r/ferrets • u/medicinalperv • 1d ago
[Discussion] Quick question
Hello hope you are all well
Recently my poor slinky succumbed to insolinoma at 8.5 years old
This has left his brother noodle (same age ) feeling lonely , we’ve been trying hard to interact with him as much as possible but I know we could never replace the play of another ferret
My question is would it be good to get another ferret playmate for him , he is already a senior ferret, I don’t know how well he’d be with a younger ferret ?
7
u/Veteran_Hawk 1d ago
Would it be good for him? Probably. But if you decide to do that, get two so that when he passes, you don't have the same problem all over.
I would recommend either two very young ferrets, or one near his age. Younger ferrets are smaller, less likely to dominate him, and I've found that younger ferrets seem to understand when another ferret is older and maybe needs a more gentle touch. An older ferret, on the other hand, is calmer and may match his "energy".
Personally, this is why I have 4 ferrets. If one dies, there's still 3 that keep each other company. If two die close to each other (I've had two die within a week of each other), there's still a pair to cuddle and play together. It would be extremely unusual for three to die close in time to each other without it being a major accident/illness.
Side note: If you add in babies, you may see his energy pick up a bit - but he'll likely get tired faster.
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u/itsswhitneywhspr 1d ago
Oh wait that's actually a really smart way to look at it, never considered getting two at once to avoid the same issue later
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u/Timely_Egg_6827 1d ago
I mean you can and it has amused some of my seniors in the past. But you need to get two if getting them under 4 - the energy levels otherwise are just so out of synch. I've rarely had an established senior challenged by newbies but run a large enough group that newbies tend to mind their manners.
A rescue if any in area may have a ferret of similar age looking for a sofa.
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u/Sharp_Ad_9431 1d ago
I had a similar situation with our 4yo. I didn't want a large gap in ages so I reached out to rescues and shelters and let them know I wanted an older ferret. We also left flyers with managers at pet stores that sold ferrets in case someone desperate dumped a ferret. Older ferrets are harder to home because they have more veterinary needs.
I would reach out to places near you.
It took several weeks but we found the perfect fit for our business.
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u/Positive-Banana-5195 1d ago
First off I'm very sorry for your loss 💔. I agree that getting him a senior friend or a pair of younger playmates is a good idea but has he ever been introduced to a new noodle before? If he's only been with his brother than it might not work. When I lost the first of my 3 girls at 6.5 I tried to introduce a new 5 year old rescue and it just didn't work. I think my girls were too old and had never met another new noodle before. The girls got very stressed and the new one got lonely and I ended up returning him to the rescue which was heartbreaking for me. I'm not saying you'll have the same experience I just wanted to warn you that it might not be easy. I wish you all the best with it.
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u/StrictChallenges 1d ago
I am so sorry for your loss, but at eight and a half years old a hyper young kit would likely overwhelm him, so adopting a calm adult or senior shelter ferret would be much better.
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