OK fellow ferret friends and lovers (FERRET lovers I mean!) .... "IT"
happened before I could even realize what was going on but needles to
say I think I have "crossed the line" and am now "officially" CONVERTED
and have become one of YOU GUYS!  This is how it happened -
 
This past Jan. I became a new first time fuzzy mommy when I adopted a
pair of beautiful 4 1/2 yr. old fuzzies (one albino male and one sable
female) from a local shelter and since then I've been trying to educate
myself as much as possible about virtually everything a fuzzy mom needs
to know because these are my BABIES, MY PRIDE AND JOY, and I just love
them to pieces!  How can you NOT love a fuzzie that falls asleep on your
chest almost every night and cuddles up around your neck and gives you
ferret kisses on demand without fail????  ANYWAY ...
 
Well, about a week ago I'm in my local pet store "browsing" for a ferret
toy and I see that they've actually got 2 young ferrets in a cage (not
common because I live in a rather small college town) - so of course just
HAVE TO take a look-see ...(PREFACE: Obviously I'm NO EXPERT by ANY means
but I have been reading and listening quite a bit and already know some
of the basic "do's" and "dont's").
 
So what do I find????  Two cute little fuzzies, probably not more than a
few months old at best, hanging out.  First NO-NO however: Wire cage with
absolutely nothing on the bottom to protect their cute LITTLE paws and
they were having a very difficult time trying NOT to fall through the
floor!  Plus there was nothing else in the cage except their sleeping
cube, water bottle, and food dish!  NOTHING!  Not even a blanket to
snuggle in!!
 
Second NO-NO: One of them just happened to allow me a very good look into
his/her ears b/c it was standing motionless for a little bit in the front
of the cage and I could definately notice ear mite debris because I had
just finished treating in my own little fuzzies for the same thing about
a week ago - UGH!  Didn't see any "dots" on either one's ears or any
other markings so I have no idea where they came from (should have asked
the sales attendant).
 
THIRD AND POSSIBLY WORST NO-NO: I looked at their food dish and noticed
it was GERBIL FOOD!!!!!!!!!  NO QUESTION ABOUT IT and I even asked them
(to verify my unspoken suspicions), which the innocent young salesperson
confirmed!!!!  AND THEY EVEN SELL FERRET FOOD!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
 
Since I didn't know if they would bite and wanted to leave with all my
digits, I didn't put my hand in to pet them but instead gently put the
end of the ferret toy I was purchasing slightly into the cage and one
of the fuzzies TOTALLY CHOMPED right down on it (NOW I understand how
much of a pain, literally, this can be - my guys do nothing more than
occasionally and playfully nip rather softly).  NO DOUBT he was a biter,
not surprisingly, with as young as it was.
 
By now my tolerance level is beginning to wane because of how poor the
conditions were for these cute little guys.  THIS is when "IT" hit!!!!
All of the sudden, without warning, my mind went into warp overdrive and
ALL I could think of was planning how to KIDNAP these babies and get
them taken care of!!!  I mean I was totally serious!  Since I'm currently
unemployed but am able to take care of my fuzzies just fine with savings,
I knew I couldn't just do the right thing and BUY them so I wanted to be
a superhero and KIDNAP THEM, imagine that??????  My heart just went out
to them and I wanted so much to take them home but knew it just wasn't
feasable at this time unless it was via a "mercy rescue!" :-(
 
NOW NOW NOW I understand how everyone else feels who sees similar
situations and what it must be like for all of you who take in the strays
and rejects and unwanteds and my heart now breaks EVEN MORE because I
want to save the entire ferret world and never EVER have to see another
fuzzie suffer!  It took several days to get the image out of my mind of
what I saw that day but I won't ever forget it!  And I'm sure this is
actually GOOD compared to many other conditions I've read about
recently!!!!
 
Well I just wanted y'all to know that I am now on your side, like some
rite of passage or something I guess.  I don't advocate for fuzzies
BECAUSE I love them; I LOVE THEM REGARDLESS and WANT to advocate on
their behalf :-)
 
Peace - Jennifer, Sasha & Snowball
[Posted in FML issue 4095]