RE: [When I told him I was considering naming the other Trouble he said
"noooo...call him Nice."... Any ideas?  Is it "cruel"? Will she care?]
 
What we call our animal friends is very important to some of them; others don't
seem to care as much. I do know of stories where the animal's outlook on life
improved after a name with negative connotations was changed to something more
positive. If you feel the name isn't right and your ferret doesn't respond
anyway, why not change it to something both of you like? Myself, I would pick
"Nice" over "Trouble." Or, you could pronouce it "Neece" and say she was an
exotic ferret from Nice, France.
 
RE: [FLEA SPRAYS:  We;ve never had a poroblem before, but we just moved into a
new house where the fleas had stayed in the carpet from the previous
owner. <Sigh.>  Any suggestions for SAFE powders and sprays?  I tried one
spray, and the ferrets HATED IT.]
 
Do something QUICK or you may find yourself infested with fleas--they will be
looking for someone to replace their former food source! Myself, I like the
products made by Natural Animal (I think it's called). They use pyrethrins in
their powders, and the shampoo has citronella and is very effective in killing
fleas. I personally don't like sprays; I find they are usually too strong. I
just bought something to put on the floors which is made from boric acid or
something similar. I'll give a full report after I've tried it.
 
RE: [Remember, rabies rumours may also affect ferret ownership in areas.
Rabies,when it comes is horrible, but don't make these animals life horrible
for NO REASON!]
 
I agree 100%. Right now there is rabies paranoia in Massachusetts. Not to
minimize the seriousness of the disease, but it is always the animals that
suffer. In the long run, a large percentage of the raccoon population will die
from rabies, and others will be killed on sight by people who see raccoons as
public enemy number one. Other animals suffer as well, because people tend to
react very irrationally to this.
 
RE: [Well, they had to call the maintenance guy who had to get a crane to lift
open the sewer grate to rescue Vana.  They put her in a Have-a-Heart cage
and left her in  my kitchen.]
 
Boy, were you lucky!!!!! A while back I saw one of my cats in the yard
fascinated by something in a pile of leaves. I went out to investigate and it
was Cinderella--she must have slipped out when I opened the door to let one of
the cats out. SInce then I am paranoid whenever I open the door--she is QUICK!
 
--Cinderella & Norman's mom
 
[Posted in FML issue 0907]