Two weeks ago, I got two new ferrets. I named them Slinky Minky (a
small dark sable female) and Klondike Bear (a big albino male). I got
them through Craigslist, as I didn't have many other options. You guys
were right about buying from Craigslist. I am not sure how old they
are. I was told 6 mo. & 8 mo., but Minky, who was abused, seems to have
too much tartar on her teeth to be that young, and Klondike seems to me
about a year old. Also, they are not really poop trained, and for some
odd reasons pick spots that are NOT corners.

The couple I got the ferrets from said they were dropped off at
Petland, where the guy worked at the time. But then when they delivered
them to us, the woman said Minky had been given to another woman who
took her and brought her back 3 times, and the last time Minky was
brought back she was emaciated, couldn't walk and had on a collar so
tight she could barely breathe. Also, she said her tail was totally
bare. When she came to me, it was partially bare. I hope it's not
adrenal disease. The tip of one of her canines is broken off, so I
assume she was locked in a cage, and she chewed on the bars.

Klondike was in pretty good shape, considering the well-meaning people
I got them from said they fed them "bulk" ferret food from Petland,
which he got "for free." Is there such a thing as bulk ferret food? It
seemed to me that it was food for rodents because their cage had that
pet-shop smell, and their urine smelled like rodent urine, not at all
like ferret urine. The poop looked weird too. The day I got them I
offered them some Totally Ferret I had in the freezer and they loved
it. I also had in the freezer a batch of Bob C's Chicken Gravy that I
made for Rocky just before he died, and I've been giving them some of
that everyday too. They really love it. As the days went on, the smell
began to change. I washed their bedding by hand 3 times. Now their pee
smells like ferret pee, which makes me very happy. I don't know if
their systems are still adjusting to the ferret food or what because
their poops are a bit seedy, especially Minky's, but at least now it
looks like ferret poop. They both eat and poop the quantity that
growing kits do. I hope this will slow down soon with the pooping
problem.

One of them was even pooping on the shelf with their food and water,
which I thought bizarre, and then on a shelf covered with some bedding.
I finally figured out it was Minky and the reason she would do it was
she was afraid to go down to the litter-box level. They gave us a large
cage, and it didn't have as many shelves as it originally comes with
nor all the ladders. She is afraid to go down a steep ladder or jump,
strange for me after living with Rocky the Flying Ferret for 8 years.
Could be because her legs were so weak after living with the abusive
woman. So yesterday we took out Rocky's small cage and had the same
problem with the poop on the lowest shelf above the litter box. Now I
put the long ladder from the big cage into the small cage to see it
that will help her.

Another problem that maybe you guys can help me with is the litter box.
For Rocky, I only used newspaper, which worked fine. But with the two
of them, it seems once one uses the box, the other doesn't. Will they
use it more if I use litter? I didn't with Rocky because he was so
young and must have had the neutering/scent gland surgery shortly
before I got him because the litter would stick into his butt and
irritate it. Also, he just played in it and after watching how he
pooped, I figure since he didn't bury it like a cat, he didn't really
need litter. I don't know if he was an exceptional ferret or my new
guys are just difficult to train because they weren't properly cared
for, but once Rocky picked his spots, I put paper there and he was
99.5% accurate until he got really old and sick. Klondike often will
go onto the paper and then turn around so that his butt is outside the
paper instead of in the corner LOL.

There also was a slight biting problem, but that is gone with Klondike
and mostly gone with Minky except she goes after my bf's feet under
the covers LOL. I used both bitter apple for biting and treats for not
biting. If she starts with me I say "No" and she stops. At first she
would latch onto my arm or leg and keep biting into it, seeming angry.
Klondike would grab onto my leg when I passed by and bite pretty hard.

Unlike Rocky, they don't seem to like toys much. Klondike will play a
little; Minky not at all. She acts like she's being threatened. When
they first arrived, neither of them acted like ferrets. If I let them
out, Minky would hide and sleep. Sometimes we couldn't even find her.
Klondike passed by a plant on my window sill many times and didn't even
spend any time sniffing it. A few days ago I heard a strange sound
coming from the bedroom and came in to see he had dug up all the dirt
from the pot and made a big mess on the window sill. This made me very
happy! Now when they are out they run and play and wrestle with each
other and dook. Minky is trusting us more. I am working on training
them where to poop when they are out, as they are out of the cage most
of the time. I know this makes them happy.

I love these guys, and even though they have problems, I'm glad I got
them instead of someone else, who might've abused them more. In some
ways though, having them has made me miss Rocky even more. I know
ferrets are all individuals, just like people, and these guys had a
tough start. Klondike had at least 2 homes and Minky, at least 3
including 1 horrible place. Even the "good" people I got them from
didn't really know how to care for them, and I wonder how often they
got out, as these people also have 2 dogs and kittens. Only now do I
realize what a truly charmed life Rocky had. The only thing he missed
was ferret companionship, which he never seemed to want.

Besides working on their problems, I am trying to work on my own:
realizing that they are not "mine" the way Rocky was (as I was his).
They belong to themselves and to each other. I'm glad they have each
other, since they didn't have very good humans. They are a very cute
couple!

Any advice on the poop problem or anything else would be greatly
appreciated. I always got animals as babies, so this is a new
experience for me. I realized from this experience what angels so many
of you are, not only the shelters (which I always knew were run by
angels!) but all the people who take in abused, sick or old ferrets.

Thanks from
Shron, Minky & Klondike
Missing Ferret Angel Rocky

P.S. Special thanks to Jeff for his encouragement and support
throughout my grieving and decision to get ferrets again.

[Posted in FML 6391]