Hi Guys!
 
Well, I have a new addition that I need some serious help with.
 
I have three boy fuzzies, all playful and energetic, even my 8 year old
deaf & blind guy.  He gives the other ones a run for their money.
 
A couple weeks ago I went into the local pet store I bought my Dante (my
first ferret) from.  They are a wonderful store, providing clean cages
and lots of food & fun for their animals.  I never see ferrets in the
conditions everyone relates about some of the big stores.  This is a
small, family owned store and they take care of their animals and
employees.
 
I went in and checked out the ferrets.  I usually go in and buy food and
Yesterday's News ferret litter from them.  I try to support the smaller
stores.  Enough people go to the big stores.  Anyway, when I went in and
there was this absolutely beautiful ferret in the cage by himself.  He was
curled up sleeping and I fell in love on the spot.  He's a sable but has
the most beautiful and soft fur, and he is a honey color with a silver
marking on the top of his head/neck area.  He was clearly full grown and
didn't belong there.  Anyway, I asked Tracey about him and she informed me
he was to be "the store mascot"; he would make trips with the store when
they went out to educate people.  I was bummed but I understood.
 
I went in about two weeks later and Tracey came running up to me.
"Where've you been?" she exclaims.  "We couldn't afford the liscencing
that it takes to bring him on trips and we've been holding on to him for
you because we knew you were interested....if you can't take him we're
gonna put him in a shelter." (and not a ferret shelter either, just a
plain old animal one).  She couldn't take him herself because her fiancee
wouldn't let her.
 
Of course, I said I would.  I went back the next day with a carrier and
took him home.  No name, no background, don't even know when his last
shots were.  I felt so bad.
 
He is IMMENSE.  I mean, IMMENSE.  Has anyone ever seen a groundhog run?
He looks like that when he tries to run.  My neighbor from downstairs and
I were cracking up watching him run Saturday night.  I don't think his
first "mommy" ever let him out of the cage to play.  He is very much a lap
ferret.  He is easily twice or three times my Dante (who I thought was big
to begin with).  He has rolls of fat around his neck (they are soft).  He
sometimes has trouble picking up his back with his hind legs.  He has full
use to his hind legs.  I think it's just too much body weight to be able
to pick up all the time.  He flops down and flat ferrets.  He kind of
squacks around the other boys.  I have a feeling he was an only ferret
wherever he was before.
 
I named him Templeton, after the fat but sweet rat in Charlotte's Web.
I thought it was fitting.  My good friends Cheryl and Anne helped me come
up with that one.  He went the whole weekend without a name (I came very
close to naming him Fatty Boomalaty but I just couldn't name him a fat
name....I think he'll thin out once he gets out and runs and plays some).
 
My questions are these: what can I do to help him become more active?  He
doesn't seem to be very interested in learning how to be a ferret.  I have
tried towel games with him and such and he just isnt into it.  The only
time he moves really is when my other boys chase him around and it's so
funny to watch him I break down laughing and the kids all look at me like
I am insane.  What can I feed him/them?  If I change his diet I feel like
I need to change all their diets, and if I put Paul on a diet he will
wither to nothing.  I really feel like I need to help him, and I know some
of it will come just from him being out of the cage, but any suggestions?
 
Thanks for letting me ramble guys! Again!
Sue
 
Dante: "Ma! Froot Loops! Now"
Toby: "Pinned Ya!"
Paul: "I'm OLD? I'm DEAF? I'm BLIND TOO? I don't believe you...and just to
prove it I'm gonna go kick Dante and Toby's butt!"
Templeton: "I'm just gonna lay here.  No, really.  I never wanted to know
what being a ferret was all about anyway,"
[Posted in FML issue 3567]