Cher asked, rather incredulously, if ferrets really can be kinda dumb.
Dani responded:
 
>If he could have talked, he would have said "Duh."
 
This made me grin.  Noodle is obviously mentally challenged, and if he could
talk, he would mostly say "Huh?" or "I don't get it!" He does have a couple
different facial expressions - mainly startled and confused - but in
fairness I must say that he's also got a knack for trouble.  Unable though
he is to figure out the fact that when I step over the ferret gate it means
there's *gasp* another room on the other side, if there's something to be
gotten into and knocked over, he'll do it.  If you levitated a trash can in
the middle of the room, 5 ft off the floor with nothing within reach for
another 5 feet all the way around, you'd find him inside within 3 minutes.
 
My favorite example to this day: when we first gave him dryer hose, he'd run
in and poke his head out the other side when playing in order to attack
other ferrets.  However, ALL my other ferrets, being, well, smarter, would
run around to the tail end of the hose, run in behind him, and attack his
butt.  Standard ferret procedure.  Noodle would SHOOT out his end, whip
around and dive back in at the offending attacker, who would then back out,
run around to the other side of the hose, and attack him in the butt all
over again.  It took him WEEKS to figure out how they were doing that!!
When he finally did figure it out, it was a screamer to watch: he'd dive in,
attack from one end, get attacked on his butt, then pop out and stare at the
other end of the hose in confusion.  Slowly, he'd trot down to the far end,
then he'd lower his head and peek in.  By this time, of course, the
attacking other ferret had turned around in the hose and was already waiting
for him at that end.  He'd trot back and forth, slowly and unsurely, until
he gave up trying to figure out why the same attacking ferret was always at
both ends of the hose and left to play elsewhere.
 
Just so you don't stop giggling too much - this was two or so years ago.  He
STILL has to remind himself 'how it works' when he plays with Easel in the
dryer hose.  :)
 
Friday (my ferret with advanced lympho) is doing well.  We have two Midwest
cages in the living room where those three play, and Friday - despite her
inability to get down without hurting herself - insists on climbing to the
top of Potpie's cage every time she's out.  I peek into their room every so
often and see this little white face peeking back at eye level, waiting to
be set back down so she can climb back up again.
 
All of my ferrets are officially now nicknamed 'Dumbbutt.'
 
Melissa
 
 ___ Melissa Litwicki __ [log in to unmask] ___
 By the whole newsgroup devoted tennis showing
     it after scarfing fork and laughters
[Posted in FML issue 2047]