From:
sukiec@optonline.net
Date: 2004-07-03 20:49:53 UTC
Subject: RE: Squeaky Toys and Behavior
To: ferrethealth@smartgroups.com
Message-ID: <8274190.1088887793791.JavaMail.root@thallium.smartgroups.com>
Ah, squeaky toys!
We have found that the range of behaviors with those things varies extensively among the ferrets who have been in our family over the last 23 years, and that the same ferret will react differently with different toys, or even depending on who is doing the squeaking (for instance, Sherman give incisor pinches to Steve if he squeaks the ducky but it's okay for me to do it).
They can be useful for so many things: calling for meds, calling for treats, finding ferrets who are hiding, getting a chubby one to exercise, teaching some action words like "jump", "up", and "down", etc.
Hypotheses of why they behave in the many ways they do are just as varied as the behaviors themselves.
The licking and grooming you mention can be mothering behaviors. When ferrets groom each other their incisors come into play (and I suspect that is initially what lick-lick-chomp is all about when folks mention that till the folks behave by putting the ferrets down and teach them a new application that way). In fact, in paleotology little peg incisors shaped like theirs (and also combing ones) are often referrred to as "grooming incisors".