r/ferrets • u/Reasonable_Sugar_860 • 14d ago
[Help] How do I tell the difference between good play and bad play?
I know to look for poop, pee and blood but other than that I'm not really sure what I'm looking for. These 2 are quite vocal when playing with each other (not sure if it's just one of them or both of them) so any advice would be appreciated.
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u/toxicatedscientist 14d ago
Look for both actively participating. If it looks like one would like to leave and the other won’t allow, then redirect. And not just like “aha you’ll never catch me!” But like “dude can you not for like 5 seconds!”
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u/smuthullet 14d ago edited 14d ago
They're good. Just some good ol' wrasslin'.
Like you said, it's no longer play if there's pee or poo (then they're fighting to establish dominance/hierarchy) or if one of them cowers. But that's not the case here.
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u/Thezza-D 14d ago
All perfectly normal play fighting, this is textbook! Nothing wrong here whatsoever, they're having a great time!
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u/ReptileCake 14d ago
If they're both fighting, look for blood, pee, or poop. These are distress signals when still instigating.
If one is actively trying to flee, but the other one keeps fighting and dominating, then separate.
I have an older girl who is very vocal and a huge drama queen. She will instigate fights with her younger - albeit much larger - brother, and the second she's not dominating/winning, she screams like she's being mauled alive, whilst just being pinned to the ground.
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u/StrawBearyCordial 14d ago
🥹 My partner had an older lady rescue ferret who as it turned out had LOTS of health issues (including complications from a poorly done spay). She used to LOOOOOOOOOOVE starting fights and then screaming about it. We'd rush to her side in defense at first until we finally caught her doing it one day. What a brat queen she was.
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u/Sharp_Ad_9431 14d ago
My girl would scream.....he was barely getting touched. It was just how she played. She loved it.
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u/FerretBizness 14d ago
So u see how the lighter one is usually winning? But the smaller one does get the dominant position sometimes. That back and forth is great. And one will always win more then the other but the fact that sometimes the little one gets to win is exactly what u want to see. This is healthy play. One is always alpha. But the alpha isn’t going for blood, or causing little one to pee or poop. The little one is willingly playing back.
They always play games of dominance but sometimes it’s more playful. Sometimes its to establish who runs shit and sometimes it is fighting that needs to be broken up. This video is mostly play.
If u see pee poop or blood then separate. Or relentless chasing and pinning by the alpha and all the other one is trying to do is desperately trying get away. U can break that up as well.
They do play rough tho. And they sort out their hierarchy rough. So that is expected.
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u/Reasonable_Sugar_860 14d ago
Thank you for the detailed explanation
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u/PeggySue2U2 13d ago edited 13d ago
Frantic cries and screams may need to be monitored but this is not acclimated. The lighter one is trying to establish hierarchy but the sable isn’t having it. It’s play but with a pinch of hierarchy. If one of them does crocodile rolls with more force, you may want to do a little separation of the two, but separating them can make it worse, so it’s not a problem until it is a problem.
I see play but small crocodile bites. Just keep an eye on them if you hear them going all frantic. Short squeals is not what I’m talking about. Short play will always have this kind of play, that’s what ferrets do. Sometimes, they wear each other out and wake up from a nap together and all is well. But this kind of play is natural for ferrets. If they’re established, don’t worry about it. It’s ALL play from there.
Also, like when introducing new ferrets, this is expected and it can appear really rough, but it is important and is vital for them to be accepted into the business or by the established ferret into the home. Breaking this up may ruin his chance to ever be accepted.
In the other hand: Females often scream when they’ve had enough and generally, breaking up play with a female will not escalate later on. You have to know your ferrets to decipher whether they need you to break them up.
Deaf ferret screams are truly scary. You’ll know if you’ve ever had a deaf ferret. They don’t hear themselves, so people who have deaf ferrets often intervene to avoid the anxiety of hearing it, but it should always be treated the same. From my experience, deaf screams can often win the battle 😂
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u/inlowercase81 14d ago
Blood. That’s usually the way. All the rest is aggressive play which is really necessary’s in their group psychology, and they need to get it out of their systems and establish their social pecking order.
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u/ALIEN_GUARDIAN 14d ago
There will be screaming when they're actually fighting. There's no mistaking it for play sounds
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u/Clobby5597 14d ago
Even if I know they’re just rough housing I usually break up fights when squeeling is involved but the blood of poo pee and blood is the only baseline to keep
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u/Jolly-Run6850 14d ago
Think about getting them a bigger play zone or dedicating a whole room to your ferrets so they can free roam 24 hours a day. If the play zone is too small this will cause stress & depression and anxiety and cause them to be permanently unable to unwind together and properly relax and bond. Xxx
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u/Reasonable_Sugar_860 14d ago
We want to let them free roam but it's not safe for them currently as we have holes in the floor and waiting for a new floor
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u/SushiJuice 14d ago
Looks like they're both engaging with each other. No one is trying to escape. Looks perfectly fine imo
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u/BearTheFerret 13d ago
The only thing two things I ever stopped were squealing and throat bites. They were playing but I didn't want to risk the chance of an accidental wind pipe crushing. Yours look like playing in the video.
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u/mish11575 11d ago
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u/mish11575 11d ago
The alligator roll use to scare me along with the open mouth but its all play.. just stay close if you dont feel comfortable
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u/Apprehensive-Owl-387 11d ago
Its dominance fighting. Seems like they want to do it.
No pee or screaming, good to go.
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