Melissa and Potpie here.
 
To the person whose ferrets had fleas: i found it remarkably difficult to
get all of the fleas, their eggs, etc out of the house. We flea-bombed
the house, bathed Potpie, cleaned her bedding, vacuumed thoroughly, and
did it all again; and she still got the occasional flea. My best luck
just came with careful applications of flea dip -- the sort you rinse
them with, pat them dry, and leave on w/o rinsing them with water --
every few weeks, to keep the fleas from jumping back on her. It's a vile
method and we both hated it, but we have outdoor cats that also frequent
the areas that Potpie does, and there's no great way to prevent her from
getting fleas...and this is just 1 ferret.
 
re: MI and legality and pet stores. When the legislation goes through, I
have a sinking feeling that there'll be a sudden 'ferret boom' in the pet
stores around here. The impression that i've gotten from most owners in
MI now is that since they've had to go to some lengths to get their
animals, theyve invested time into researching how they should be cared
for. I'm worried that abuse, negligence, and abandonment will follow the
rush of pet store appearances and purchases -- it's a fairly helpless
feeling, and i'd like to think i could help in some way or another.
Suggestions? What've other people done? I may start with the vets and
Micki Wingate for suggestions and ideas.
 
Ob-amusing ferret story: we went to dairy queen, which is conveniently
right outside the house im sitting for the summer, and left Potpie inside
running around. When we finished and went back inside, i heard a
*scuffle*thud*. My friend wanders into the kitchen. "Hey, she's on the
counter." I walk in, and see a ferret head disappear behind some jars,
then a nose poke back out. 'Im not HERE im flat you cant SEE me' was her
general attitude. The closer i walked to the counter, the more she
flattened out--i LOVE watching them try to be sneaky--and when i picked
her up she gave me a reproachful 'hey, youre not supposed to be able to
see me' look followed by the 'am i in trouble?' look. Hee. Funny--she
hardly EVER gets punished, except for biting, so i dont know WHERE she
picked up the 'am i in trouble?' attitude. :)
 
Potpie, 'Have you looked under the bed lately? heheheehe'
and
Melissa, 'She'd BETTER just be using the litter box. Nit.'
 
[Posted in FML issue 0875]