| Ferret voices - CLICK HERE for the Pet Manual Forum Home Page |
| Charles Winters |
Hello: We are foster parents of a 9 mos old sable-blaze little devil named
Bacchus. He lives alone in his 5X5 foot pen in the basement and spends lots
of time every day out of his pen either roaming his basement while I'm
working there or under closer supervision upstairs in the main house. He
seems happy and when not sleepy very much interested in playing with us.
Under certain circumstances he likes to be petted and scratched gently, but
most of the time he is on the move in the usual snoopy ferret way, getting
into and knocking over various objects. He used to bite toes a lot when he
was young (8 weeks old when bought from Petco), but now is very well behaved
and well adjusted to living with us humans.
My question has to do with his vocalizations. Most of the time he is
completely silent. When he gets excited, he makes little grunting sounds.
I can't tell if there are variations of these, they all sound pretty much
the same, whether he is angry because you won't let him chew on something he
likes, or because he is excited about chasing a little ball across the
floor. Once I accidentally stepped on his toes and he let out a sharp,
high-pitched staccato shriek, something I never want to hear again.
Can any of you old hands, who understand ferret talk better than I do,
interpret the meanings of the various little grunts ferrets make when they
are angry, excited or perhaps expressing some other feeling or signal? In
the interests of good communication, I want to improve my understanding of
ferret voices. thx - CW
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| Gar & Dar |
> When he gets excited, he makes little grunting sounds.
> I can't tell if there are variations of these, they all sound pretty much
> the same, whether he is angry because you won't let him chew on something
> he
> likes, or because he is excited about chasing a little ball across the
> floor.
That sure sounds like "dooking" or making the "chortle" sound. It is their
happy
voice. They will make that sound when they get excited.
> Once I accidentally stepped on his toes and he let out a sharp,
high-pitched staccato shriek, something I never want to hear again.
That is what you think it was, their version of a scream that one and the
most
likely; you really startled/scared them, or two; less likely if just the
tail that it
hurt.
You will also come across the "hiss", just like a cat, that usually means
"bug off", you have annoyed me, but, we once had one who would hiss
at us if he didn't take him out for a walk when he wanted.
You can also get into the body languange, when the tails flairs out like
a bottle brush it can mean happy excited or scared, when the ears are
flat against the head it can mean not feelling well or secure, when they
slink close to the ground it means similiar, and the usual inveted
U shape and scampering means everything is pretty OK.
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| jacquie, kylie & gilbert |
He arrived! :-) Happy to hear he's settling in well. You can get all
kinds of ferret information at the following URL, and there is a special
place for you to even hear the sounds a ferret makes. Go to:
http://www.ferretcentral.org and click on "Sounds and Fun", then when the
next page comes up, click on "Sounds", where you will see all kinds of
sounds to listen to. See if some of those aren't what you are referring to.
Also, look all around on the ferret central site and especially at the
Medical FAQs so you will be aware of things to watch for; common illnesses
and what to do "if". Hopefully you have located a vet in your area who
specializes in exotics and has experience in ferrets. It's always a good
idea to be established with one in case an emergency comes up because it can
be impossible to get treatment for your little one if you're not already an
established patient with a ferret vet. Do the research and make a visit
ahead of time - it's like an insurance policy that unfortunately we all have
to cash in at one time or another :-*(
Also, since the ferret is a blaze, you need to know that it's not uncommon
for ferrets who have white blazes or white markings around their faces and
heads to be deaf (which may account for why he doesn't interract more than
he does AND also for the fact that he's a chatterbox). This syndrome is
called Waardenburgs Syndrome, and you can read how to test for it in your
ferret and tips IF your ferret is deaf here:
http://www.geocities.com/wolfysluv/deaf.html Don't let it scare you away -
deaf ferrets make wonderful loving pets, but even better ones once you learn
how to communicate on a level they understand.
Hope this helps!
jacquie, kylie & gilbert
Charles Winters <chasw88@comcast.net> wrote in message
news:l6mdnQF3DM9ZmK7fRVn-2A@comcast.com...
> Hello: We are foster parents of a 9 mos old sable-blaze little devil
named
> Bacchus. He lives alone in his 5X5 foot pen in the basement and spends
lots
> of time every day out of his pen either roaming his basement while I'm
> working there or under closer supervision upstairs in the main house. He
> seems happy and when not sleepy very much interested in playing with us.
> Under certain circumstances he likes to be petted and scratched gently,
but
> most of the time he is on the move in the usual snoopy ferret way, getting
> into and knocking over various objects. He used to bite toes a lot when
he
> was young (8 weeks old when bought from Petco), but now is very well
behaved
> and well adjusted to living with us humans.
>
> My question has to do with his vocalizations. Most of the time he is
> completely silent. When he gets excited, he makes little grunting sounds.
> I can't tell if there are variations of these, they all sound pretty much
> the same, whether he is angry because you won't let him chew on something
he
> likes, or because he is excited about chasing a little ball across the
> floor. Once I accidentally stepped on his toes and he let out a sharp,
> high-pitched staccato shriek, something I never want to hear again.
>
> Can any of you old hands, who understand ferret talk better than I do,
> interpret the meanings of the various little grunts ferrets make when they
> are angry, excited or perhaps expressing some other feeling or signal?
In
> the interests of good communication, I want to improve my understanding of
> ferret voices. thx - CW
>
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| Perry Mason |
Did you think about getting a partner for your ferret. Two are always better
than one.
"Charles Winters" <chasw88@comcast.net> wrote in message
news:l6mdnQF3DM9ZmK7fRVn-2A@comcast.com...
> Hello: We are foster parents of a 9 mos old sable-blaze little devil
> named
> Bacchus. He lives alone in his 5X5 foot pen in the basement and spends
> lots
> of time every day out of his pen either roaming his basement while I'm
> working there or under closer supervision upstairs in the main house. He
> seems happy and when not sleepy very much interested in playing with us.
> Under certain circumstances he likes to be petted and scratched gently,
> but
> most of the time he is on the move in the usual snoopy ferret way, getting
> into and knocking over various objects. He used to bite toes a lot when
> he
> was young (8 weeks old when bought from Petco), but now is very well
> behaved
> and well adjusted to living with us humans.
>
> My question has to do with his vocalizations. Most of the time he is
> completely silent. When he gets excited, he makes little grunting sounds.
> I can't tell if there are variations of these, they all sound pretty much
> the same, whether he is angry because you won't let him chew on something
> he
> likes, or because he is excited about chasing a little ball across the
> floor. Once I accidentally stepped on his toes and he let out a sharp,
> high-pitched staccato shriek, something I never want to hear again.
>
> Can any of you old hands, who understand ferret talk better than I do,
> interpret the meanings of the various little grunts ferrets make when they
> are angry, excited or perhaps expressing some other feeling or signal?
> In
> the interests of good communication, I want to improve my understanding of
> ferret voices. thx - CW
>
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| Frank |
Perry Mason wrote:
>
> Did you think about getting a partner for your ferret. Two are always better
> than one.
>
I think it has been stated before in this newsgroup that Ferrets are
like
Potatoe chips. You cannot have only one....
My first Ferret was Daisy. Within a couple months I could see she
lacked
something, and that was a friend of her own kind. It was on the 4th of
july 2004
I took my small animal cage and was determined Daisy was going to have
a friend.
I found Cinnamon (she got her name right at Petco), brought her home
and put her
in the cage with Daisy. It was already evening and they were ready for
bed. Daisy
in her Hammock, but Cinnamon did not know what a Hammock was yet so
was sleeping
on a towel on the floor of the cage. Daisy came down and tried to wake
her up, I
wanted Daisy to leave her alone her first night in a new cage. I didnt
have any
luck with that idea so left daisy alone. She got Cinnamon up, They had
a lengthy
Ferret chat, Daisy climbed up in her Hammock, and Cinnamon followed.
Daisy became
a perfect "mother" to Cinnamon teaching her to use a litter box and to
be a Ferret.
Now the two are the best of buddies, and I never separate them. If one
has to go
to the vet they both go.....
I let them out twice a day to play and it is entertaining to watch
them, and
participate in some of their play.
What I think Im trying to say is that Daisy was lonely so took to
Cinnamon without
any fuss. At the time I thought it best to have two little girls who
may get along
better together, rather than a girl and a boy.
I was in a Petco where a guy was buying a Ferret. I told him you will
be coming back
for another one..... Wonder if he did....
About Ferrets in a basement.... They need a normal natural day/night
cycle. is bacchus
getting that? Mine are in my living room as they are part of the
family.....
Frank.
> "Charles Winters" <chasw88@comcast.net> wrote in message
> news:l6mdnQF3DM9ZmK7fRVn-2A@comcast.com...
> > Hello: We are foster parents of a 9 mos old sable-blaze little devil
> > named
> > Bacchus. He lives alone in his 5X5 foot pen in the basement and spends
> > lots
> > of time every day out of his pen either roaming his basement while I'm
> > working there or under closer supervision upstairs in the main house. He
> > seems happy and when not sleepy very much interested in playing with us.
> > Under certain circumstances he likes to be petted and scratched gently,
> > but
> > most of the time he is on the move in the usual snoopy ferret way, getting
> > into and knocking over various objects. He used to bite toes a lot when
> > he
> > was young (8 weeks old when bought from Petco), but now is very well
> > behaved
> > and well adjusted to living with us humans.
> >
> > My question has to do with his vocalizations. Most of the time he is
> > completely silent. When he gets excited, he makes little grunting sounds.
> > I can't tell if there are variations of these, they all sound pretty much
> > the same, whether he is angry because you won't let him chew on something
> > he
> > likes, or because he is excited about chasing a little ball across the
> > floor. Once I accidentally stepped on his toes and he let out a sharp,
> > high-pitched staccato shriek, something I never want to hear again.
> >
> > Can any of you old hands, who understand ferret talk better than I do,
> > interpret the meanings of the various little grunts ferrets make when they
> > are angry, excited or perhaps expressing some other feeling or signal?
> > In
> > the interests of good communication, I want to improve my understanding of
> > ferret voices. thx - CW
> >
--
* Never forget 9/11 and the cost of FREEDOM! 'Tedra' *
* Personal Page: http://oakgrovedesigns.net/ *
* Old Mill China: http://oakgrovedesigns.net/oldmill *
* Johnson Brothers Book: http://oakgrovedesigns.net/jbbook2 *
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| Jason and Holly Harper |
Oh and don't forget that they can bark as well!! It's kind of like a
Muttley bark (raspy sounding), but it can signal anger or surprise. And
dooking is still my favorite sound....there's nothing quite like hearing a
rescued ferret dook for the first time. :)
Holly
"Gar & Dar" <glemke@ferretsprint.ca> wrote in message
news:ezEYd.284$yD.1450@newscontent-01.sprint.ca...
>
>
> > When he gets excited, he makes little grunting sounds.
> > I can't tell if there are variations of these, they all sound pretty
much
> > the same, whether he is angry because you won't let him chew on
something
> > he
> > likes, or because he is excited about chasing a little ball across the
> > floor.
>
> That sure sounds like "dooking" or making the "chortle" sound. It is their
> happy
> voice. They will make that sound when they get excited.
>
> > Once I accidentally stepped on his toes and he let out a sharp,
> high-pitched staccato shriek, something I never want to hear again.
>
> That is what you think it was, their version of a scream that one and the
> most
> likely; you really startled/scared them, or two; less likely if just the
> tail that it
> hurt.
>
> You will also come across the "hiss", just like a cat, that usually means
> "bug off", you have annoyed me, but, we once had one who would hiss
> at us if he didn't take him out for a walk when he wanted.
>
> You can also get into the body languange, when the tails flairs out like
> a bottle brush it can mean happy excited or scared, when the ears are
> flat against the head it can mean not feelling well or secure, when they
> slink close to the ground it means similiar, and the usual inveted
> U shape and scampering means everything is pretty OK.
>
>
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