Ferrets' Reaction To Loss

The reaction of the other three ferrets to Nyssa's passing has been interesting. Ella and Chin Soon clearly bonded to Nyssa. Zephyr didn't and mainly saw Nyssa as a rival. Zephyr, predictably, has been unaffected. Ella went for several days of not wanting to play much and acting depressed. She's back to her old self now.

Chin Soon was the most interesting. She's an absolute sweetheart, very bonded to me and follows me around like a puppy at times, very energetic and playful, but not as bright as the others. Even though she got to sniff Nyssa's body I think it didn't dawn on her that Nyssa was really dead and not going to ever wake up again. It's only when I put out Nyssa's favorite fleece blanket, washed, with no Nyssa odor and no Nyssa, that Chin Soon understood. She magically became un-litter trained outside the cage, an anger/grief reaction I've seen in ferrets before. She'd look right at me while doing the wrong thing as well -- which I take as she still knows it's wrong but was deliberately displeasing me. Last night she finally started using the litter pan again. Adric did exactly the same thing when Pertwee died and again when Avon died. Ferrets have intelligence and definitely have feelings.

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