Hi!  Lisa's story about her shoe stealing ferret made me laugh, but also
wonder... I have an albino ferret (Edelweiss, 2 year old female) who
LOVES shoes.  I also have 7 other ferrets (none albino) who want nothing
to do with shoes unless there are Yogies hidden in them.  Is the shoe
fetish an albino thing?
 
When you go into the ferret room with shoes on, it will only be a matter
of minutes before you feel the telltale scratching and clawing of
Edelweiss as she desperately tries to take your shoe off of your foot.
If she gets a good-enough grip with her teeth, you can put your foot
high in the air and she will go up with it, tugging and growling all the
while (yes, she growls.  It's quite funny...).  If she falls down, she'll
start jumping for your shoe.  I've seen her reach a jump high enough to
make me glad I have a door and not just a baby gate to keep her out of
ferret free rooms.  She would clear any baby gate I can think of. :-D
 
When a lone shoe is found on the ground, Edelweiss grabs it and with her
slightly-over-a-pound body, drags it under the bed (the ferrets have
their own twin bed and make use of it [on or under] all the time).
 
One of her favourite games to play (under my supervision) is what I call
"Shoe-Land".  I take all of my old shoes and some hardy newer ones and
lay them out on the floor at different angels (some sideways, some upside
down or overlapping another shoe, etc..).  I then take Edelweiss and give
her an admission ticket to "Shoe-Land".  She goes crazy trying to shove
her nose into each shoe and seeing how many she can carry back to her
hidey hole in one go.  She cracks me up.  Usually the other ferrets will
peek over their hammies or play-ball-box to see what all of her growling
and dooking is about, but they rarely join her.  Even if they wanted to,
I don't think she would let them.  She can be very possessive at times...
 
Well, enough of my rambling.  I just thought the idea of albinos having
more shoe fetishes than others was interesting.
 
Dooks to all!
 
Tamara (Edelweiss, Bernadette, Sebastian, Frieda, Aria, Wingnut, Widget,
and Andromeda)
 
Oh wait, one more thing...I just remembered.  At the pet store where I
work, there is this kid (well, young adult who acts like a kid) who came
in a while back to get ferret food.  This being a FFZ, I slyly asked him
"How many do YOU have?" and grinned like I do at all ferret customers.
Most people grin back and say "What do you mean?  They are illegal here!"
and then whisper "I have two".  Usually they come back and chat with me
next time they shop, glad they met someone with a love of ferrets who
they can talk to.  But his kid, he was different.  I asked him how many
he had and he said "One.  And I HATE it!"  Slightly taken back, I asked
him why.  "Because it stinks."  He then told me that it stays in its cage
ALL DAY EVERY DAY!!!!!!  I tried to be polite in saying that they need
playtime.  When he said he didn't have time to take it out and watch it,
I told him I could take it for him.  He said he'd think about it.
Anyway, a couple of days ago he came back into the store buying more food
(no toys, even though we have TONS on clearance!  [speaking of which,
does anyone want any of those scented strawberry/banana/watermelon rattle
toys?  Or shampoo?  Or play circle hammies?]).  He told me he was still
thinking about giving the ferret up.  You could tell by his manner that
he couldn't wait to get rid of "the stinky worthless critter", but his
girlfriend apparently doesn't want the "cute furball" to go anywhere---
as long as she doesn't have to take care of it!!  Ergh!!!!  People make
me so mad!!!  Okay.  Enough ranting.  This was supposed to be a
postscript.  Sorry. :-D  Tootles!
[Posted in FML issue 4456]