Monkey.

by Kirstin
(Pennsylvania, USA)

He was never good at sitting still long enough to take a picture.

I got my first ferret about 10 months ago. He was about 3 months old and all the other ferrets were biting him and playing quite rough.

I really wanted the white female of the group, but when I held her she wanted nothing to do with me. So I decided to hold the little boy who was being picked on and he instantly started sniffing my hair. He tried to burrow into my neck, hair and coat and was just sooo sweet. So the first two days all he wanted to do was sleep in my arms. I thought, “Wow. This is wonderful.” The third day I was playing with him while trying to make some comfy hoodie hide outs and the little guy starts running around me like a crazy man and biting very hard. After about 3 days I remember thinking to myself, “Oh no.. I can’t do this. What am I going to do?? He is waaaay too rough.”

I must admit. I am not one to give up on pets, so please don’t be alarmed. I just was scared and had no idea how to handle it. So I researched a lot of ways to get a ferret to stop biting. I found the holding his scruff or making him lie on his back while I held him in the air calmed him down quickly. I can’t say it got him to stop biting, but he did learn how to play a bit more softly with me.

I would never trade the experience in for the world. I did learn however. The very sad truth about how easily they can become ill. We had gone away on a trip and the people who were watching the house didn’t know his temperament too well. So no one knew he wasn’t doing well. Unfortunately he passed away before I even knew what hit either of us.

I must say that he change my life so much so that I will soon be getting two new ferrets so they aren’t lonely and I will be more prepared next time around. I have learned that once you are a ferret lover there is no turning back.