Alright, go ahead: I did it, and, if you had been there, you would have
understood. Blame me for buying a ferret from a pet store that has been
treating their ferrets badly, but I had to try to save at least one
(which was all I could afford). Oh, and, so far, the Sandusky, Ohio,
PetCo has added a hard plastic ball with holes in the sides (a Super
Pet ball that is made to connect hard plastic tubes to to make a maze
with) as a bed for the ferrets. There were still six there as of Jan.
14th. The aquarium they were in stank worse than ever. You could smell
the ferrets ten feet from the enclosure. The babies were all piled in
the plastic ball. The employee couldn't get them out, even when he
picked up the ball. He got bit and pooped on for his efforts. The look
on his face showed how disgusting he thought the ferrets, even before
he got pooped on. He ran off to clean up and box up our new baby. He
was still so angry and distracted that he forgot her paperwork.
Now, many of you aren't happy with me for buying one from that store,
but others of you understand that, at least in my mind, it was more of
a rescue. Well, I've now got a ten-week-old kit on my hands. I haven't
had a kit in seven years, and I had forgotten about the trouble they
can cause. There was digging in the food bowl (After all, food in
supposed to be on the floor, if you've never seen a multi-level home.).
There was digging in the litter (spraying poop out of the cage and all
over me). There was attempted baths in the water bowl (Who knew water
could come in a bowl?). And, although she's got the idea of pooping in
corners, a multi-level cage gives more opportunity... more corners!
We've pretty much worked through all this in the first three days
(Thank God!).
She couldn't live with Charlie and Holly. Holly is too territorial
regarding her cage. She wanted to eat the baby at first, but then, the
baby took one of Holly's toys. Holly decided not to eat a ferret that
had her toy. A long game of keep-away ensued, while Charlie just walked
around bemused (as usual). As long as there is a toy involved, Holly
will tolerate the baby, but that's not a very good situation. Holly (a
McKay breeder) is older than Charlie, so she'll likely go to the
Rainbow Bridge first. That would leave Charlie alone, and he won't put
up with the other ferrets. I'd hate to see him live out his life alone,
because his blindness makes him so jumpy. Well now, the baby can be his
friend, when Holly goes.
So, that left the big cage with Rhys, Frost, Codo, and Ayla. Frost
showed allot of adrenal aggression, so I upped his melatonin, which has
solved 90% of the problem. It turns out that the baby won't fight back
if harassed. All the others have accepted the baby unconditionally. For
the time being, adding the baby and upping Frost's meds has stopped
Frost from bullying Ayla & Codo. Perhaps another lively ferret was
what that group needed.
Okay, have any of you ever seen a blonde ferret? She is 60% white
(panda). She has blonde over her front shoulders, down her front legs,
and over her rear and tail (30%). There are a few medium brown guard
hairs at the top of her shoulders and on her feet (10%). What would
you call her? I mean, really, she is human blonde!
Wish me luck adding a baby, when all my others are four-years-old to
seven-and-one-half-years-old. This is and will be an ongoing adventure.
I hope to have picts soon. Oh, and if you need a bit of refreshing,
Frost and Rhys and the "guiding-eye ferrets" and Codo came to us with
three legs not working -- that's us!
Quite challenged,
Lori in Ohio
Ferrets: Frost & Rhys, Ayla & Codo, Holly & Charlie
...and now, Mandie
Cats: Reaganne & Little Miss
Fish: Well, there's 16 of them
[Posted in FML 6583]
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