13 March, 1993
Dear fellow keepers of carpet sharks--
It was with great delight that I subscribed to this mailing list.
Slightly disturbing is the preponderance of letters describing the
assorted health problems to which ferrets are prone :-(. While I
suppose I should be prepared for any eventuality (and will save these
mailings for the veterinarial advice, alone!), I would like to hear
some of the fun stories. I also _greatly_ appreciate any
ferret-raising tips I read here (I hate to use the trial-and-error
approach on living creatures. My favorite tip, which I may have read
on USENET rec.pets, is the solo nail-clipping trick: after putting a
couple of drops of Ferretone on one of the pooksters' bellies, she
becomes so involved in licking her tummy, that I can easily grab her
paws and trim away!). Since I am a relatively recent ferret
owner (pardon me: I have only recently been owned by ferrets), I
don't yet have too many stories to tell, but here's my (fun story)
contribution:
Johnnie and Yoko arrived a year ago, Christmas. Having moved from a
shared student house to my own apartment in a new city, I wanted
noise and companionship. Ferrets seemed perfect (they are especially
good at the noise aspect ;-) ). One Saturday, I went to the pet store
with my six-year-old neighbor to pick up my new ferrets. I had asked
the store owner to get me two littermates (I had the--unsupported--
notion that they would be better companions to each other). It was
the little neighbor girl, Feng Ye, who first noticed a potential
problem: they looked _exactly_ alike. "Ah!" I thought, "when
they mature, they will start to look different." (To this day, to
really tell them apart, I have to hold them up next to each other! The
surest way to tell is, when they are "fighting," Yoko is the one
on top. Fortunately, when I call them, neither of them come, so there
is really no problem ;-) ). On the drive home, Feng sat bravely in the
car with a cardboard box o' ferrets in her lap; but I think she was
a little frightened of the quick and curious little critters. On our
first trip to the veterinarian, Feng and I learned that "John" and
Yoko could more accurately be called "Johnnie" and Yoko--a quick
veterinarial look "under the hood" revealed that both ferrets were
female (oops!) But I'll let them speak for themselves:
J O H N & Y O K O ' S C O R N E R
A ferret day.
7:00 A. M. Wake. Yawn and stretch.
7:15 A. M. Cage rattling.
7:30 A. M. Wrestle loudly and wildly.
7:45 A. M. Breakfast, with much crunching of dry food.
8:00 A. M. Clint finally wakes and opens cage.
8:03 A. M. Dash for bathroom door which Clint has
accidentally left open.
8:06 A. M. Inventory of unattended toilet paper roll:
only 137 sheets left.
8:15 A. M. Escorted from bathroom by Clint.
8:45 A. M. ClintUs breakfast. Engage his interest by
crawling up bare leg with sharp claws.
8:46 A. M. Escorted to cage.
8:55 A. M. Released from cage while Clint showers
(bathroom door remains closed).
9:05 A. M. Poo-poo in corner next to closet.
9:10-9:30 A.M. Johnnie reorganize shoes while Yoko collects
pencils and wristwatch under bookcase.
9:40 A.M. Prepare to go to work with Clint.
9:42 A.M. Clint finds us hiding in briefcase--guess we
probably won't go to work today.
9:45 A.M.-8:00 P.M. Cage time.
8:00 P.M. Clint returns and opens cage.
8-11:30 P.M. Play time! This can vary from day to day, but
often consists of hide-and-seek, ferret-tickle
tag, or our favorite "magic carpet ride,"
[ClintUs note: the "magic carpet ride" consists
of Clint dragging the ferrets around the room
on an old towel while they leap and wrestle.]
11:35 P.M. The Tonight Show starring Jay Leno.
11:55 P.M. Clint gives us each a raisin for being such
good little ferrets.
12:00 A.M. Bed time--sweet dreams and rest for tomorrow!
Today, as I type this, is the date of what is already being heralded
as the "Snowstorm of the Century." When Mom called (as she always
does--to make sure I have plenty of milk and bread in the house, and
had filled the bathtub with fresh drinking water ;-) ), she wanted to
know how the "babies" (her term--she is "Grandma") were reacting to
the snow. I had not yet performed this experiment, but Johnnie and
Yoko seemed eager to try anything. I opened the door to the porch
(from which they cannot escape), and watched. As I expected, Yoko
was content to stay on the doorstep, and had to be coaxed outside.
This was obviously exciting, but also a little cold and intimidating.
Johnnie, however, thought that snow was great fun! She soon discovered
how to burrow little snow tunnels, and leave great, leaping footprints.
Oh, boy! We're having fun now! It became too cold for _me_, however,
so I had to collect everybody and head inside.
Well, this is starting to suck up bandwidth, so I'll end it with a
request for information. My impression is that (generalization here)
ferrets are like kittens--that never grow up. That is to say, the
little tyrannosaurs remain rambunctious and inquisitive all their
lives. I did notice a slight mellowing of their personalities at
around nine months of age (they are 1 1/2 years now). My question is:
will Johnnie and Yoko _ever_ mellow out? The first six months were
pretty, well, _aerobic_ in my previous studio apartment. (The kinder,
gentler J & Y in the bigger apartment is just about right.) But,
will they ever sit still long enough to be petted? Or fall asleep
in my lap? Just curious ;-) !
Luck to all ferret owners and ferrets, everywhere (oh, and many
thanks to Chris for maintaining this wonderful list!),
Clint | flames to:
Part-time triathlete, | [log in to unmask]
Full-time scientist. | Department of Molecular Biology
| The ferrets:
"Me, too! Me, too!" | Johnnie and Yoko
[Posted in FML issue 0438]
|
