DEAF FERRETS....
Regarding that special little ferret, Frank, who seems to be deaf: we have
found that deaf ferrets benefit very much from feeling the vibrations of our
own vocal cords as we speak to them.  Holding a deaf ferret against your
throat when you gently talk to it seems to calm and sooth it, and we have
seen excellent results with deaf ferrets who are especially nervous.
Remember that a deaf ferret cannot gain confidence and reassurance from a
gentle voice as a normal ferret would.  I find that my voice plays a big
part in my relationship with my ferrets.  If I come suddenly into a room
where they are playing, (certain ferrets are more skiddish than others, some
not bothered at all),they hear the sound of shuffling feet or especially if
I'm wearing a pair of shoes that they haven't heard before, or maybe I'm
carrying something that rattles like something they haven't heard before,
they may scatter at top speed for hiding places, tails fluffed.  But as soon
as they hear my laughter and voice speaking to them, they come creeping out,
wide-eyed, looking a bit sheepish nonetheless!  This is when the poor little
deaf guy sits there looking around, wondering where everyone went!  But if
the deaf one has been raised in a rough manner or maybe never handled much,
he may be jittery and squirmy, and allowing him to FEEL your gentle tones of
voice will work wonders to replace what he cannot hear.
 
FERRETS PLAYING IN WATER....
To Ronald who wanted to know if anyone else had ever observed a ferret
"paddling" in his water dish, I would like to say, "oh yes!" I have three of
them, out of my 33, who do this, Snowy, Dinky, and Mr. Mischief, all big
males (no, Dinky isn't dinky - he only was when he was a baby!).  These
stinkers delight in making a big mess of their water dishes.  (I prefer
water dishes over the bottles because I definitely think ferrets drink a lot
more water when it is easier for them to access, as they can be pretty lazy,
not wanting to sit for so long getting those little drops out.) I also have
two little females, Daisy and Frosty, who dig in their food dishes,
effectively dragging all the kibbles out, preferring to pick them up off the
floor!
 
SPIDER BITES
A few days back Christopher asked if it's possible that ferrets can be
bitten by spiders.  I would say yes.  Here in the Pacific Northwest we have
a spider called the Hobo.  It is our version of the southeast's Brown
Recluse.  It can kill small animals, make people very sick, and at least one
woman is known to have died from its bite.  I have captured several of these
critters in our house.  Two years ago I was bitten by one on my lower leg.
The bite was nasty and extremely painful, the whole shin bone was sore up to
the knee, and the lymph nodes in my groin were swollen and sore.  I was
quite ill for several days, it was extremely painful to walk for two weeks.
It was about six months before the bite spot was hardly noticeable.  Then
one day I noticed Maranda acting very strangely.  She would run across the
floor and suddenly plop down, eyes still open, get up and run a little ways
and then plop back down.  Even with all of our heart disease and insulinoma
patients, I had never seen anything like this.  I thought it was some kind
of shock.  I picked her up and she went limp.  Then I saw the big bite mark
on the bony part of a hind leg, just above her foot.  It was swollen and
red.  It was late in the evening, and we are more than an hour's drive from
the emergency vet, so I quickly ran for the children's Benadryl, which I
ALWAYS keep handy in case of allergic reactions.  I had never used it on a
ferret before, but I didn't know what else to do.  It's liquid form enabled
me to draw it up and give her about .25 cc by mouth.  She was coherent and
able to swallow it.  Within a half hour she was completely normal, and the
swelling on her leg had gone down considerably.  I think that a lot depends
on WHERE on the body the bite is inflicted, and also the individual's
particular senstivity to it as to how severe it will be.
[Posted in FML issue 1693]