The rescue happened in 2007? That means I've been telling everyone
mine are 5 when they are actually 6. Dr. Ruth Heller picked out three
females that were approximately a year old that got along and brought
them back to Pittsburgh for me. All mine look and act like young
ferrets. High energy, and live and play with my two Chris Sayne bred
champagnes. I call the group "The Poofetts" because sometimes I will
walk into the ferret room and it will reek. It seems like when one
poofs they all poof. I've occasionally had to back out of the room
and let the smell dissipate before my nose would agree to go in.

My three DMK kids are: Cassy,s a tiny albino female who never regrew a
lush coat after her fall shed. She got a deslorelin implant from Dr.
Wagner at a club meeting; MoonShadow is a regular sized albino female
with "attitude". She doesn't hesitate to nip if she does not approve.
But they are nips, not bites, no health issues whatsoever; and Mindy,
the largest of the three and slowest to tame, a champagne who has lost
most of her color and now only has that creamy colored undercoat as her
body color. Her tail has heavily roaned champagne remnants. Mindy is
carrier possessive and she'll nip/bite if you reach into her carrier.
No problem with a cage, just a carrier. My guess is she's protecting
her nest because it's darker in a carrier than in a cage.

All three were like mini-piranha when I got them. Dr. Ruth suggested
leather gloves because I could not reach into the cage for cleaning,
giving food or water, put out treats . . . nothing w/o having blood
drawn One bit actually got pretty infected and I was on antibiotics
for 10 days. They instantly took to N-Bones and chicks and mice. If
I stuck something in their mouth I could pick them up.

At one point I got a "new" cage for them. When they were out they would
climb to the top and then become frightened and would cling for dear
life. I would come in and gently pry their grips loose, kiss them,
speak softly, and before I knew it I'd accidentally fell into the
role of rescuer and there improvements were rapid after that.

Cassie was the first to tame and is absolutely a sweetheart. The rest
took considerably longer. I didn't trust them w/ anyone, and I mean
anyone, until they were with me for a year. They were really angry
with me when I had my hip replacement and they lived at Barb Carlson's
shelter because I know she has great success with biters .. . and that
they would bite in a new situation. They did. Apparently the only way
to pick them up was to toss a towel over them first to get them back in
the cage. They were there if you went to the conference in Pittsburgh.
I was sitting on the floor by their cage talking with them and handling
them. The noise got to them, I think, but some folks handled Cassie and
she was very good for them.

I love them to pieces and am said to hear they are more likely 6 than
5. Don't tell them that, they look and act like much younger ferrets.

Pat and the Furry Inspirations

[Posted in FML 7388]