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Move Over WWF - Weasels and Wrestling

© Pam McInnis

If you think you've met every possible ferret personality, think again.

That's the lesson Bilbo has taught me. Bilbo is the latest addition to our ferret family, a deep chocolate-colored boy with the brightest brown eyes I've ever seen. He joined our home along with Timmy, a little ECE infected ferret who passed away four days after we adopted her. Like all of our other ferrets, Bilbo was exposed to this ailment because we didn't know when we got her that Timmy was infected.

Unlike the others, Bilbo didn't let it slow him down. Heck, a concrete blockade wouldn't slow Bilbo down. He's a furry ball of weasel muscle, with more energy than a kindergarten class on espresso. He's cute and cuddly and loveable for those short periods of time when he stops to catch his breath.

And he can be a holy terror.

Bilbo is a play-biter. He's excitable and hyperactive, and figures life should be one big wrestling match. The problem is that all his ferret housemates are a little older than him. Three of them still enjoy playing, but not for hours on end. Bilbo doesn't know when to quit, and when his playmates get tired and he won't take their not-so-subtle hints to give it up, they get angry.

The experience of integrating Bilbo into my home has reminded me how important it is to understand ferret behavior when you bring a new friend home. Ferrets, like people, have "getting to know you" rituals. And not all of them are pleasant.

Below is some information that can be helpful as you add new members to your weasel clan.

The Alpha Weasel

1. In a household with more than one weasel, there will be an "alpha ferret." The alpha is the designated boss of the ferret community. Often, the alpha ferret rules the roost with kindness, but don't let that fool you. He's still the boss.

2. "Alpha ferretdom" is established through rituals of rough play and wrestling. Not all ferrets participate. Often, but not always, females avoid competing for "top weazdom." Ferrets who are meeting each other for the first time will roll around and tumble over one another, scruffing each other by the neck and sometimes dragging each other across the floor. The goal is for one ferret to "pin" the other, and for the weaker ferret to submit as an indication that he or she knows who's boss.

3. Ferret wrestling looks a bit rough. Our instincts as caring pet-owners tell us to intervene and break up the game. While it is important to maintain control and not let things get out of hand, not letting your ferrets establish their hierarchy can actually be detrimental to your pals. Fighting and aggressive behavior will often continue until dominance is established, so if you don't give your ferrets a chance to set things right, they'll just keep trying.