Re: healthy treats
I'm no vet, but I'm sure any of the vets here would say, in general that treats
are ok only if in moderation. That out of the way, our kids are veg-a-holics!
They love bell peppers, zuchini, brocoli, mushrooms, carrots, corn, melon,
strawberries, cucumbers, etc. They also like nuts, crackers, cereal, and bread.
They refuse any meat - they act like it is poison! Other ferrets like meat and
since they are carnivores, it's a natural. We cut our treats into tiny bits
since they can be piggies at times and we don't need anything plugging their
innards - like a whole raisin! Ferrets can't digest cow's milk properly so
stay away from dairy products. Although I have heard and read that goat's
milk is ok. With things like crackers, nuts, and cereals, we try to give them
things that don't have a lot of refined sugars or salt. I hope this helps.
Re: Squeeky Toys
Ferrets are rodent hunters and rodents squeek! Our two girls seem to have quite
the reaction to squeeks, while the boys really don't care. Pippi, ever since she
was a kit, had quite a reaction to squeeks. She dooks and goes crazy looking
for what made the sound. I get the impression she's "hunting" for the maker
of the squeek to get it and "kill" it. She's always been the "wild child" and
seemed like she got some of the hunting race-memory/instinct. Jinx....well....
I squeeked for Jinx about a week after getting her. I figured since she seemed
a lot similar to Pippi that she would respond to the squeek as well. Oh she
did....she drew blood on me! She grabbed a meaty part of my arm and wouldn't
let go. She had my arm, I had her scruff, and when she let go, I won. She went
into the cage for time out. (The months of being in a pet store taught her to
be nippy especially to women. I think the women in the pet store probably put
her down, like she wanted, when she nipped them. She/we have come a long way
in the no-nip training.) I have squeeked very carefully since. She responds
a little more like Pippi does now.
I wonder......are the girls experiencing some remnants of the instincts that
would have allowed their wild ancester mothers to survive? The female's need
for food would have been greater because of pregnancy and kits to feed.
Re: Allergies
Oh yes! You can develop allergies after years of never having any. I didn't
have any allergies until I was 21. I didn't develop the "normal" allergies
to pets or pollen. I was allergic to smoke (worst of all tobacco), pesticides,
and fertilizers. The allergy to smoke has subsided some, but the sensitivity
to pesticides and fertilizers is as strong as ever. In fact, May is a big
month for farmers to work their fields in upstate New York. They use a
variety of chemicals on their fields. Also suburbanites chemical treat their
lawns. May usually means a month full of sneezing and itchy eyes for me.
Besides looking at things like the flea-killers you were using on your fuzzies,
look for any other changes in your environment. It may not be the ferrets you
are allergic to.
-kim
Kimberly Burkard | _
Xerox, Rochester, NY | _____C .._. fu-til'i-ty n. 1. an act having
[log in to unmask] | ____/ \___/ no useful result 2. herding
[log in to unmask] <____/\_---\_\ ferrets.
[Posted in FML issue 1205]
|
