Interesting behavior with BP and ferrets

[Lea]

We have 2 BPs and husband recently insisted we should get ferrets. Did some research & prep for a couple months, deciding it would be fine with common sense measures.

Well, ofc I've read that BPs prob wouldn't consider ferrets prey, but it seems to be that they're in a constant state of feeding arousal with the ferret cage located in the same room, far from one another (when ferrets are active). They are fed every 4-6 days, so not particularly hungry when they demonstrate their coiling/tense, ready to strike pose. I have since relocated BP's to another room and the behavior has stopped, but thought it was worth mentioning it as I'd not seen anything anywhere in regards to ferret scent affecting BP.

Has anyone else had a similar experience?

Thanks!

Lea.

[craigj1187]

ferrets+snakes= not a great idea "in the same room of course", but from my knowledge ferret/weasel family doesnt go that well with smaller snakes

[aldebono]

Welcome to the forum Lea!

I definitely wouldn't have thought the bps would consider the smell of the ferrets prey either! That is very interesting and thanks for the observation. I also want to give you props for doing lots of research and prep before bringing the fuzzies into your family.

[Annarose15]

My guess is that this is defensive behavior, not hunting behavior. Weasels (ie ferrets) are notorious snake hunters. Google "Rikki-Tikki-Tavi".

[Lea]

I grew up watching Riki Tiki Tavi part of my concern having them both, in fact. I should look it up just for a "blast from the past" !
I just really wanted to get this out there because I did notice a lot of forum posts in the past about having both and the general interest was who would win if you had both, or scent on "hands" or "shirt" while being handled, but not one about would it cause stress on the snake because of the scent in the vicinity... It sure would suck to be all set up with one or the other, acquire the other, and find out they cant room in the same side of the house and have no where else to put the little guys. However wonderful the ferrets are I still prefer my BPs <3 , and not just because they don't poop as much lol.

As a side note, I have often wondered about the reptile store and how stressful it must be for all those mice & rats to be housed in tanks near the snakes. Yes they're food, but should they live in a constant state of fear during their last days before becoming dinner (or lucky enough to become a "pet")? I've realized that most of them have noooo idea whats going on until they're all wrapped up but every now and then you get one that seems painfully aware of their impending doom. Poor buggers. I guess now that I have ferrets I'm seeing a bit of the other side, what about the poor snakes? They're smelling their favorite food 24/7 and they can do nothing about it. Meh. PET STORES.

Oh, and thanks for the welcome I dunno why I didn't find this nice online area sooner, I guess having had BPs when I was young I figured I knew enough haha. Looking forward to absorbing everyone's wisdom and pix, was laughing at failed hideout attempts last night. My snakes are so lazy they just lay on a log for the world to see. Would be fail in the wild.

[satomi325]

I keep ferrets, rats, and BPs in the same room. The ferret cage is next to the snake rack. I foster rescue ferrets so there are constantly weasels going in and out of my place. I haven't seen any behavior difference in either species other than the ferrets trolling the rat rack for an extra meal. My snakes haven't acted any different either way. I'm guessing your snake(s) are just getting used to your new fuzzies. They do have a different new scent after all.

I have introduced my snakes to my ferrets to see if there was some sort of reaction. First through the cage and later without any barriers. I was trying to decided whether or not housing them in the same room was safe. Both ferrets and snakes did nothing. The ferrets had zero interest. The snake wasn't defensive or doing anything really. I suppose if my snakes were a boa or some other more aggressively feeding species, I would have been concerned for the ferrets' safety. I suppose it's a good thing BPs tend to be picky and stick to rats or mice.

Side note: the rats don't act fearful or any different in the same room as two predatory species. They can't see each other any way. If they were so stressed out, they wouldn't reproduce.

Also while a ferret(not weasels in general. But ferrets specifically) may kill a snake out of playfulness(being too rough for example), they wouldn't actively 'hunt' them. They need to be taught how to hunt. I feed whole prey to my ferrets and many other fosters and rescues. And they all had to be taught how to kill and eat prey. Otherwise, they would just sit and cuddle with the feeder or use it as a toy.

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[aldebono]

Satomi,

How far removed are these ferrets from their wild counterparts? Are they considered domesticated now?
I just think it's interesting to have to teach a predator to hunt. Cats seem to do it extremely well

[Lea]

This is really different from what I've read on the ferret forums in regards to ferrets hunting other fuzzies... not at all what I expected. I would never have ventured to introduce the two together, especially after taking note of the BPs reactions of constant strike prep pose for almost two weeks. Even to hold them I have used something to gently move them around before picking up, just because I felt like I might get bitten. My snakes have never been as agitated before, always easy to pick up no jerky responses like what was going on.

I agree with Angela, its a funny thought to think that you have to teach a ferret to hunt. I don't particularly want the additional mess of offering live food to my ferrets so I wont be trying that one out either . My husband had a ferret when he was a teen named Maggie. She managed to escape her cage and go to a separate room to eat a cockatiel. Guess that's not technically hunting since it was enclosed in a cage, though. Could have been a "oh pretty toy! *nibble nibble* Oh this tastes good! *Snack*"

The pet store that I go to doesn't breed the mice & rats, say its too much of a smelly hassle. As I mentioned the vast majority seem to have no clue what a snake smell is or that its danger, its just the occasional one that really knows whats up. My first BP was actually bitten by one such rat after I'd had him a couple years (snake, not rat lol). He refused to eat live any more after that. Maybe all the captive breeding is really dampening their natural instincts for danger, similar to some ferrets requiring to be "taught" to hunt.

[satomi325]

Satomi,

How far removed are these ferrets from their wild counterparts? Are they considered domesticated now?
I just think it's interesting to have to teach a predator to hunt. Cats seem to do it extremely well

They have been domesticated and used as a working animal for over 3000 years. They were first domesticated for rodent eradication. But have further been developed and are used for rabbiting. In rabbiting, the ferret is not suppose to kill the rabbit. Its suppose to go down a rabbit hole and drag the rabbit back up to the surface.
It is key that the ferret not kill the rabbit.

And I assume like most predators, the young has to be taught by the parent how to hunt and survive.
Excluding the cats' natural instinct to kill. Though, since cats are so instinctual, they are able to go feral so quickly and easily. Where as there have been no known feral ferret populations in history. Studies show that it would be fairly difficult for a domesticated ferret (especially in the US) to go feral.

The ferrets' wild counterpart, the European polecat, is everything a wild weasel is. They're the wolves to dogs in regards to ferrets. While they can interbreed to produce a hybrid, their adult behaviors are very different from each other. A ferret retains the juvenile traits of their wild ancestors, which is generally what the domestication process does.

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[barbie.dragon]

Cats are not 100% domesticated. Not like a dog at least. I have to go find the source for this.

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