Garrison--
I have four ferrets, three of which originated at Marshall
Farms, and one that originated from a breeder. I say "originated",
because only the first ferret came from a pet store. The other three
were adopted from a shelter, as a rescue, and from a newspaper ad
respectively. The one I found through the paper was a 6-month-old
whole male when we adopted him. He was more fragrant than we cared
for, but also he was too aggressive with both the human and the furry
members of his new family and he did the nifty "manly-man" piddling
everywhere trick. So we had him neutered within a month of bringing
him home. We chose not to descent him, thinking the extra surgery
not worth the expense or possible health complications (increased
likelyhood of prolapsed rectum or infection). I do not regret the
decision to leave the glands intact. Yes, he sprays on occasion--
about once every 2-3 weeks, and always when wrestling with the
tiniest sprite we have! Yes, it smells nasty for several minutes,
but the smell can be masked/dissipated with a good spraying of Lysol
in just moments. And yes, he does sometimes have just a bit of an
unpleasant odor clining to him, but not often, and certainly not
strongly. He is the cause of a bit more frequent ferret bathing, but
really I've had no problems associated with his scent glands. And
since we're talking bathing, I generally bathe my ferrets every 4
weeks or so, depending on whether or not they give me reason to do it
sooner! I clip nails once a week. I hope I've helped answer some of
your questions... and in case you wonder, I would have another ferret
with intact scent glands in the future without further consideration.
Enjoy your search for a fuzzy baby!
Debra in Ft.Worth, TX
Ferret Tip #1 -- Always check refrigerator for stowaways.
_________________________
Clint--
You asked for info on clubs, breeders, etc. in the Tennessee
area. What I list below is from the STAR* database listing:
Bumblefoots Ferretry
Betsy Hultin
5107 Mathis Branch Rd.
Cosby, TN 37722
615-436-2183
Tennessee Valley Ferret Club
Bobby Eaton
2109 Collins Ln.
Soddy Daisy, TN 37379
615-843-1786
If you would care to be more specific abut your location, I'll try to
list any resources in other states that might be close to you. Or
you could get the entire list for yourself by sending E-mail to:
[log in to unmask]
that has the single line: GET FERRET DATABASE
in the body of the note. The listing will come to you as an E-mail,
just as the FML does.
Debra in Ft.Worth, TX
__________________________
Chris--
Power steering pump on a Nissan Multi? Probably like trying
to get at any other part of any Nissan engine? First you wedge the
entire length of your arm into an impossibly small crevice in the
engine such that the limb is immobilized.... ;>
Debra in Ft.Worth, TX
______________________
Steve & Belle--
Two things come to mind in a stool test-- tape worms and
coccidia. I would only think a stool test warranted if it is a new
animal in your home, the animal has escaped outside for more than
several hours, or the animal is showing signs of illness or
infestation that suggest this test. I know that tape worms are a
possibility because that is what my vet was actually concerned with
finding when he suggested the test for some (not all) of my fuzzies.
The thing he DID find in the first ferret we got was a coccidia
infection that cleared up with an antibiotic-- he said it wasn't
uncommon for them to come from the pet stores with coccidia. I'll
bet one of the local friendly vets will pop up with comments soon,
but I think they are both out of pocket at the moment!
Debra in Ft.Worth,TX
________________________
Cinderella & Norman's Mom--
Yes, ferrets can get heartworms. There was quite a discussion a
few months ago about what is suitable as preventative treatment.
There was even a drug and dosage suggested. I think one of the vets
mentioned as having mixed their own solution for more exact dosage
was Dr. Kemmer. I believe she may also be one of the vets known to
have successfully treated heartworm infestation in ferrets (as has
one in the Galveston, TX area), but certainly prevention would be the
best bet if you live in a area prone to much of a mosquito population
at all! Ask your vet, and if you need me to, I'll dig through my
massive save file to try to get more exact info, provided the vet
guys don't fix you up first!
Debra in Ft.Worth, TX
Ooops, babbling on again....
[Posted in FML issue 0856]
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