I have not been able to write about my grief because there are no words,
but I am sure all of you who have lost one of their furbabies knows
exactly how I feel.  He would have been 3 this October.  to have him die
suddenly is devastating.  I have decided to have a necropsy done to help
me determine the cause.  Chandler was my Mother Theresa of all my ferrets.
He was so gentle and loving and would be a lap ferret for when ever you
needed him to be.  I could cradle him in my arms and he would lay on his
back and stare up at you with his big blue eyes, he would slowly and
methodically clean his face, sneezing into his little paws and start
washing behind his ears on down to his whiskers stopping every now and
then to lick my forehead or just lay there while I stroked his face or
gave him scritches on his little thighs.  If I set him down and engaged
him in play he would turn into a bucking bronc, twisting and jumping his
fool self all over the place.  One thing Chandler loved the most was the
clear plastic tubing that I had arranged to go down the length of my
stairs.  He would either go downon his back or face first with his little
arms tucked in at his side to gather more speed.  And when he hit the
bottom he would run quickly back up the stairs to do it again.  Chandler
would love to get into the shower with me...he loved baths.
 
Chandler picked Louis and I out at a pet store in Washington almost 3
years ago..not knowing he was deaf at the time we fell in love.  He was
gentle even as a kit, he only opened his mouth to eat or yawn that is why
we nicknamed him "Yawn Boy"
 
He loved to go for walks and digging in dirt.  On occasion I offer my
ferts mice, which was usually accepted by all as a wonderful treat,
Chandler being his gentle self, would/could not kill them but he would
take them away from the others to put it in the food bowl..not to eat,
but everything had a place for him.
 
Chandler had adrenal surgery last year and came through with flying
colors.
 
I can't imagine what killed him, I suspect electrocution, which would show
up in a necropsy, I will have my Doc look for other things of course..
 
I will have Chandler cremated and put him with Phoebe,Joey, Oliver and
Humphrey.  Chandler is survived by Ricky, Socks, Meesha, Zoee, Coco,
Nala, Roscoe and Taylor.  My heart hurts..I can still see his beautiful
little face.
 
June
[Posted in FML issue 3547]