Post by spacecadet71 on Sept 30, 2016 17:33:54 GMT -5
It's been a little over 3 months since I added the trio of Herman, Molly, and Emmer to my household. Things haven't exactly gone smoothly. Lots of screaming at each other, lots of poofy tails. But I am starting to finally see signs of improvement! Or they are all getting better at avoiding each other lol. They have the run of the house except one bedroom and the kitchen. Lots of places to hide from each other! The main conflicts have been between Herman and Fezzik. I'm thinking Herm was the alpha in the trio, and Fez is the alpha of my original 5. I haven't seen any actual fighting between them in a couple weeks. Mostly Herm screams and chases after Fez, while Fez backs up in a circle, basically shoving his bum into Herm. Em seems to be making some efforts to make friends. He was at the tone plate with Boone the other day, and it looked like he was lining up for a neck bite.....but instead he did a quick ear groom before running off. I have actually seen Em, Boone, Molly, and Diva following each other around the house. Not exactly playing together, but not fighting either. And as long as there is tone on the plate, everybody gets along. So there is hope!!
Now that I've gotten to know the "newbies" I have learned a lot about their personalities. I was told Herman was a terrible biter, and that she was always cautious when handling him. I discovered within an hr of him being with me that he was deaf. So I'm mindful how I approach him, and have not had one biting issue with him! He loves it when I hold him. I cradle him in my arm, and he just lays there while I stroke his belly. I even woke up the other day to him curled up in my blanket sleeping with me! (which was kinda funny cuz I fell asleep with Loki in the blanket with me) Emmer is a pretty laid back dude. He loves to follow me around the house. Probably hoping I'll give him tone! Not much for being held, but he likes to be near me. Molly is fairly skittish. She startles at noises and sudden movements. She also tends to run at first sight of one of the other ferrets (besides her brothers) Tho she is now stopping after a short distance when she realizes they aren't chasing her. Molly is the only one of the trio who I have gotten to eat soup. All three of them have put on weight since they have been with me. (Herm is getting to be quite the chunk) And their coats are so soft now!
As to the others....Loki gave me quite the scare. About a month and a half ago, he came out for tone and I was shocked at his appearance. Within days he literally went from a chunky monkey to skin and bones! Nothing medically wrong with him. I think it was stress related due to the new ferrets. I started him on soup. At first he wouldn't eat but 1/4 to 1/3 of a bowl, so I was giving it to him at least 6-8 times a day. Literally every time I saw him I made him soup, even if it had only been half an hour. He started getting his appetite back, and now he licks the bowl clean! He has put most of the weight back on, tho he is still a little underweight. He is still getting the soup at least twice a day, I see him at the kibble dish a lot more. It always amazes me how fast they can lose the weight, and how long it takes to put is all back on! Diva is starting to show signs of adrenal, so will be saving up for a des implant. Boone is his usual laid back, mellow self. Fez is busy causing trouble. And Lucky is fat and sassy, and acts like he is only a couple years old instead of the 6+ he actually is!
Now that I've gotten to know the "newbies" I have learned a lot about their personalities. I was told Herman was a terrible biter, and that she was always cautious when handling him. I discovered within an hr of him being with me that he was deaf. So I'm mindful how I approach him, and have not had one biting issue with him! He loves it when I hold him. I cradle him in my arm, and he just lays there while I stroke his belly. I even woke up the other day to him curled up in my blanket sleeping with me! (which was kinda funny cuz I fell asleep with Loki in the blanket with me) Emmer is a pretty laid back dude. He loves to follow me around the house. Probably hoping I'll give him tone! Not much for being held, but he likes to be near me. Molly is fairly skittish. She startles at noises and sudden movements. She also tends to run at first sight of one of the other ferrets (besides her brothers) Tho she is now stopping after a short distance when she realizes they aren't chasing her. Molly is the only one of the trio who I have gotten to eat soup. All three of them have put on weight since they have been with me. (Herm is getting to be quite the chunk) And their coats are so soft now!
As to the others....Loki gave me quite the scare. About a month and a half ago, he came out for tone and I was shocked at his appearance. Within days he literally went from a chunky monkey to skin and bones! Nothing medically wrong with him. I think it was stress related due to the new ferrets. I started him on soup. At first he wouldn't eat but 1/4 to 1/3 of a bowl, so I was giving it to him at least 6-8 times a day. Literally every time I saw him I made him soup, even if it had only been half an hour. He started getting his appetite back, and now he licks the bowl clean! He has put most of the weight back on, tho he is still a little underweight. He is still getting the soup at least twice a day, I see him at the kibble dish a lot more. It always amazes me how fast they can lose the weight, and how long it takes to put is all back on! Diva is starting to show signs of adrenal, so will be saving up for a des implant. Boone is his usual laid back, mellow self. Fez is busy causing trouble. And Lucky is fat and sassy, and acts like he is only a couple years old instead of the 6+ he actually is!
