Tink
17-05-2010, 01:59 AM
Well he is really starting to blossom so I thought I'd tell you about his personality a little more.
Cooper is a "people person". He's nervous around other ferrets but really loves his people (and cats!) and is quite content being an "only child".
I have to say it really is kind of neat having a business of four and then a single ferret. My original four are rambunctious and hilarious and keep me laughing. Cooper is more like having a puppy dog around.
If you scratch him on his back his back leg instinctively kicks like a dog does. He lays on your feet while you are on the computer. Absolutely loves socks and plays tug of war with them. I am thinking of making him a stuffed sock friend that he can sleep with.
The cats love him because he is more mature and doesn't pester them. If they give him a warning swat, he abides and if they are in the litter box he doesn't rush over to pester them. He's very respectful to them and they are getting relaxed around him. No worries about "surprise attacks" while they are dozing, Cooper doesn't do that.
There are benefits to an older ferret. I can open the window and let the breeze in without worrying about him doing a flying squirrel imitation out the window. I can eat a meal without him jumping on the plate to sample whatever it is I have. I can clean the litter box without someone jumping into the plastic bag filled with poop, lol.
Don't get me wrong I love my yonger troublemakers too and still find their antics endearing. Cooper is just a very different kind of ferret. It amazes me how I am up to five ferrets and each has such a different personality. Even K says he can't believe how different they all are.
Every once in awhile Cooper will dance his little old man dance. He goes crazy for tank tops I've worn or my bras, lol. He is definitely a boy! When you pick him up he is very much like a warm breathing teddy bear. He's so great for hugging I have to remind myself not to do it too much or it might annoy him, hehe.
If he doesn't like something (like the vet poking at him or getting his nails trimmed or ears cleaned) he will make a funny UNferret noise that sounds like "meep meep"..very much like a tiny car honking it's horn, it's so different!
He has the strangest way of drinking water. He hover over the bowl and then with his two front paws he alternates making swimming strokes into the water. Right, left, right...as he does this, he lowers his head down slowly into the water until it touches bottom and his whole head is immersed and you see little bubbles rise to the surface like he is snorkeling and then very carefully he opens his mouth and starts drinking...while underwater! Then he'll rise up, shake, and start all over again. The way his arms and feet paddle through it looks very much like a human doing a freestyle stroke in a swimming pool!
He has been moved into our bedroom as he is happiest around the traffic of the household and seems to thrive on humans, dogs, and cats walking past his cage. He likes to hear the TV or watch us on the computer. I think the "ferret room" was too isolated for him. He's really coming out of his shell now that he's in here all the time with us.
Very quiet boy. Does not make a ruckus in the middle of the night. If he is up while we are trying to sleep he will quietly sit and chew on one of his stuffed animal toys to entertain himself. Also very reliable with the litter box!
I think he's doing quite well for only being here a month and just losing his cagemate a little over two weeks ago.
Cooper is a "people person". He's nervous around other ferrets but really loves his people (and cats!) and is quite content being an "only child".
I have to say it really is kind of neat having a business of four and then a single ferret. My original four are rambunctious and hilarious and keep me laughing. Cooper is more like having a puppy dog around.
If you scratch him on his back his back leg instinctively kicks like a dog does. He lays on your feet while you are on the computer. Absolutely loves socks and plays tug of war with them. I am thinking of making him a stuffed sock friend that he can sleep with.
The cats love him because he is more mature and doesn't pester them. If they give him a warning swat, he abides and if they are in the litter box he doesn't rush over to pester them. He's very respectful to them and they are getting relaxed around him. No worries about "surprise attacks" while they are dozing, Cooper doesn't do that.
There are benefits to an older ferret. I can open the window and let the breeze in without worrying about him doing a flying squirrel imitation out the window. I can eat a meal without him jumping on the plate to sample whatever it is I have. I can clean the litter box without someone jumping into the plastic bag filled with poop, lol.
Don't get me wrong I love my yonger troublemakers too and still find their antics endearing. Cooper is just a very different kind of ferret. It amazes me how I am up to five ferrets and each has such a different personality. Even K says he can't believe how different they all are.
Every once in awhile Cooper will dance his little old man dance. He goes crazy for tank tops I've worn or my bras, lol. He is definitely a boy! When you pick him up he is very much like a warm breathing teddy bear. He's so great for hugging I have to remind myself not to do it too much or it might annoy him, hehe.
If he doesn't like something (like the vet poking at him or getting his nails trimmed or ears cleaned) he will make a funny UNferret noise that sounds like "meep meep"..very much like a tiny car honking it's horn, it's so different!
He has the strangest way of drinking water. He hover over the bowl and then with his two front paws he alternates making swimming strokes into the water. Right, left, right...as he does this, he lowers his head down slowly into the water until it touches bottom and his whole head is immersed and you see little bubbles rise to the surface like he is snorkeling and then very carefully he opens his mouth and starts drinking...while underwater! Then he'll rise up, shake, and start all over again. The way his arms and feet paddle through it looks very much like a human doing a freestyle stroke in a swimming pool!
He has been moved into our bedroom as he is happiest around the traffic of the household and seems to thrive on humans, dogs, and cats walking past his cage. He likes to hear the TV or watch us on the computer. I think the "ferret room" was too isolated for him. He's really coming out of his shell now that he's in here all the time with us.
Very quiet boy. Does not make a ruckus in the middle of the night. If he is up while we are trying to sleep he will quietly sit and chew on one of his stuffed animal toys to entertain himself. Also very reliable with the litter box!
I think he's doing quite well for only being here a month and just losing his cagemate a little over two weeks ago.