growth spurts

Question
Hi
I have a 10 month old ferret who is now 18 inches without his tail, and an even 2 feet with. Now I have noticed that today alone he got ALOT bigger, his paws were nowhere near as big as they were yesterday, and well it's just noticeable that he has grown at least a couple of inches overnight, so my question is, what is the rate of growth for ferrets, and well, why did he grow so much in such a short amount of time haha. I also have his sister who is 15 inches without her tail and 20" with. Also what can I expect from her in regards to growth? I've had them both for...Gunner-2 months, Abby-1 1/2 months, now Gunner (the boy) has come around in a great way, he loves to just kick back relax and chill out in my hoody's hood, he naps with me, and we play and wrestle all the time, however he has developed a habbit of stealing and hiding my dress shoes insoles (dr. sholes...yes I'm gellin...hahahah :P)I have tried almost soaking it in 'Time out' spray (bitter tasting spray), put garlic powder on it, and keeping my shoes in a high place, but nothing stops Gun Gun from getting and hiding my insoles, I was wondering how I might get him to stop so I don't have to spend an extra 10 minutes every morning looking for them before headin out to work? Now while Gunner has come around great, better than I could have hoped for, Abby however comes around in spurts, for a little while, she'll be cuddly, playful, and wrestle with myself and Gunner, however sometimes, more often than not, she's really skiddish, reserved and almost scared, I was wondering how I could help her feel at home so she can be as relaxed as gunner? And finally I was wondering if you knew why they act so differently around each other than when they're not together, wether it be mischievous, or just almost lost really.

Thanks for taking the time to help me out with this.

Answer
Wow.....ok, one question at a time:

1.  You're describing typical ferret growth. After a year or so they settle into their "permanent" adult size. This depends on genes, breeding, and how much they eat, too (and what they eat).

2.  You need to put your insoles where the ferret can't get at them.  Insoles are a big no-no for ferrets because they can ingest little pieces of them, and those pieces can create fatal intestinal blockages (the only treatment for which is expensive emergency surgery). I always keep shoes with insoles in them in a ferretproof closet, on top of a ferretproof shoe rack, or else I keep the insoles out of my shoes and on my dresser where they can't get at them.

3.  This is also typical......many male/female pairs are like yours, where the male is more playful and aggressive and the female is frequently more reserved and serious. Play with Abby on her own, hold her and stroke her head and belly frequently and show her lots of love. When she is with Gunner, supervise them carefully and make sure he doesn't hurt her. By the way, if he ever gets too rough, scruff him and hiss at him gently to discipline him and get him to chill out. Abby may get more playful, but I'm willing to bet that that is simply her personality (my female is very much as you describe her to be) and I've seen this many times in females.

For more info on why ferrets act the way they do, do a Google or AltaVista search on "ferret behavior" and check out other people's experiences. The books "Ferrets For Dummies" and "A Simple Guide To Ferrets" have good advice as well. I recommend them.

Good luck,
DG