Hi all--
 
I had a terrifying moment yesterday.  My ever-loving, wonderful SO brought a
brand new Macintosh Performa home to me--what a guy!  Sold his soul to the
bank for the next 3 years . . .
 
Well, EVERYTHING in those two huge boxes had some kind of plastic wrap
around it.  I looked around for the ferts and they were snoozing, so in a
great rush I started dragging hardware and software out of boxes--it was
such an exciting moment!  I noticed when 14 wk old Mort came to investigate
and started tossing all the plastic bags into one of the big boxes.
 
What I didn't know is that he'd already run off with a small plastic bag.  I
caught sight of him a few minutes later dashing across the floor in a frenzy
with his head in this little bag.  He'd poked his nose into it as far as he
could, and wedged his shoulders in.  I tried to grab him and he ran away
from me, hiding behind the cage.  I caught him and yanked the bag off his
head.  He was in shock.  The bag was full of saliva, he was foaming at the
mouth, totally listless, his nose was FREEZING, and his nose and gums were
WHITE.  So here I am, with the old computer disconnected and the new one not
yet connected . . . and a very unhappy ferret.  I was trying desperately to
remember what people had said about treating shock.  My mind was blank.
 
So I tucked the bottom of my shirt around him and held him against my body,
trying to warm him up.  He laid there very quietly for over 1/2 an hour,
which is a record amount of time for Mort to be both awake and still.  After
30 minutes he was about the same.  Seemed awake and aware, but with no
desire to get down.  This is my baby Mort, who is NOT a cuddle bug.  I
started to get worried.  So I thought I'd mix up some sugar water and see if
it would help.
 
WELL!  The minute I stepped over the kitchen gate, Mort was his old self
again.  I'm not kidding.  He perked right up, looked around and started to
struggle.  I read his mind.  He was saying, "Hey!  A new room!  I've never
explored this room!  Mommy, LET ME DOWN RIGHT NOW!" What a relief!  I let
him down in the living room and he investigated for a short time, then took
a long nap.  He seemed totally fine then, and seems fine today.
 
Oh, and he didn't touch the sugar water.
 
So . . . even if you're well aware of the things that are dangerous to
ferrets, NEVER forget to keep a close watch on them!  5 more minutes and
Mort could very well have been dead.  And believe me, a brand-spanking new
Performa wouldn't have made me feel any better about it.  Fortunately he's
fine.  (Two days ago he caught a nail in a stereo speaker--my SO saved him,
and he laid in my arms for 15 minutes, recovering from the scare of being
"stuck"--but even still, he DID NOT come to me when he got in trouble with
the plastic bag--he ran off to hide.
 
Everyone remember ALWAYS to definitely keep at least 50% of your attention
on the fuzz butts when they're awake.  There I was, dutifully picking up
plasic bags when poor Mort was already in trouble with one!
 
--Sherri
 
PS--what's the proper way to treat shock?
[Posted in FML issue 1838]