Mar 052011
 

Ysabell didn’t kill Minsc last night.

We’ve been taking our time socializing the ferrets, letting the older ferrets get used to Squirt. Minsc has his own cage (our one story, folding travel cage) that he lives in alone (with occasional visits from JJ). A few times we’ve put Minsc in the big cage to try and get them all used to living there together (and to spread his smell around it, making him one of the gang). They get shared playtime, however, both in the playroom itself and in the close quarters of the playpen if it’s my morning off work.

Turns out JJ loves to wrestle with Minsc (who mostly just runs away), Minion thinks he’s fun too (Minsc will wrestle with him more than JJ), and Ysabell hates his guts (Minsc squaks like he’s dying the minute she gets near him).

She’s slowly coming out of it, but for the past few weeks she’d approach Minsc, groom him a bit, then latch onto his neck and SHAKE. This would naturally result in lots of squealing from Minsc. I spent a good 10 minutes one day just watching them and yelling “YSABELL!” whenever she got near his neck.

I’ll tell you one thing: she knows her freaking name, that’s for sure.

Everytime, she’d stop and look at me. Maybe shuffle a few steps back. And watch. After a few moments she’d start stretching her neck out to Minsc, which would get her scolded again.

After that little training session she’s been doing better, enough so that we let Minsc sleep in the big cage last night (I’m a light sleeper when it comes to the ferrets, and could be awake and running in less than a minute). I didn’t hear a peep, even when I woke up with insomnia at 5AM.

Pog says there was some squaking earlier today, but for the most part it’s been quiet. This could mean several things: Ysabell is in a good mood today, Minsc is learning not to use the baby squak, or Misnc is getting really good at tiptoeing around Ysabell.

My money is on #3, seeing as I got to watch him tiptoeing earlier tonight. Ysabell stole his bed while he was in the litter bin, and he had to walk by the bed to get to the ramp up. He very quietly got out of the litter and, with his body low to the ground, started slowly walking toward the ramp. All the time he was as quiet as a mouse and stayed out of her sight range.

Smart little thing. He may just survive kit-hood with this bunch after all.