From:
Rothstein, Zachary
Date: 2002-06-25 08:30:00 UTC
Subject: amazing Mommy instinct
My, almost 5 month old female has developed an amazing trait.
We bought a little plush stuffed squeky ferret for the babies
to play with (there are two almost 5 months old and one 4 year
old). Oz my little girl developed a love for this toy I had
never seen before. She carried it everywhere. She
subsequently got it stuck inside the couch. Feeling sad I
bought her a new one. This one she stashes in the cupboard.
The wierd part is that if the toy is laying on it's back she
gently rolls it to it's stomach and cariies it like a baby.
The thing is that she is now bringing food to the cupboard.
The stuffed baby lays next to a metal colander which Oz has
begun to store kibble in. My only concern is that she is a
fixed mf ferret. Should she be exhibiting such strong
maternal instincts? If the baby is taken from the cupboard
she searches the house until she finds it and then gently
returns it to her hidey hole. Lupie and Scooter don't show
much interest in the toy, I am just wondering if this is a
normal behavior for a fixed ferret? It is a really fun thing
to watch so my other question would be does it hurt her if we
take her "baby" so she can play with it? I don't want to
cause any undue stress.