Sometimes our male ferret smells just like a taco (although he looks more like
a burrito). Sometimes, when a ferret smells different it is more an indication
of what the stuff smelled like that he just got into (or out of). Regarding the
ferret that smelled fruity - is it possible he found something fruity to roll
in?
 
The picture of the two ferrets swimming in the bathtub on the WWW is FABULOUS.
I laughed forever! Our ferrets have never gone swimming. We bath them every
once awhile and of course there are always mishaps where they get all wet - but
how can you get them to swim in the bathtub when they are full grown adults? Do
you just fill up the bathtub with warm water and throw 'em in? or is there some
sort of beginners lessons to be adminstered first?
 
Re: Pickles eating habits. I agree you should try and feed Pickles the best
diet possible even if it means switching him off his favorite food. But, I
disagree with one of the responses. Do NOT take a ferrets failure to eat
lightly. I would not wait for Pickles to become so hungry he must eat
whatever is given to him. Keep trying different foods until you find the
one that Pickles likes. Right now we have 8 different mixtures of food
available for our 8 little beasts. They all have different tastes. Eventually
you will find a quality food that Pickles likes - it is just a matter of
figuring out which it is. (Although this doesn't apply to Pickles probably, I
have had 2 ferrets that were finally diagnosed "anorexic" (2 separate
occassions). After ruling out disease, these ferrets both had to be force fed,
then hand fed and still to this day one needs to be reminded of dinner time -
a couple of times a day she must be taken to the food bowl and told to eat.
 
Ferret treats - our guys love ferretvite - an orange paste that is high calorie
and vitamin enriched and the also love Petromalt (fish flavored) for treats.
 
Charlene
[Posted in FML issue 1103]