Ferret Vocalizations

Taken from a post on the forum by Heather Downie

Ferrets don’t necessarily dook….and even then it has different meanings. We look at it as a happy sound but I’ve learned through the years, that just because they’re dooking or not has no indication as to how happy or unhappy they are.

• Some ferrets actually hiss….deafies are notorious for this.
• There is the sound of happy hahahah’s that are so much fun to hear. There is only one meaning for these and so often they’re misinterpreted as hisses, but if you listen, it’s breathy ferret laughter. They make me laugh when they’re doing this.

As far as dooking …

• There is the happy chuckle that everyone loves to hear but only some ferrets use it. It doesn’t mean they’re not happy. I think sometimes that farm ferrets do not communicate in the full width of dooking because they never learned it from their mothers. They’re taken when their eyes open, their ears are closed until then too….so mom rarely talks to them until their eyes and ears open. It’s like she knows….from then on she dooks constantly to them in various tones, levels and volumes.
• In the spring there is the hob song which as annoying as all the accompanying behaviours are that go with it, is fun to listen to. Hobs and jills sing as they search for mates. It reminds me of a senior looking for their glasses, a constant low chuckle that increases or decreases as they uncover various scents.
• There is a dook that shows annoyance, it will sometimes show up if your ferret is constantly after something and you interfere, or keep removing them. That’s a warning, you might get bitten….this will also be used when another ferret is insisting on pushing the limit.
• There is the low rapid fire dooking of a jill calling her kits to the nest when they’re out playing.
• There is the high almost staccato dooking of a ferret on the hunt, usually for an opponent. A hob will also use this tone when he has a jill who’s not cooperating. This usually erupts into violence.