Introducing 2 yr old male with 3 month old kit

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Jul 29, 2009
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Any ideas' or suggestions' ?

I have a 2 year old male, named Puff who has a top part of a Ferret Nation all to him self. Well, on the bottom is a momma with one girl and one boy.

Instead of selling the momma and the boy, I decided to keep them as pairs.
I've noticed when I put puff and the boy together that they usually sniff each other around their butts and frolic around together, but after awhile puff starts trying to hump him.

I just dont want puff to try and hump Rocky one time and it turn into a fight. :banghead:

Help?
 
Humping is one way they use to determine dominance. It's nothing to worry about. Just keep an eye open for excessive chasing, fur pulling and biting.
 
Since Puff is older and most likely the more dominant because of his size, they should establish who's going to be the boss fairly quickly.

I had a very funny experience when I introduced Baby to Mr. Whiskers. Mr. Whiskers (older) humped Baby (the baby) to death, just to prove he was #1. One day, Baby was on a shelf and he jumped down on Mr. Whiskers from above and started humping him. The look on Mr. Whiskers' face was priceless!!! I said to him, "Well, what did you expect -- you do it to him all the time, I guess he thought that was what he was supposed to do!!!"

That said, you must remain ever vigilant. After living together happily bonded for over a year, I came home one day to find Baby badly beaten, with most of the fur on his back missing and cowering in the hidey house from Mr. Whiskers.

Good luck. It seems that older chins usually like the younger ones and usually make a nice match, but go very slowly.

Start with a shared playtime in a neutral area and see how they do. Then, side by side cages for a week or two where they can see and hear and interact with each other without fear of fighting.

I knew that it was going to work when they each ended up in the other's cage, seeing how the other half lives. I still didn't leave them together alone for a few more days unless I was right there watching them. When they started cuddling and grooming each other, I knew that they were pretty happy with each other. After the fight, I had them both neutered on the advice of my vet. They were fine together after that. I think that going through the surgery and recovery together helped to bond them again.

After Baby died (not as a result of the fight), and I got The Snuggler as a baby for Mr. Whiskers, I used the same methods and was successful in getting them together, too. Still, when The Snuggler reached puberty and decided to challenge Mr. Whiskers, and started picking on him, he, too, went to the vet to be "fitted for HIS little pink apron", as I call it. They are now happily together again, and spend most of their time sleeping on top of each other in their tube, sharing recipes and baking pies.
 
They are now happily together again, and spend most of their time sleeping on top of each other in their tube, sharing recipes and baking pies.

hahahahaha :rofl: this killed me!

but anyway, i agree with Lynn. If you are patient and try the bonding slowly, it's definitely worth a shot. Older males usually do better with young males, but keep in mind that when the younger one gets older... he will go through "puberty" and may challenge his buddy. Just be prepared that it may not work out forever. Chins have no timeline and aren't concerned about "best friends forever" kinda thing. Humping is a good sign for now though, that means he decided he might give this little guy a try and see if he can dominate. woo! haha, good luck.
 
Whack off the older guys whiskers. Make them really short. Hopefully that will help with the dominance humping. I do hope you have the little one weaned from mom before 3 months. At 3 months of age he's capable of breeding both his sister and his mom. It has happened. I wouldn't put the little boy in right away with the older guy at 2 months though. I would wait until at least 3 or 4.
 
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