Elayne, my SO, took the references I received from this mailing list
to the keeper in charge of ferrets on Saturday, who gave copies to the
vet.  As a result, the ferret was given the required shots later on that
day, and will be spayed later on this week.
 
Thanks to all of you who responded with the needed information!
 
The question "What is a ferret doing in a zoo?" has been asked by several
people.  The zoo has an education program, which takes DOMESTIC animals
around to schools and senior citizens homes, and ferrets are part of
that program.  The zoo does not make the mistake of calling them wild
animals, or say that they are anything more than very distantly related
to the black-footed ferret.
 
The zoo has very little experience with mustelids: indeed, the only
mustelids they have in addition to ferrets are North American River
Otters (Lutra canadensis), which I work with on Saturdays, and Cape
Clawless Otters (Aonyx capensis), whose cubs I'm allowed to fondle
from time to time ;-).
 
Moki, the cat-riding ferret, was indeed named after Moki Fraggle, and
has hitched two additional rides on Toonces since my last posting.  Binky
was named after the lead rabbit in Life in Hell - the cats are determined
that she won't turn out like Moki.
 
The only pet interactions we've had problems with is with one of our
two Amazon parrots (a red lorred) and Moki.  Neither is afraid of the
other, and each wants to kill the other.  Rima, the parrot, apparantly
doesn't want her position as top animal in the house to be threatened by
some short legged tube animal that can't even fly.  Needless to say, when
one is out of the cage, the other is in, but Rima does scream at either
ferret constantly (we won't discuss her complete dominance over the cats
by tail-biting and immitating them whenever they vocalize).
 
Leonard Bottleman       [log in to unmask]
 
[Posted in FML issue 0524]