Hi all,
 
This is an update about the New England Ferrets Website and Mailing List.
For those who haven't heard of it yet, it's a website and mailing list
aimed at the New England area ferret owners, shelters, and clubs.  The site
is a place to meet fellow ferreteers in the little cluster of New England
states, to exchange ideas, discuss topics aimed at the New England area
(though not strictly), and generally network with the idea that the closer
we know each other and work together the better it is for the ferrets, and
their humans!
 
The good news: it's growing!! :)  We have over 40 folks on the mailing list
now, most from New England and a few from near New England.  We typically
see 5 or 6 emails a day on it, for those who don't opt for the Daily Digest
instead.  The website's Discussion Board is currently hosting a wide range
of topics, from "getting to know you" posts to questions on lymphoma.  Most
ferret club and shelter events in the New England area are posted on the
Events Calendar.  And someone just posted an ad for a Midwest cage on the
Want Ads.  A bustling little corner of the web.
 
For those interested in checking out the website, it is at
http://newengland.ferretopia.org .
There's a link there to subscribe to the mailing list there, or you can
send a blank email to [log in to unmask] .
 
And now, my watery ferret trick.  We don't have air conditioning in my
apartment, so this weekend I decided to help them keep cool by putting ice
packs in the cage, and a bowl of water with ice cubes in it (they drink
from water bottles, usually).  Buddy and Daisy liked to play "bobbing for
ice cubes", though Buddy never got the hang of opening his mouth while his
head was underwater in order to grab them, and Daisy had to wait for them
to melt a bit to get her little mouth on them.  The other three ferrets
gave it a try too.  Several of them had the problem of figuring out how to
drink from a bowl without inhaling the water, but the seemed to more or
less figure it out after awhile.  But after the ice cubes melted, Buddy
got frustrated, I guess.  He thought there HAD to be more ice cubes in the
bowl somewhere.  So he would plunge his head, front legs, and shoulders
into the water (it's too small to get more than that in the bowl) and
started digging VIGOROUSLY at the bottom of the bowl to find more!  It was
like a little outboard motor in the water.  Water flew everywhere, ferrets
ran for cover, and I just laughed.  It was like watching kids at a pool on
a hot summer day.  The other cute thing he did was stick his head under the
water and blow bubbles out his nose.  I supervised to make sure he didn't
drown himself in the little 6 inch bowl of water!
 
See ya! - Mike
 
Mike, Paula, Buddy, Dickens, Daisy, Sweet Pea, and Winter
 
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[log in to unmask]
Check out the New England and Midatlantic Ferret Sites at
http://www.ferretopia.org
[Posted in FML issue 3095]