I was also shocked about the post with the comment about "damaged goods."
How can anyone ever feel that just because one of these babies has been
mistreated, or has become ill that they are any less.  In Oct. I took my
three babies into the vet to get their first series of shots.  When I
returned for their second series the vet asked me if I wanted a fourth.
Said he had given my number who was looking to "get rid" of theirs.  They
called, and my boyfriend left to pick up the little guy.  What he returned
with made me sick, and I am greatful that I didn't pick up poor BOB or I
would have ripped the owners head off.  Poor BOB was severly under weight,
was loosing hair, and had a tumor on the end or his tail...he was also so
frightened we knew he had been abused.  He would come out to eat, and they
hide somewhere to sleep.  When we tried to hold him he would stiffen up and
try to get away.  We took him in the following week to get the tumor
removed, and started feeding him Duck soup in an effort to fatten him up.
The vet told us that when ferrets are stressed they loose hair, so to wait
and see if his hair would grow back.  If not he would look into Adrenal....
Slowly BOB fattened up, his strength came back, his hair grew in full and
lush, soft (after using my expensive hair mud on him) I didn't realize the
dramatic improvement until I looked at pictures of him a few weeks after we
got him to ones I recently developed.  If you'd like to
look...http://members.wbs.net/homepages/u/t/a/utahcricket.html Best of all,
he started trusting us.  He's come out more and more to play.  He has become
one of the sweetest babies.  Playful, happy and loving.  ....and I can't
imagine anyone ever passing him over because he was "damaged goods."....and
I know that there are hundreds of you out there with similar situations.  It
saddens me.
 
On a lighter note...in responce to the question of my favorite time with my
babies...How can you choose?  :)...I think my favorite time is when I get
home.  My ferrets are allowed out all the time.  So, when they hear the back
door open and me put the keys on the back table they come from different
corners of the house to get their hugs and kisses.  I pick each one up and
love them while the others stand at my feet waiting :)...then after they
have all been loved, they go insane running around and chasing me and
eachother.  I love it :)  Makes coming home a treasure.
 
Marta
[Posted in FML issue 2238]