To Anon in Berkeley:
Hi from across the Bay.  Re: your harness slipping.  Have you tried a figure-8
harness?   The H ones work best for critters with necks and big shoulders.
Also make sure you tighten it up enough...try cinching the harness up by
letting the ferret dangle a inch off the ground from the strap of the
harness...this will give you an idea of how tight it can go (don't make it
quite this tight, but anything much looser than this is asking for trouble).  I
know this kinda sounds cruel (it's actually not...you dont pull *that* hard),
but it was a trick taught to me by a breeder in Seattle who laughed at how
loose I had my guy's harnesses.
 
To Josef and Claire:
Re: Treats.  Have you tried Gummy Bears, Raisins (or other dried fruit), or
minty candies (such as tic tacs)?  Our groups goes ape over these treats.
 
To Scooter and Chris:
Re: Scooter's sniffles.  I'd watch Scooter's ears carefully for excess gunk or
smells.  Diesel had the sniffles last week and we though nothing of it...until
Friday night when I waked into the kitchen and found him lying in a puddle of
vomit and drool.  It turns out that he had gotten a middle-ear infection (just
like people get as their infections progress.  It has taken 3 days to even get
him to eat or drink anything (but now he's makin)g a speedy recovery).  I think
that if we had been watching more closely we might have avoided the advanced
infection.
 
To Bill Gruber:
Re: Chocolate and Ferrets.  While this is by no means proof that chocolate is
not poisonous for ferrets in the same way that it is for dogs and cats, let me
offer this.  When Grendel was a tiny little guy (read 6-7 weeks) and we were
new at ferret ownership he climbed 6' up some industrial shelving in our
bedroom to find a misplaced king size Symphony bar.  He ate approximately 7/8
of the bar before quitting.  The bar was easily as big as he was.  I've read in
dog books that a king size candy bar can kill a German Shepard.  Grendel was
fine...and still has a taste for chocolate (and a knack for finding it).
 
To all of you who are thinking about kittens:
There's been a good deal of people over the year who have asked about kittens
and ferrets.  Well, I can now add my two cents.  I have two new kittens in the
house and after an adjustment period of 3 or so days, I can say that everyone
gets along fine.  There was a good deal of growling, hissing, and nipping as
each individual learned how to respect the other but it all sorted out.  Even
Boomer, who is insanely jealous of the kittens and tried to bite them at every
chance he got, has mellowed out and the kittens know to give him a wide berth.
Diesel is in love with his new kittens, and spends his time grooming them.
Gilbert tries to immitate Diesel, but can't figure out what it is that Diesel
does so he often gives them nips that are too hard and makes the kittens yowl
(but this has turned out the be great fun for both...as Gilbert chuckles at the
yowl and then goes tearing off around the house...sometimes to be chased by the
kitten).
 
Angelique, Grendel, Gilbert, Lily, Diesel, Boomer (and Diesel's kittens, Emma
and Beatrice)
[Posted in FML issue 0993]