I think a great name for a ferret is "Astro." As in the dog on the Jestons
cartoon, and as in anything having to do with stars and outer space.
 
Re: ferrets that don't want to use the litterbox
 
I have noticed that my ferrets are embarrassed when you see them in the
litterbox.  They seem to want to do their stuff unobserved, just like you
and me.  The process of eliminating leaves an animal vulnerable for a
moment, which is why I think it is instinctual to want to do it unobserved.
 
So if I put a ferret in a litterbox when I see him about to have a mistake,
I walk away or turn away quickly.  They watch where my eyes are looking.
Sometimes I'll put him in a litterbox, and he'll run out of it, only to go
to another box in a less-observed area.
 
I also think my ferrets like to put their mistakes in a corner near a rug
(i.e. the bathroom) because they like to wipe their butts on the rug.  ;)
 
Squeegy still feels rotten.  It breaks my heart to pick him up and feel all
of his bones through his skin.  Does anyone think ECE is epidemic amongst
ferrets?  I am a cynic at heart.  I think it is a terrible, painful thing
for a ferret, and the owner too, in a different way.  And I think a serious
bout of it must shorten a ferrets overall lifespan.  I need to be stopped
when I feel this negative.
 
Lori, Squeegy the weakling, and Hoover the sweeter-than-ever
[Posted in FML issue 1726]