I'm blessed to have a lot of ferrets. Bunches of them. You see, in an area where I just KNEW that few people, if any even know what a ferret is, I'm finding out that they may outnumber the human population. In fact, they're coming out of the woodwork. Somehow the word got out that we're the ones who train the babies for the pet store and people have figured out that they can dump theirs on us....and we'll take them in. Right now we're at our maximum woosel population of 9 permanent fuzzies. I say that now...before someone brings #10 to us.

Look, I have to tell the story. It's the only way you all will understand and in the story, you may find a clue that shows the major malfunction. I just need to find a way to tell the story that doesn't make you want to kill yourselves along the way. Well, let's just get on with it.

My first  babies we actually bought within 3 or 4 months: Woosel-May (she's a May Woosel which is better than a March Hare), Kodak-Bear (male), Dopey-Herschel (male) and Cinnamon-Stoat (male). They're all aged within just a few months and love each other dearly. Seriously, I honestly thought all ferrets instinctively got along and bonded at first sight. Now understand, the whole time we were still bringing in pet shop kits to work with and my little Woosel business got along just fine with ALL of them...the good, the bad and the ugly.

Next, the used adult woosels started showing up. These were the beginning of the poor unwanted babies...the ones that are 3 - 5 years old and have been passed around like a bottle: Husky (male, who was a police confiscation), Nugget (male, who we worked with a couple years prior and is in his 3rd and final home), Hershey-Squirt (female who came with Nugget and is bonded with him) Alice (female who was no longer wanted because she has insulinoma and we're glad to keep her medicated and loved for her last months). 

Even with a mixed bag like this, they were all happy to help us out with baby training and playing with the other transient ferrets who would come through, UNTIL....Husky went berserk. Remember, Husky was the one taken by the police from someone and re-homed a few times until we got him. For some reason, he started targeting and thrashing Hershey-Squirt who, if you remember, is a very, very tiny female who is bonded with Nugget. She's naturally very playful and "cheeky." Husky would get hold of her neck and violently shake until she was bleeding. She started withdrawing and lived in fear. KEEP YOUR EYE ON HER IN THIS STORY....it gets weird. Husky would also attack the cat. He then started targeting Alice, my baby, sick with insulinoma. God arranged the opportunity that enabled us to re-home him with a lady who fell in love with him instantly....faults and all. So, Hershey-Squirt and Alice are safe now, right? You betcha. Understand, we were still working with babies and letting adult transients pass thru, but we were starting to isolate Husky, my 3 year old ferret with the police record.

Hershey-Squirt started playing again and regaining lost weight. The cat was healing and poor Alice...well, she takes life one day at a time. Now, things get crazy. We got a baby in one day and my two females, Woosel-May and Hershey-Squirt, started attacking it the same way Husky would attack Hershey: grab the neck and violently "stoat shake" the poop (literally) out of it. Even full-grown adults weren't safe from them. Now, we have to isolate all transients in a separate cage and alternate play times. We can usually let the males play with the strange ones, except for the male named Nugget. Nugget actually bonded with Husky and looks almost, exactly like him. Remember, Nugget is Hershey-Squirt's bonded "brother." Now, we have 2 new woosels that people needed to 're-home and we fell in love with them: Willow (2 year-old female) and Lumpy (6 month male) who get along fine with each other. Unfortunately, teeny-tiny, little Hershey-Squirt and my little Birthday Woosel, Woosel-May (she was my birthday gift last year) are committed to their destruction.

I love my baby stoats. Whenever I see Hershey or Woosel-May do this, it breaks my heart. They were so good and hospitable to all ferrets that came thru or stayed and now....what a crazy change and it makes me think that Husky (the one who would beat up Hershey so bad) had something to do with it somehow. I understand how abused children can grow up to become abusive themselves...but woosels?

We all know that being a woosel parent can get challenging. I can confirm that being a daddy to 9 permanent plus some transients gets freaky. But this scenario where things went from fun fun fun, to mustelidae bedlam almost overnight...well, I need a hug! Or better yet, suggestions. My two female Play-Woosels must stay. I just need to get to where they can all tolerate each other. Help?

And thanks for reading this. There's just no way to explain this without the complete history.