Hi, I have two male ferrets, Squiggle And Pickles. They have been together since babies and were fine, Pickles was late getting his testicles and when he did everything changed :(.
Pickles constantly bites Squiggle on the neck and drags him around, There are screams and hissing coming from their cage and it pains me to hear it. Touch wood there has been no real damage so far but Squiggle has scabs on his neck and the constant tugging means they never heal.
Ive looked on websites that say it's dominance fighting and it should stop if i leave them alone as when i interupt they will never resolve their issues...But then other sites say the only answer is castration, but I cant afford that as it's £45 Each I wish Id have realised before I got them but I love them soooo much don't want to part with them! Hope you can help xxx
2007-01-11 11:36:59 · 7 answers · asked by kaytee576 3 in Pets ➔ Other - Pets
Lots of people have numerous ferrets of both sexes living in harmony together, but they DO need to be neutered. £45 each may sound like a lot to you now, but once it is done and the hormones have worn off, you will come to realise it was £90 well spent. If you really can't afford this, I would start to look for a new home for the fuzzes, or a rescue where they will be neutered and rehomed.
The point being, I know you love your furbabies, and it would break my heart if I had to give up my own, but it really isn't feasible to try to keep ferrets if you will never be able to pay any veterinary bills.
Ferrets are prone to all kinds of diseases, most commonly adrenal cancer, which are very costly indeed to treat. You must think carefully whether you will be able to spare the money to care for your ferrets should the worst happen, as treatment is often very urgently needed once symptoms become apparent in a sick ferret.
So if you really do want to keep them, I would resign myself to the necessity of the £90 for neutering, and then get some pet insurance to make sure you are prepared if anything goes wrong later.
Oh, and in relation to descenting, personally I wouldn't bother. The scent glands very rarely cause any major problem; also, they don't tend to let off that often, and when they do it dissipates quickly in the air. It isn't like a skunk. And descenting doesn't eliminate that ferrety odour anyway, because that's in the oils of their coats. I don't think vets in the UK routinely descent the way they do in the US anyway. I live in Ireland, where unfortunately I seem to know more about ferrets than any vet I can find :(
Once they are neutered, it will take a few weeks for their raging hormones to subside, but once they do, peace should return pretty quickly, considering that they have been friends since babies.
Hope any of this is a help, and that you will be able to resolve your situation.
Edited to add: In fairness, Erin C, these are 2 ferrets who already know each other very well:this kind of advice does not apply in those circumstances. The problem is that both ferrets are in the full flush of male hormones, and so naturally one will always be trying to dominate the other.
This behaviour simply will not abate, be it in one direction or the other, until both males are happily neutered, with their hormones calmed down.
As stated, this may take a few weeks after neutering, but at the end of it, not only will your ferrets get along much more amicably together, but will also be much more amiable pets to own. By the way, unaltered males past a certain age REALLY STINK, especially as they enjoy rolling in their own urine in order to demonstrate their virility!
I would not actually recommend separating the guys at all right now. The fact that they have been together this long means it would only add more stress for them to be alone at this point.
If you do get them neutered and they attack one anothers' stitches, then I would separate them, but in my experience this would be pretty unlikely. Ferret hobs generally recover very well from neutering, especially at the age yours must be by now.
2007-01-12 01:37:00 · answer #1 · answered by meptastic 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I raised ferrets for 5 yrs. the first 4 yrs. couldn't raise enough the 5th yr. I had to give 'em away since I had supplied everyone in my town and surrounding areas with pets. I hight recommend getting them both neutered. They can also be descented at the same time. I know its expensive but its the only way to have peace between the 2 of them. They are so sweet and I still get calls asking if I still raise them but I have to much sickness and other things going on in my life now.
2007-01-11 19:43:34 · answer #2 · answered by Demetria S 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I would say separate them into two separate cages but close enough to sniff each other for a few days. Allow monitored play time so they can become familiar with each other. Good luck
2007-01-12 17:38:08 · answer #3 · answered by Erin C 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
This is a natural, normal thing that they do in the wild. They don't travel in groups......these are a solitary animal. Males of most species of animals do not travel in groups...they are not friends they are rivals. If you can get them castrated that would be great...maybe you could start with the one that's the most aggressive?
2007-01-11 21:51:26 · answer #4 · answered by anemonecanadensis 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
They're fighting for dominance that's all but I would let them out at the same time for awhile
2007-01-11 19:44:17 · answer #5 · answered by Zelda 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
You probably should seperate them. Since they are both males that's probably why they are fighting. I had two male hamsters and I had to seperate them so they wouldn't kill each other. If it was a male and female they probably wouldn't fight at all.
2007-01-11 22:07:19 · answer #6 · answered by cowgirl_up_mares 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
get a female and let them go to town on her so they settle down.
That might be all they want is a peice
2007-01-11 19:44:55 · answer #7 · answered by skitz 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋