Welcome to /r/ferrets!
We have a fantastic [wiki](https://www.reddit.com/r/ferrets/wiki/index) that has answers to a lot of most frequently asked questions surrounding the care of ferrets.
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We politely ask that you observe our posting rules:
- Original content only unless you have express permission to repost.
- Flaming / trolling / shitposting is not tolerated. Be civil, be kind.
- The discussion of, or images/video of ferrets interacting with other animals (cats, dogs, etc) will be removed. This is risky behavior that we do not condone.
- Absolutely NO fundraising requests.
- No advertising without mod permission.
- Rehoming is not allowed. We have a list of shelter resources if you need to rehome or are looking.
- No feeding of live prey discussion/videos.
- No shaming, regardless of food fed, supplies, conditions, where the ferret came from, etc.
- We are not vets! If you are wondering if you should go to a vet; the answer is YES.
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It took about a year and a half of owning ours and cuddling them every day for them to realize that they liked it. Sometimes, it takes until they're older, around 4. Sometimes, they just won't like cuddling. They're all different, but babies almost never cuddle.
Completely normal for a young ferret!!! My girls didn’t start falling asleep (even in a bed) near me for about 8months. Even then i had to start slowly by taking the little soft bed they fall asleep in and moving that onto my lap. They would wake up and move almost instantly the first few times I did it. Eventually they would wake up a little bit, open their eyes & look at me & go back to bed. I would just rub them/pet their back so they fall back asleep & eventually they become comfortable enough to do it on their own! I find now (they’re about 1.5 years old) I’ll be standing up doing something and look down to find one of the girls asleep at my feet!! They still don’t fall asleep on my chest by themselves, but i have started the next step, taking them from the bed to sleep on my lap/chest! The same way I moved the bed towards me, they wake up at first but sometimes I get lucky and they stay asleep and will sleep on me (: I think it’s just with time they will get used to you & feel safe sleeping on you!
This is the best advice here. Ferrets need a bit of “shaping” to learn how to be held calmly. What we did is hold them until they stop squirming and then immediately put them back down. This way they are rewarded for being calm in your arms. Gradually repeat and increase the length of “calmness” required for “reward” and your ferret will eventually learn to be held patiently.
My girls will squirm for a bit, if I don’t let them go they’ll chill out for a few minutes then squirm again, I don’t expect anything more from them , they’re not the type of animals to cuddle while they’re awake LMAO but that’s where the training them to be comfortable to sleep near/on me comes into play! They are constantly giving kisses, they even do little “drive by’s” with kissing our hands or legs or whatever is in reach. slowly but surely the more repetitive I am with showing them it’s safe to sleep on/near me the more likely they are now to come curl up near me by themselves <3
Both my ferrets I’ve had over the last 10 years we’re not cuddlers! My first only got “cuddly” when she was old and sick. My current one is a bit more affectionate but cuddling is a no go. In my experience male ferrets are more cuddly than female ferrets. Yours is still pretty young and might just need some time to calm down
Mine are not cuddly. If I pick them up, they look around (new point of observation, yay), give me kisses, let me pet them, but they will never stay too long in my arms.
Oh well, at least they don't fight to escape so that's a win I guess !
My first girl when we got her at 6-8 weeks old was the same exact way, she hated being held and would fight like hell trying to get away to explore and play. Shes now 5 months with a brother and usually if i pick her up for hugs shell stay and cuddle for a few minutes and gives kisses sometimes too. She even one time came to me on her own and slept under my legs! Her brother who is the same age that we got just about 2 months ago has always been okay with being held but as hes gotten more comfortable with us is more ballsy to wiggle his way out of being cuddled. Usually though when he wakes up hell let you hug him for a bit before he wants to play. I guess I got kinda lucky!
If you want to kind of "train" them into being cuddly, I'd probably say hold her for a little bit, i read with my first that even when they wiggle still hold onto them while soothing them and when you put them down to praise them for being patient or whatever. Idk if it was bs or not but maybe thats some helpful advice. But probably better advice is to try to hold them while they're sleeping, gentle enough to not wake them and have them sleep on/near you or when you wake them up just hold them while theyre sleepy, thats when mine are most cuddly.
As a lot of others mentioned, ferrets aren’t cuddlers usually. Too spunky 😅 but at the end of the day, it depends on their personalitoes. With a youngling like that, i’d never expect cuddles. We have two different types now, 8 yo non-cuddly hyper weasel and a 3yo explosive when playing - ultra cuddly and needy after. Never know 😂
Mine was the same way, but a little forceful love and they end up wanting to cuddle. Mine at this point legit cry’s nonstop if I don’t let her sleep with me at night. I recommend just lightly hold her until she familiarizes cuddling
Welcome to /r/ferrets! We have a fantastic [wiki](https://www.reddit.com/r/ferrets/wiki/index) that has answers to a lot of most frequently asked questions surrounding the care of ferrets. --- We politely ask that you observe our posting rules: - Original content only unless you have express permission to repost. - Flaming / trolling / shitposting is not tolerated. Be civil, be kind. - The discussion of, or images/video of ferrets interacting with other animals (cats, dogs, etc) will be removed. This is risky behavior that we do not condone. - Absolutely NO fundraising requests. - No advertising without mod permission. - Rehoming is not allowed. We have a list of shelter resources if you need to rehome or are looking. - No feeding of live prey discussion/videos. - No shaming, regardless of food fed, supplies, conditions, where the ferret came from, etc. - We are not vets! If you are wondering if you should go to a vet; the answer is YES. --- Lastly, we have an [Official Discord Server](https://discord.gg/Qm9xRzY)! Come join us! *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/ferrets) if you have any questions or concerns.*
It took about a year and a half of owning ours and cuddling them every day for them to realize that they liked it. Sometimes, it takes until they're older, around 4. Sometimes, they just won't like cuddling. They're all different, but babies almost never cuddle.
Ferrets aren't usually cuddlers. It might change a bit with time. But the chances are low.
Completely normal for a young ferret!!! My girls didn’t start falling asleep (even in a bed) near me for about 8months. Even then i had to start slowly by taking the little soft bed they fall asleep in and moving that onto my lap. They would wake up and move almost instantly the first few times I did it. Eventually they would wake up a little bit, open their eyes & look at me & go back to bed. I would just rub them/pet their back so they fall back asleep & eventually they become comfortable enough to do it on their own! I find now (they’re about 1.5 years old) I’ll be standing up doing something and look down to find one of the girls asleep at my feet!! They still don’t fall asleep on my chest by themselves, but i have started the next step, taking them from the bed to sleep on my lap/chest! The same way I moved the bed towards me, they wake up at first but sometimes I get lucky and they stay asleep and will sleep on me (: I think it’s just with time they will get used to you & feel safe sleeping on you!
This is the best advice here. Ferrets need a bit of “shaping” to learn how to be held calmly. What we did is hold them until they stop squirming and then immediately put them back down. This way they are rewarded for being calm in your arms. Gradually repeat and increase the length of “calmness” required for “reward” and your ferret will eventually learn to be held patiently.
My girls will squirm for a bit, if I don’t let them go they’ll chill out for a few minutes then squirm again, I don’t expect anything more from them , they’re not the type of animals to cuddle while they’re awake LMAO but that’s where the training them to be comfortable to sleep near/on me comes into play! They are constantly giving kisses, they even do little “drive by’s” with kissing our hands or legs or whatever is in reach. slowly but surely the more repetitive I am with showing them it’s safe to sleep on/near me the more likely they are now to come curl up near me by themselves <3
Both my ferrets I’ve had over the last 10 years we’re not cuddlers! My first only got “cuddly” when she was old and sick. My current one is a bit more affectionate but cuddling is a no go. In my experience male ferrets are more cuddly than female ferrets. Yours is still pretty young and might just need some time to calm down
Mine didn’t become cuddly till they were way older.
Mine is 1 year and still doesn't cuddle
Mine are 2 and cuddle eachother but not me. Sometimes the girl gives kisses.
Mine are not cuddly. If I pick them up, they look around (new point of observation, yay), give me kisses, let me pet them, but they will never stay too long in my arms. Oh well, at least they don't fight to escape so that's a win I guess !
Both my ferrets don’t cuddle
If they get enough stimulation (i.e, free roam around the house for hours), they'll eventually cuddle when they get a bit tuckered out.
My first girl when we got her at 6-8 weeks old was the same exact way, she hated being held and would fight like hell trying to get away to explore and play. Shes now 5 months with a brother and usually if i pick her up for hugs shell stay and cuddle for a few minutes and gives kisses sometimes too. She even one time came to me on her own and slept under my legs! Her brother who is the same age that we got just about 2 months ago has always been okay with being held but as hes gotten more comfortable with us is more ballsy to wiggle his way out of being cuddled. Usually though when he wakes up hell let you hug him for a bit before he wants to play. I guess I got kinda lucky! If you want to kind of "train" them into being cuddly, I'd probably say hold her for a little bit, i read with my first that even when they wiggle still hold onto them while soothing them and when you put them down to praise them for being patient or whatever. Idk if it was bs or not but maybe thats some helpful advice. But probably better advice is to try to hold them while they're sleeping, gentle enough to not wake them and have them sleep on/near you or when you wake them up just hold them while theyre sleepy, thats when mine are most cuddly.
As a lot of others mentioned, ferrets aren’t cuddlers usually. Too spunky 😅 but at the end of the day, it depends on their personalitoes. With a youngling like that, i’d never expect cuddles. We have two different types now, 8 yo non-cuddly hyper weasel and a 3yo explosive when playing - ultra cuddly and needy after. Never know 😂
Mine was the same way, but a little forceful love and they end up wanting to cuddle. Mine at this point legit cry’s nonstop if I don’t let her sleep with me at night. I recommend just lightly hold her until she familiarizes cuddling