Hello ferret owners,
 
I have been lurking on the list for a while now, so I thought I'd better
introduce myself and my ferrets.
 
I'm Kylie Preisig and I live in Perth, Western Australia.  I was introduced
to ferrets by my then boyfriend (now husband) who for some reason had an
urge to get one.  So we got in contact with the local ferret club and were
introduced to rescue co-ordinator's fourteen ferrets!  I was dubious to say
the least.  A few weeks later my boyfriend disappeared one morning and came
back and announced he'd bought a ferret.  "You're joking, aren't you??" I
said.  "No.  Come and see!" he replied.  And there was a tiny little albino
staring up at us from a cardboard box in the back of the car.
 
Scooter soon took us over.  We didn't have much of an idea about ferrets but
what with the resources of the internet and the help of the local ferret
community we soon found out.  We didn't know how to train her not to bite,
and the turning point there was when we found the magic spot on the back of
her neck whick we would scratch and she would go limp.  She would try and
dig under the bedroom door when it was shut which meant I had to trim the
carpet with nail scissors for the final inspection before we moved!  Then
there was the time we thought she had got out and spent a whole afternoon
searching for her.  We were in despair when found her that night curled up
asleep in a drawer that was shut (I swear it was shut all day!) and that I
had already checked!
 
Scooter died of a respiratory infection after less than a year.  We were
very upset.
 
We bought Truffle several months after Scooter died.  We found him from and
advertisment in the paper - the first that year advertising ferret kits.  We
didn't plan to get a male but we couldn't walk past him.  He is a sable with
a distinct mask and a bewildered expression.  He was sweet tempered and
never nipped much as a kit.  He soon learned to hold his own against our
kitten with a "go for the goolies" technique and they started playing
together.  If we hold him on his back and scratch his spine between his
shoulders he will groom us!
 
The next two were a suprise to me.  We had been on the lookout for kits for
a few months, but the breeding season that year was late and there were none
available.  So (unknown to me) Ted got in contact with a ferret club in
Adelaide and ordered two ferrets.  A week after we got Truffle I went to get
him out of his cage to play with him and discovered him curled up with two
little girls!  A dark eyed white, who we named Flinx, and a tiny little
albino who we could only name Ratty.
 
Flinx died after only a month.  We don't know why, she seemed healthy that
morning and there was never a problem with teh other two.
 
Ratty and Truffle soon became and established part of our lives.  Truffle
grew up into a really sweet ferret, a big fat lump (1.5kg).  Ratty is a
little (1kg) bundle of energy who still has a tendency to nip (especially
ankles).  We keep them in a cage in our backyard and let them out to play
with us and the cat once a day.  We had a problem with their feet for many
months.  There was a brown growth around their nails and at the ends of
their tails, their feet were swollen and the nails deformed.  Our vet had no
idea what it was.  We treated it with an antifungal liquid which controlled
it but did not cure it.  They both gradually lost their bounce and even
Ratty stopped doing the wardance.  We were very worried at this point.
Finally Ted gave Phillip Langley at the Ferret Centre a call and Phillip
suggested it could be mites.  We took them to Phillip's vet who took a skin
scraping and yes, it was mites.  An injection and a smelly sulphur bath
later and they are both changed ferrets.  The sparkle is back in their eyes,
the cat is no longer safe and even Truffle will stir himself to do the
wardance occasionally!
 
Our latest two we bought on our honeymoon, which has caused all who know us
to shake their heads in despair.  We spent our last morning in Melbourne
driving all over the place checking out classified ads for ferrets (under
Hunting, not Pets)!  Both were working ferrets.  Pepper is a dark eyed white
with a sprinkling of black hairs up her tail and her back, and is 11 months
old and weighs 1kg.  We chose her from two other ones because Ted thought
she was "a ferret with spirit".  I wanted to get the one that didn't bite!
Fudge is a sable and is about 7 months old and only weighs 0.7kg.  They both
still bite a lot and don't like being handled but we are working on that.
Pepper has started to go woffly if you scratch the magic spot between her
shoulders.  The cat has found to his disgust that his high places are no
longer safe as these two can climb!
 
Ted has just built them fantastic cage - 2m x 1m base, 1m high with two
stories.  Wood frame and wooden sleeping boxes.  I reckon they are the best
housed ferrets around!
 
I hope to hear from any other ferret owners in Australia, particularly in
WA, so send me some email!
 
Byeeeee,
Kylie
[Posted in FML issue 1725]