Hi, All. Some random replies:
 
Beth, Brian & Bandit:
 
The Greater Chicago Ferret Association has a great shelter in the west or
southwest burbs. It might be a bit of a drive for you, but give 'em a call.
I think the new number is (708) 442-8650. Good luck!
 
Lynn:
 
Others will know more than me, but my understanding when we brought
Alexander (MF) home from the petshop last year is that he had been given
the first in his initial series of shots, not the entire first series.
Also, with respect to rabies, I think even if there's a very low chance of
exposure, you should go ahead and get the rabies shots for your guys. The
reason is that in the rare event that they bite a stranger, if you can
produce proof that they're vaccinated then you can at least try to make the
argument that they shouldn't be destroyed to be tested for rabies [not
something you want to think about, but a possibility nonetheless, even
though there are no documented cases of humans contracting rabies from
ferrets, etc. etc.]. So in a way, you're protecting your guys from people
as well as rabies. What do other people think?
 
Norris:
 
The story about Nico getting THROUGH chicken wire was terrifying. My wife
has expertly chicken-wired all of our standing houseplants, and it's worked
beautifully; I thought they were invulnerable... until now. I'm keeping my
fingers crossed.
 
Here's our teleportation story: We started out with Alexander, a loveable,
somewhat pudgy, and decidedly ground-loving ferret. Months after bringing
him home, when we had finally ferret-proofed the house up to a height of
about 2 feet, I (foolishly) looked on the bright side: "Thank goodness
ferrets can't climb!" Yeah, right. About a year ago we brought home Moxie
as a pal for Alexander. She's tiny and incredibly nimble. A few days after
bringing her home, I heard some scratching coming from our closet. I had no
idea what it could posibly be; the door had been closed all evening. I
opened the door, and painstakingly pushed aside all the accumulated junk on
the floor, searching for the source of the noise, but found nothing.
Finally I stood up, and found myself eye-to-eye and nose-to-pink-nose with
Moxie. Not only had she teleported up onto the shelf, but had done so
through the closed door! Needless to say, my safe little world, in which
"ferrets can't climb", was shattered. PS: No white feet.
 
OK, I'll shut up. Take care, all!
 
John & Rebekah
Alexander ("You want me to climb onto the COUCH? By MYSELF!?!")
Moxie ("Gimme a centimeter gap and I'M IN THERE!")
[Posted in FML issue 1342]