sure she has a soft, cozy place to snuggle down to sleep. A pair of your pajamas is perfect because it will smell like you - maybe even a sweatshirt or anything soft and warm should work.

If she has food, water and a warm, dry place to snuggle down to sleep, THEN you may go back to bed if you have to.  Ideally, you should probably get up and hold her, rock her back to sleep, gently place her back in her bed, then sneak back into yours and HOPE she stays asleep.

Be strong.....they are only that tiny for such a very short time!  One day you will look back and remember how cute she was when she used to whine and wake you up :-)

Enjoy - it will get better....just take really good care of her, and let her know she is loved a LOT. Make sure she gets LOTS of HOLDING, SNUGGLING and playing in the daytime and hopefully she will sleep thru the night as long as she has food, water and a warm place near you to sleep.

Let me know if you still have problems, k?  That *may* mean something *could* be wrong, but I'm thinking (hoping) that she is just wanting to be with her mommy and can't understand why she has to sleep in her bed and you in yours. :-)   Worst case scenario would be that she may have a tummyache. Hopefully you are not feeding her anything except her softened kibble (Totally Ferret or Marshalls) food - NO sugar, NO dried fruits like the ones in Kaytee Fiesta....they cause intestinal blockages and ferrets should  *never* eat that garbage that experienced ferret owners call "blockage in a bag" because it's so commonly the cause of intestinal blockages.   Watch closely to be sure she is eating, drinking, pooping and gaining weight and she is probably just fine ....just lonesome....spend more time with her in the daytime so she will sleep thru the night will probably work best as long as everything else checks out okay.

As a new ferret mommy, I would like to recommend you read the book "FERRETS FOR DUMMIES" by Kim Schilling and/or read all about ferrets here:

http://www.ferretcentral.org

Click on FAQ's and just read all kinds of information about ferrets, how to ferretproof their play area, their food needs, toys, and even some fun things to do with your ferret!  Enjoy!  She will grow up so so fast. The more you know about ferrets, the healthier and happier she will be.

Sincerely,

Jacquie Rodgers