Hi everyone,

So we have 2 ferrets, a male named Ferry and a female named Zoe.  The female is about half the size of the male.  Sometimes they are fine with each other, the sleep in the same hammock and bed and they play all the time.  But for some reason (and it's usually right around night time), Ferry constantly tries to scruff Zoe and she hisses at him, but he will keep going after her for what seems like forever, usually until I separate them.  Today though was a little different, we didn't notice until she started dooking, which is weird because she does when she is in pain, but he was biting her neck and holding her down.  I scruffed him and separated them but I'm not sure if this is normal behavior or something that I should be worried about.  Zoe is just so much smaller than him and I am afraid he will really hurt her one day.

Is there anything I can do?

Thanks,

Brandon

are your ferrets fixed?  sounds like Ferry is trying to mate with Zoe - and it's a pretty violent thing when they do.
 
I'm not sure where you're located but often in the UK, AU or NZ, ferrets are unaltered - here in the States you cannot purchase a ferret who's not been fixed unless you have a breeder's license.
 
Scruffing him and telling him no won't do any good if he's not altered - he's just doing what his hormones are telling him to do.  You'd have a better chance at getting a fish to stop swimming.
 
If he is fixed - aggression is an early sign of adrenal disease.  How old is Ferry?  Does he have any fur loss or other symptoms of Adrenal Disease?
 
If it's not fixed - the only way to get him to stop would be to get him fixed
 
If he is fixed - and it's adrenal - you'll need to see a vet to talk about your options - I prefer implants

Momma to
Joseph Francis Tribiani aka Joey Came to his forever home 9/26/2011
Daxter Chandler Muriel Bing aka Daxy Came to his forever home 7/30/2014

Waiting at the Bridge:
Gabby, Rylee, Maya, Roxy Heart, Goofy and Tig

How long have you had them?  Is one of them new?  where did you get them? I it could be Ferry trying to establish dominance.  Has this been going on for a while? This once worked for me:
When my wife brought her 4 ferrets here (I had 5) big old Jaffa picked on all of mine, including tiny Alice.  He was literally 3 times her size.  So one time I caught him picking on her, I pinned him down and let her do whatever.  She war danced around and nipped at his face, and screamed at him for about a minute.  I let him go, he walked off, and they never had issues again.  In fact, they could often be found sharing a hammock.  It was kind of cruel, but funny at the same time, watching little Alice give him a huge piece of her mind.  It's one of my favorite ferret memories.

As OG said, it could be early signs of adrenal, unless they are still very young.  

THE DOOKS OF HAZARD

>here in the States you cannot purchase a ferret who's not been fixed unless you have a breeder's license. 


You can purchased ferrets that are whole (not neutered or spayed) in the US.   Don't need a breeder's license. 
 
Most of my furkids were purchased by a private breeder.  I had them spayed/neutered at a later date.

Most states do not require a breeder's license.  NJ requires a hobby permit.

http://www.ferret.org/pdfs/general/2009-StateByState.pdf


I hope this helps

What does she do when you separate them? I had the same issue with my first two, and Toki would scream to the high heavens when Bear was playing/attacking her... but when I'd break it up shes squirm just to attack him back and then they'd be alright