About squeak toys:  RikkiTikki got very excited last night when I blew a few
notes on an old harmonica--I've never seen him so intent on leaping up my
leg toward my face, from which the strange sounds emanated.  But I tend to
agree with those who intuit that the ferrets are actually troubled by such
sounds.  It might not be a good idea to tease them with it.  But as an
emergency siren to round up preoccupied ferrets?  Good idea!
 
About dogs as ferret companions:  We had to leave our beautiful Doberman,
Katja, with friends in Sydney when we moved to Turkey.  The ferrets have
adapted well to apartment living, but Katja would have suffered.  Katja was
about 7 months old when she first met baby Rikki, who would now and then
bite her lip and hang on as she lifted him off the floor, whining in  pain.
But they learned to play together, Katja lying down and pinning Rikki gently
under her front leg.  When things got rough the dog definitely took the
worst of it.  She would put her big jaws around the ferret's body, but never
bite no matter how he tormented her.  This never ceased to amaze us, as she
was certainly not a wimpy dog generally.  We all miss her.
 
To Diane Emery,
 
Yes, both of our ferrets RikkiTikki and Emma give a big YAWN when we rub
their ears, or stroke the sides of their cheeks for that matter.  I assume
that this is a reflexive response.
 
Best wishes from Istanbul...
[Posted in FML issue 1206]