> From:    Lee McKee <[log in to unmask]>
> Subject: Cloth eating
>I noticed that she seemed to eat cloth mostly when she was bored, had just
>woke up, was put in her cage for time out, or hadn't eaten in a while.  I
>also noticed that when she was chewing, she had this dreamy, glazed-over
>look.  I think that her cloth eating was some sort of nursing carry-over,
>like when cats suck their paws or blankets.
 
We see it in kits weaned too young (IMHO).  I mean that I've noticed that as
our kits get older (we generally don't remove them from the jill until they
are 9-11 weeks old) about 8 weeks or so, they are no longer really nursing,
but they wrap their mouths around a nipple and fall alseep that way.  I
think when they're taken away too young, they miss that crucial "comfort"
phase and they substitute with bedding (maybe because it smells like a
sleeping area, and triggers a memory?).  For instance, my oldest cat used to
suck on *himself* as a kitten; he would turn his head and suck on the fur on
his ribs, while he kneaded his paws against me.  He ended up sucking all the
pigment out of his fur in that area and had a big brown patch (he's a black
cat) for months and months, until he finally outgrew it.
 
But we also see it in ferrets that aren't fed regularly (ie, not being fed
enough).  They'll eat anything, especially bedding.  We had one rescue come
in that was eating her litter (paper pellets) because the people were
feeding her only small amounts twice a day.  Free feeding mostly cured her
problem, but she would continue to eat bedding if she was bored.  Lots of
free time, lots of food and lots of non-destructable toys were the order
for her.
 
I also notice that our young kits (ie 5-8 weeks) will eat bedding fairly
regularly.  It usually starts out with them getting annoyed with the bedding
(ever see a 6 week old kit try to hide an entire blanket?) and tugging at
it, then they start gnawing on it and eat it eventually.  Most outgrow it,
some don't.  I've had good success suing sheets over any other bedding: for
some reason it doesn't appear to be quite as tasty.  Synthetic sheepskin and
similar materials were favourite cloth eating materials, baby blankets and
then towels were next.
 
>Hey, here's a question--has anyone ever had a MALE cloth-eater?
 
Oh yes.  But it's usually females.  When we do see it in males, it's usually
those very hyper, active kinds of males.
 
I do have a gender-specific observation though ... a while back there was a
discussion about urine drinking, and I'm curious if anyone has seen a urine
drinker that is female?  The reason I ask is because most vets and other
people have said there is nothing wrong with a urine drinker, and I tend to
agree -- my whole hobs will happily (blissfully even) drink the urine of
whole jills, and I think again when one sees it in a neuter it's just a
carry over from instinct.  However, if anyone can document some urine
drinking females (who don't suffer from any medical problems, like diabetes)
that'll blow my theory out of the water ...
 
******************
 
>From:    Robert and Sally Giles <[log in to unmask]>
>Subject: fleas, help!!
>My ferret, Phantom, is loaded with fleas despite weekly baths.  Any ideas
>how alive the problem safley and cost effectively?
 
Whenever you have a flea problem, it's wise to remember that the fleas on
your animal is only a very small portion of your overall flea population.
80-90% of the fleas aren't living on your animal, they're having orgies in
your carpet fibres and laying millions of eggs.  So bathing your ferret
isn't going to alleviate the problem.
 
Consider having a pest company come and spray your home.  While they're
doing that, take your ferret somewhere for a flea bath (and your other
animals as well, if you have any).
 
We haven't had fleas in about 5 years, but recently a rescue arrived with
them and shared the wealth (so to speak).  We had our company come in and
spray (cost about $90.00 Canadian for the whole house).  They are
enviro-friendly and have a six month guarantee.  We had to move everyone out
of the house for the day, so it was a bit of a hassle (Kirsten can vouch for
that!) but it's worth it -- 5 days later we are pretty much flea free, and
by the end of the month we'll be totally flea free.
 
Once you've taken care of the problem, you can take preventative measures to
keep it from happening again ... Advantage is a great product, and if you
have just a few animals it isn't cost prohibitive generally .
 
Severe flea infestations can induce flea-bite anemia in your animals --
every flea that bites takes a little blood away from your pet -- so it's
really best to get the problem under control no matter what the cost.
 
*****************
 
Just wanted to add that the FML brought a Wherret rescue a new home :-)  I
want to publically thank Kirsten for driving all the way down to Vancouver
from Seattle and adopting lynus from us.  One down, 14 to go!
 
Sheena and the   |  proud LOMIG member  8-)
Wherret Ferrets!   |  "to be sane in a world of madness
Come see us at:   |    is in itself a kind of madness"
           http://www2.portal.ca/~wherret/
[Posted in FML issue 2097]