# Should i just give up with introductions?



## motleycruexx (Jun 28, 2013)

I need some other peoples opinions really as ive never had to deal with this situation before so not sure if im fighting a losing battle.

Basically ive got two castrated boys who are 3 years old, i unexpectedly ended up rescuing a female about 2 months ago shes roughly about 8 months old. i let her settle in for a month and bonded with her really well. The boys would sniff at her through the cage when playing so after a month decided to introduce... it went horrible. One of my boys lunged at her and shook her by the neck it looked like he was going to kill her, managed to separate them and left it alone for another week. I've tried bathing together, neutral grounds, ferretone, rescue remedy, swapping bedding, they see eachother all day through their cage, everything i can think off. i know it may take a long while to determine if they will ever get along but i don't want to put them all through unnecessary stress if it isn't going to work but at the same time I want them all to be friends. Usually what happens now, everytime i introduce, my boys will go for her, she screams, sometimes she will poo or wee, she has had some marks on her neck but nothing serious, they literally shake her by the neck really violently, she runs and hides, the boys will search for her and when they find her they start trying to get to her and she screams when they come near. I've probably answered my own question really but just want to see if there is any shred of hope here at all or if anyones gone through the same situation and had a good outcome in the end? 

Thanks in advance x


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## noushka05 (Mar 28, 2008)

Did the behaviour look like the top or the bottom video in the links below? I've been in the process of introducing 2 new ferrets to each other & the help & advice I've received from @Frolicking Ferrets has been absolutely invaluable. Introductions between my jill & neutered hob looked really rough & she looked so miserable & frightened, I might not have persevered had I not had such great support. I wonder whether it may be better to just introduce one male at a time to her? I hope everything works out in the end for them. I've taken introductions very slowly with my two & they are doing really well now.



Frolicking Ferrets said:


> A lot of ferret owners panic the first time they see ferrets having a dominance fight, they look like this
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## Frolicking Ferrets (Mar 1, 2016)

I have a jill that always gets picked on by my others for no reason but only my eu polecat Bandit will shake her violently, the rest just nip her sometimes and she'll roll over and they leave her alone. Nancy and Bandit don't ever get put together because Bandit always goes for her no matter what. Some ferrets never get along so this may be the case with your two hobs and jill.


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## motleycruexx (Jun 28, 2013)

It looks more like the bottom video though more rolling around and screeching and more of the jill trying to get away. Although todays meet up the tables turned a bit, my female was the one doing the chasing and attacking for the first part, she'd go out her way to sneak up on them and try to attack, which has never happened before, after about 15 minutes there was a squabble which i separated, then the boys seemed to be scared of her. But im sure tomorrow will be back to the way it was. If my boys ever do except her i think she'll be too terrified to let them near her anyway. I don't know anything of her past either as she was found on the road, she always looks interested when she sees the boys playing, i just want the same for her really, how long do you think i should carry on until i can finally throw in the towel to it?


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## Frolicking Ferrets (Mar 1, 2016)

If it's like how my hob and his son are fighting in that video, and 1 on 1 then leave them to it as it's just a dominance fight, however if both hobs gang up on her spray them with a water bottle, they don't like water spray much.
If she's had enough then she'll either go in a corner with her mouth ready to snap at them which will keep them when they come near her which will keep them at bay or she'll do what my silver jill Whisper does and chase after them with her mouth open while screaming.
I created a thread on this section about fighting and the difference between a dominance fight and a serious fight, have a look on there if you want to see the difference between those types of fighting.


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## motleycruexx (Jun 28, 2013)

Spray bottle is a good idea! The squabbles just look and sound so terrible but think il try not to intervene too much i think thats one of the issues. Thank you so much for your help, dont feel so hopeless about it now, just one of those things that will take time but i will update


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## Cathie (Mar 17, 2013)

My biggest mistake In the past was intervening too much as my fear transferred onto my boys fear. He (Dexter) was on his own for over a year and I got him a sister (Lumen) they stayed in separate cages until she passed and even now to this day he is still fearful of ferrets.
He's a Mummy boy and loves playing with humans. He has interest and wants to play with other ferrets but doesn't know how too, therefore he gets rough and beats them up. Until this day he still does that and he lives with 3 other cage buddies. But sometimes he has moments of attacking the others and I have to separate him. I blame myself for that.

Every introduction has been hard and taken months. My others seem to get on after they established their pecking order but my boy Dexter (my first) still beats the others up out of boredom, hunger, or just for the sake of it. He can live in the same cage and play with them but he has his moments and I don't think that will ever change! I think he is still slightly fearful of other ferrets and he doesn't know how to act. He was on his own from a baby and the first ferret he ever met (after his litter siblings!) was an unneutered boy that jumped up & bit him while he was in my arms and clung onto him, even I struggled to get him free!)

My last boy I rehomed (Arnie)with introductions was the most stressful and hardest. He would wet and poo himself every time and then lay in my arms crying. But now he is best friends with them all.

I've just taken a new boy (Gnasher-takes me to 5!) from the Sanctuary I work out and he is very timid. I'm trying him with the last boy I rehomed (Arnie) and they sometimes play, sometimes fight which result in them both wetting themselves!

It's going to be a long bumpy road of screaming, fighting and urine all over the floor but you just need to know when enough is enough and break it up. Sometimes you have to sit back and restrain yourself while they sort things out. My rule is no Blood and when one is chasing the other too much and I know it's becoming too stressful to the other one, I separate them and try again later.

Even now as I go through this again I think it won't ever work but I know patience and time is what I need!

It's going to be a hard time getting through this but you wil and it will be worthwhile in the end! (As I tell myself the same thing...!)


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## motleycruexx (Jun 28, 2013)

I think its going to be the case with my female really, shes so terrified of my boys and she does what your one does she will wee or poo during the fight and when i pick her up she will cuddle into me and be wimpering making me feel so terrible to of let her go through it, it amazes me cause my boys are so lovely, biggest goofballs you'll ever meet, the biggest one Sammy is so playful and full of beans i thought he would be okay with her but infact hes worse, i think my boys are quite possessive over a lot of things aswell, after a fight they'll go round stashing everything. I really hope they do get along, these separate play times are a nightmare, i just imagine them all snuggled up together one day and it gives me hope. How often should i do introductions? Ive been doing it every few days, maybe its too much? I think the fact she screams bloody murder is why i intervene too soon, i cant stand the sound of it. Also, how long did it take for you to allow them to share a cage? TIA


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## Cathie (Mar 17, 2013)

It is hard not to intervene but usually when one has pooped Themselves, that's enough for the day. I try not to pull them away from each other as that projects your fear on to them and I feel like it's telling your ferret to be scared of the other one. 

It is hard to watch and hear but you know when enough is enough. 

I have the two seperate cages next to each other so they can sniff through bars (they always seem excited to see each other but then fight when they actually meet!) and I change one or two blankets over from each cage daily so they have the scent. 

I also do introductions daily. I let them play on their own and then put them together. At the moment I'm introducing my new ferret to my last new ferret as I think he'll be the easiest. 

It can take weeks and months before they're friends. I tend to find after a while of fights they forget about that and start to become friends and play. The pecking order stuff just needs to get out of the way first! 

I also try to promote play by placing them both either end of a tube rather than just putting them together in a empty space to fight! 

It will work out in the end, some just takes longer than others and takes a lot of patience and restraint from your behalf also!


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