Hi!
 
I am a first-time-ferret-owner who just signed on to the excellent FML.
Perhaps a small introduction is in place.
 
I live in Sweden or Uppsala to be more exact, which is a small town with
approx.  220 000 people.  It is about 70 km from our capital-city Stockholm.
Anyhow, me and my girlfriend recently bought a brown ferret.  Since it was
the same week as the twenty-year anniversary to Elvis death and I am a big
Elvis fan - we decided to name him.... Elvis.  He was born the seventh of
June 1997 which makes him something like twelve weeks now.
 
Although he is a really cute animal we have already experienced some
problems.  Most likely things you guys have a lot of experience from.
Problemo numero uno is.... not all that suprising.... biting.  At first it
wasnt really that hard but as he is growing he has now started to bite
harder and harder.  Last night he wasnt far from biting through my skin.  I
have talked to some people on how to stop him from biting but I can't really
seem to find any _good_ way to stop him from doing it.  As it is now he
bites both on our feet and hands.  When he does I pick him up by (don't know
what it is called in english) the skin behind his neck and lift him up to my
face and say "Fy!" (swedish for "shame on you!") quite loud.  After doing
that he runs away and most of the time he comes back to nip on me again.
Sometimes I suspect he thinks that it is fun to be picked up because he gets
our attention really easy that way.
 
If someone has any _really_ good and efficient anti-bite tips - please tell
me!
 
Also, another thing I have been wondering about is what kind of food I
should give him.  Now I give him _the cat food_ pussi.  I suspect it is not
the best thing to give him because he eats very much and also produces a lot
in the "box".  Volume-vise that is.  What kind of dry cat-food should I give
him?  I can not afford to give him special ferret-food since I am unemployed
and really has no money.
 
Something I have wondered about since we got this little cutie is - when is
he going to calm down?  Seems perhaps as if I was not prepared for it, but I
read a lot of books about ferrets and also visited the breeder.  I honestly
thought that they could be calm for a minute or two.  Is that too much to
hope for?
 
As it is now he acts like a seven year old on amphetamine. It is a lot of
ferret I tell you!
 
The cage we keep him in when we are not at home is another thing that I
think about.  I worry that it perhaps is too small.  It is 1 x 0.5 m.  Also,
he keeps eating his house (;-)).  We made it from some shoe-boxes we had.  I
dont know perhaps he is under-stimulated!?
 
Some other things I really would like some answers to:
-  How can I keep him from biting in cables?
-  What kind of kitty-litter should I use?
-  Is there any ferret owners in Sweden who reads this?
-  What kind of treats (that does not cause diarrhea) can I give my ferret?
 
Other than that he is the most adorable thing that ever happened to us! :)
 
With regards
 
Josef Bjornberg
[Posted in FML issue 2045]