Ferret bark? And other noises.

Okay, so most people have heard about ferrets dooking, but barking too? Ferrets can be quite the vocalists and you need to know what they are trying to say! Below I have compiled the most common ferret noises and their meanings, if your ferret has made a different noise then please get in touch! Please bear in mind however that some of these noises can mean two different things, so you always need to check your ferrets out to make sure they are not in trouble, even if to you it sounds like they are having fun.

• Dooking-Dooking is a clucking almost squeaky sound that often come in fast bursts. If you hear your ferret dooking then you can be happy that it is very excited and having fun playing. They may also dook when they approach you, which can be an invitation to play. Some ferrets are very loud when they dook, and can dook frequently, even when just walking around, my ferret Shiro does this. Whereas some ferrets, like Alfie, are very quiet and infrequent dookers.
• Screeching/squeaking-Ferrets can squeak or screech while playing, and in many occasions the ferret that is happily leaping on a playmate will be the one doing the screeching. They will also screech or squeak if they are losing a fight, or upset with another ferret. Some ferrets will be quite vocal and some will only screech if they are unhappy. You need to establish what type of vocalist your ferret is, so that you can respond quickly if your ferret is in danger of being hurt.
• Screaming-The scream is a pretty clear indication that your ferret is either in pain, is frightened or very angry! It's never a good thing if you hear this and you need to check it out right away.
• Hissing-Some ferrets hiss on a regular basis, and this is just their way of communicating. Hissing  ferrets are normally giving a warning to 'back off' to either another ferret, animal or human. They can hiss in fear, in anger and in annoyance. 
• Whines and whimpers- These are never good signs, your ferret could be in pain/discomfort or they could be frightened. You will need to investigate if you hear these noises.
• Barking-Lets talk about this ferret bark shall we? Ferrets can bark, and can sound quite like a dog when they do. Barking is usually nothing to worry about and just means that they are over excited and overcome with joy. On occasion they can bark when frightened, so be wary.
• Wheezing-If accompanied by a runny nose and eyes then your ferret could have a cold or other illness. If not and it is playing, eating and drinking as usual it is likely it has dust/hair stuck in its throat, which is particularly common during the shed season. If you are at all concerned or your ferret seems to be in discomfort then always check with the vet.
• Coughing-This can be caused by similar things as wheezing, the ferret could have a hair or even a piece of food stuck in its throat from eating too quickly. Again, if accompanied by sneezing, runny nose, watery eyes or loss of appetite you would be best to let your vet have a look. Ferret lax can help hairs slide down easier, but be careful not to give your ferret too much, and again see the vet for advice if in doubt.
• Snoring-Yes, ferrets can snore too! They don't obviously sound the same as when a human snores, it's more like heavy breathing. Your ferret is fast asleep and dreaming up more mischief...shhhhh....

So hopefully now you have a better understanding of just what your little rascal is trying to tell you! 

Tunnelling ferrets

Ferrets have a natural love for tunnelling. This is one of the reasons that they are used for hunting rabbits. Unfortunately this love of tunnelling can get them into trouble if the home is not properly 'ferret proofed'. If the ferrets are housed outdoors then care needs to be taken to ensure that the enclosure is completely secure, ferrets can squeeze out into very small spaces when they want to! If your ferret did escape from its outside enclosure and then your garden, it would be very hard to locate it again.
Indoor ferrets that have the run of a particular room or even the entire house can get up to lots of mischief if you are not careful. Ferrets digging a hole in the lining of a sofa and then using the inner compartment as a den is a common problem. We had this problem and tried different tactics including tacking faux leather to the bottom, but alas they are such expert diggers/tunnellers that they managed to get through it in no time! In the end we just cut the bottom from our sofa completely. Unfortunately there are some things you have to sacrifice if you have ferrets as pets.
Gaps behind appliances need to be sealed as well as any exposed holes and wires. My ferrets enjoy rooting through my cupboards so if your low level cupboards do not secure firmly then you may need to invest in safety locks.
To try and satisfy your ferrets' natural urge to tunnel you can buy various toys for them to play with, tunnels being the obvious choice. I have a small cat scratcher house with two holes for them to climb in and out of. They use it as a kind of ferret fort, with one on the inside playfully snapping at the other stuck on the outside. I have a large tunnel toy that has three tunnels that connect in the middle, with a dangle toy in the middle for them to play with. They absolutely love this toy, they play together inside, on their own and also use it as a hiding place. We have a smaller tunnel that they also love, mainly because it has one end closed so one ferret can easily trap the other inside!

Playing peekaboo. 

Playing with the attached toy.

Inside the smaller tunnel.

Please don't forget that your ferret should be supervised while out of the cage, and especially while playing with toys. Also remember to check toys regularly for signs of wear.

Some things you may or may not know about ferrets.

What is a ferret?
Firstly, lets clear up one little thing. Ferrets are NOT rodents! They are carnivores and belong to the Mustelidae family. Rodents have incisors that continually grow which they use for gnawing, whereas ferrets have canines that they use to puncture food and manipulate objects (such as toys). They would find most rodents very tasty though! 
Ferrets have very good hearing and can hear high-frequency sounds. Their large nose provides them with an excellent sense of smell. Add to these traits their slender, flexible bodies and it's no wonder why they are used for a special type of hunting called ferreting.
Female ferrets are considerably smaller than the males and can weigh from 1-2-1/2 lbs. The males tend to weigh between 2-5 lbs.
Ferrets can live for anything from 6 to 9 years, with some records of ferrets living for over 10 years!

'Stop! Thief!' and other ferret behaviours.
Ferrets are well known for their love of stashing desirable objects, in fact the word 'ferret' comes from the Latin meaning 'Thief'. They can find even the most ordinary of household objects highly desirable and will stash them in a 'secret' hiding place. For example my ferrets love my husbands work gloves. They kept taking them from his bag and trying to hide them, so one day he gave them an old pair, which started the mother of all play fights! They play tug of war over them and steal each others gloves from their individual hiding spots. My suggestion would be that if there is anything that you do not want to be 'stashed', remove it from reach!

They love to dig and to try and squeeze into small spaces, which is why if you have indoor ferrets then any rooms that they will be loose in will need to be proofed. Make sure that they cannot climb to great heights, get stuck in a tight space, encounter dangerous objects or get themselves into other dangerous situations.

Dooking is the term used for when ferrets emit a chirping or 'dook dook' sound when they are happy or excited. This is commonly heard when they display the 'dance of joy'.

The ferret dance of joy consists of ferrets bouncing off the walls (somtimes literally!) They will jump around from side to side, roll on the floor, spin around and they may dook and have they mouths slightly open. This dance means exactly what is says, it is performed when a ferret is very happy and excited. This can be confused with the war dance which has a very different meaning.

The ferret war dance is displayed when a ferret is saying 'back off'. They arch their backs, puff their fur and tails, dance from side to side and back away. They may also hiss or scent in defence.

Ferrets love to play fight with each other, you will see them pounce on one another, play hide and seek, roll each other by the scruff and chase each other. It really is fun to watch. Just make sure you listen out for any screams which would indicate that they really are fighting.