>From:    Kelly <[log in to unmask]>
>Subject: reasons for biting
>One of our ferrets, Static (MF silver female approx.  4 mos.) has recently
>begun to bite.  I think it started as a game, but I'm not sure....
>Static now bites quite ferociously (especially feet, but she
>doesn't restrict herself to just feet).  She hasn't broken the skin, so at
>this point it's just a bad habit I really want to break.
 
Static is still a baby.  She is probably getting more comfortable with you
and thus wanting to invite you to play more often.  If she hasn't broken the
skin, trust me, she's being gentle with you.  What she needs to learn is to
be a little more gentle.  Mortimer used to open gashes on our feet quite
playfully.  It took him about six months in our house to fully get what we
meant when we said "ouch!" I've found the best method is cage time-outs.
They all understand this.  The game is over until they calm down.  Good
luck.  (I know it's irritating.  Sebastian, my gentle love-monkey, used to
burrow under the covers at three AM and wake me by scratching and biting my
legs.)  But if they want to hurt you, their little jaws can do a LOT of
damage.
 
On another topic, though we love all our ferrets dearly, we have noticed
that Mortimer is the "sanest" of the three.  He has no bad habits, uses his
litterbox, gets along well with people and animals, has good eating and
sleeping habits, etc.  I was wondering if this has anything to do with the
fact that he spent an entire six months with his ferret family before moving
into our house.  Any ideas?  I think he is a good argument for adopting
ferrets much later than the usual six or eight weeks.  The others poop in
weird places and eat socks and stuff.
 
Lastly, a tale from Michigan before ferrets were legal as told to me at
lunch by a coworker.  It seems that a friend of his had two ferrets he
dearly loved before they were legal in Michigan.  He took them everywhere
with him, even hunting which is a nono.  One summer day, he went to visit a
friend and left the furbozos in the car (it was not a hot day).  A passerby
noticed the ferrets and called the DNR, who arrived within half an hour and
took the ferrets.  Now how many times have I heard of people who couldn't
get an AMBULANCE in half an hour?  I am imagining a ferret commando unit who
sleep in a dormitory with their clothes laid out next to them like firemen.
When they got the ferret call, they hopped into their clothes, slid down the
pole, loaded their automatic weapons, and leaped into action.  No doubt they
ran several ambulances off the road in their haste.  Anyway, they knocked on
the door and informed this guy he had "contraband" in his car (yeah right
something he bought at the MALL in Toledo) and they were going to search it.
They sent the ferrets to a shelter "somewhere in Illinois." This was only
about a year before they became legal here.  The guy was devastated and has
always assumed the ferrets were destroyed.  I guess the ferret commando unit
has now relocated to California.
 
Anyway, one of them was named Lace (a female), the other was a female with
another name from American Gladiators.  Both were sables and very gentle.  I
was wondering if tle or any other Illinois ferret shelter owners remembered
them.  I'm guessing this happened in 1994 or 1995?  (one year before
legalization which was the end of 95)
 
-Catherine
 
Why did the Ca Fish and Game Officer cross the road?  He heard something was
killing cows on the other side.
 
How many Ca Fish and Game Officers does it take to change a light bulb?
Twenty.  One to fill out the paperwork for a search warrant.  One to
misinterpret scientific publications on light bulbs.  Seventeen to storm the
house and subdue the occupants.  And one to run to the store for a lightbulb
when the realize they forgot it.
 
A Ca Fish and Game Officer got married.  The young couple were eager to have
children, but couldn't figure out how.  The CFGO went to the doctor to ask
for help in his quandry.  The doctor said "Take the longest part of your
body and put it in the hairiest part of hers." Hearing the words "long" and
"hairy" the young Ca F&G Officer hurried home in a rage and arrested his
wife for possession of dangerous wildlife.  (For the real punchline, email
me.)
 
Okay, I'll try to think of some more.  This is fun.
[Posted in FML issue 1832]