From:
sukiec@optonline.net
Date: 2004-12-02 19:52:17 UTC
Subject: Re: [ferrethealth] Re: Help - Suggestions Please-Pacing
To: ferrethealth@smartgroups.com
Message-ID: <8319397.1102017137487.JavaMail.root@thallium.smartgroups.com>
Have you tried scent mapping?
You can use safe types of essential oils or cooking extracts. Save one scent just for her ramp. Otherwise, use two scents per room, one for each side, and use a different pair for each room. This will let her figure out where she is. Put the scents on anything she is likely to bump into such as chair legs, items which are often moved, door jams, etc. That will let her play more wildly without fear of getting hurt.
It sounds like she had a rough beginning with isolation and she reverts to using two behaviors (violent expression of displeasure and pacing) which are often seen in small roadside zoo settings (sometimes along with self-mutiliation, circling, and others). I would suspect that any strong enough hormonal imbalance (like from an adrenal problem), pain, or other major stress may contribute to that.
Those are some long distance guesses.