From:
ferret-health-list@por-torres.com
Date: 2004-07-03 11:53:27 UTC
Subject: RE: Squeaky Toys and Behavior
To: ferrethealth@smartgroups.com
Message-ID: <143600.1088855607925.JavaMail.root@thallium.smartgroups.com>
One theory I've heard is that the "squeek" sounds like the distress call of=
a kit. I am not sure if I necessarily agree with that analysis as it seeme=
d purely annecdotal. My ferrets will respond to a squeek toy only by coming=
over to smell it. They don't exhibit the behaviors you described with your=
ferrets. I have never been around a mother ferret with kits either, so I =
have no clue what sounds they make.
But I am curious, where are your ferrets from (breeder, Marshall, etc...)? =
How old are they?
-Tiffany
Author wrote:
> I have a question about how my girls react to squeaky toys. Whenever I s=
tart squeaking their squeaky bear, they coming running from wherever they a=
re and the first thing they do is lick my arm obssesively, and its usually =
the inside of my elbow on my right arm. Sometimes they nip/bite while they=
are licking as well. They also make chattering noises (very similar to th=
e noise they make when they hop around but they don't open their mouths) an=
d they run to the spot on my bed where they can burrow. Why do they do thi=
s? My dad thinks the squeaky noise reminds them of rabbits or other animal=
s that they would catch in the wild, but that doesn't really explain why th=
ey lick me so incessentaly. How do mother ferrets act towards their kits? =
Also, every ferret I have met has made the distinctive ferret noise, but m=
y Fiona doesn't. I don't suspect there is anything wrong with her, but is =
this common? Just recently she has started to make some chattering when I =
squeeze the squeaky bear, but no noises other than that. Its something I'v=
e always wondered.
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