By Holly

YES, it definitely helps them to see their friend, sniff them, and understand where they are now.

Keep in mind that not all of them will outwardly react. My boy barely sniffed his friend's body and then wandered off to sniff the door of the vet's room. That was it. But the next few weeks at home he'd sleep in the spots that I'd only ever find his buddy. 😭 He never slept there before until his friend passed.

I've heard stories of other ferrets who don't get to see their friends after they've gone, and they will search the house for weeks/months trying to find their friend. I can imagine it's heartbreaking to see :(

Some ferrets won’t show much grief (like I mentioned with my boy, all I noticed was he slept where his friend used to - he was just as energetic as always). Some will become VERY depressed, you might need to encourage them to eat and play. The best way to handle this is to smother them in love. Give them extra kisses, carry them around with you while doing chores, just be close to them even if they don’t feel like playing. Give them extra head rubs, take them somewhere new or let them explore a room that’s normally off-limits to take their mind off things. And if you want to… IT IS NEVER TOO EARLY TO ADOPT ANOTHER! Don’t think that you’re *replacing* your old ferret - think of it like you’re bringing in a new opportunity to heal and love. Where dogs and cats might be shocked and unwelcoming of a newcomer so soon, I’ve only heard good things when it comes to ferrets and adopting after one passes.

Other stories:

https://holisticferretforum.com/care-and-enrichment/helping-ferrets-cope-with-grief/