Dear Inge-

I had my boy, Caff-Pow neutered at four months. My original plan was
to go to six but my husband, for some reason known only to men took
the "caveman" behavior *personally.* The two of them had head to head
dueling Y-Chromosome extravaganzas every evening. I literally feared
that I would have to find another home for 'Pow (or maybe for my
husband) if things didn't change. It did and still does baffle me. I
admit, it was amazing to discover that we now lived with a ferret who
seemingly didn't obey the "normal" ferret rules, but I never took it
*personally.* I really don't believe that 'Pow spent all of his cage
time quietly scheming, planning ways to annoy my husband. It's just
that 'Pow is a breeder's ferret (a DeVore) and unlike the Marshall's
ferrets my hubby was used to, 'Pow has access to so much more of his
ferrety potential than a ferret that was literally neutered as its eyes
opened. The early neutered are very different creatures, behaviorally.
And yes, the two smell very different, as well. My nephew Alexander has
never reacted to a Marshall's ferret, but Caff-Pow makes him itch. He
can't sleep in sheets that 'Pow has burrowed in.

So, 'Pow was a four month neuter. (It was really an act of desperation,
I couldn't stand the hissy fits any more!) Some things changed, some
didn't.

My nephew can and does still get itchy eyes and hives from sleeping in
sheets that 'Pow has burrowed in. I now launder Alexander's guest bed
bedding frequently, even though he is generally my only overnight guest
and the sheets are "his" personal sheets. Seems like a waste of water
and soap and electricity, but it is not. Neutering 'Pow did not really
make him any less "toxic" to Alexander. The kid can handle him without
a problem, but not sleep in furry sheets. No real change there. I never
found his scent unpleasant ('Pow's, not my nephew's) so can't say that
I see any difference there, either.

Regarding the "Caveman" behavior--I don't see any substantial change
there, either, but my husband believes that the neuter slowed 'Pow
down. I don't think so. Honestly, I don't see any difference. I have
a bloodthirsty weasel leap at me, fangs opened wide practically every
day. I don't think he's mean, he just thinks sneak attacks are jolly
good fun. But I think that my hubby got a lot of primal satisfaction
from having his nemesis snipped. It's a guy thing. If he could, I
think my hubby would wear 'Pow's nads on a string around his neck as
a trophy. I am *not* kidding! It was war between those two! Sometimes
it still is.

Despite the neuter not having solved the allergy or "Caveman" issues,
I am still grateful that I had it done at four, rather than at six
months. Why? Sheer size. When I got 'Pow at three months his head was
already about twice as wide as Todd's, a Marshalls boy, and not the
smallest one I have ever met. Even as a four month neuter 'Pow can
perform acts of acrobatics that danged near give me a heart attack. He
is just so much *bigger.* He can leap so much further, climb so much
higher, he is so *very*, very much stronger than any other ferret I
have ever known. I hate to imagine trying to contain him if I had let
him grow to six months intact. He is also THE most stubborn ferret that
I have ever met, by several orders of magnitude. In short, he is TWO
hands full! Maybe three. OK, four.

Please don't think that I don't care for 'Pow as much as I care for my
Marshall's boy. He is a wonder and I appreciate so many things about
him, among those things I would include evident glowing good health. He
has such obvious, Holy Moly vitality! I am hoping that Adrenal disease
will pass him by, as it does not do for so many early neuters. Will I
ever get an intact hob again? No, and not because DeVore's did anything
wrong. They did everything *right*. But I, personally, have a hell of
a time keeping up with my four month neuter. He is more ferret than I
can easily handle. He runs circles around me. Stronger, faster,
smarter. He is another order of magnitude all together. He climbs up
the refrigerator for fun, and leaps off, like a cliff diver! That's
what, a six foot leap? He lands it every time, and hits the ground
running. Yeah. I am *not* making this up. Intact hob? Think different
world. For the right person, that is the right world. For me it is
"OH MY GOD! HE PUSHED THE VACUUM CLEANER OVER ON ITS SIDE! AAAAAUGH!"

Fortunately, he is good to Todd even though Todd is so very much
smaller. He used to drag Todd around and stash him places, whether Todd
was up for that or not. They are good friends, boon companions. They
sleep in a warm pile. It's just that when 'Pow sleeps on top, you can't
*see* Todd!

So, in conclusion I would have to say that like everything else, an
intact hob has pluses and minuses. If neutering 'Pow two months early
hurt him, I certainly can't see it. But I am truly, *cravenly* grateful
that he did not grow to say, five pounds. Again, for the right person,
that kind of size isn't an issue. I am just not Ferret Mamma enough to
deal with the five pounds of wolverine I might have wound up with if
I had waited another two months! And I can admit it. Yup, over my
head. Like the top of the refrigerator. But oh, he is so very, very
beautiful! And part of me really, really stands in awe when he makes
one of those impossible leaps. He will *always* be my little 'Pow in
my heart, always.

Alexandra in MA

[Posted in FML 6775]