For the past month, my boyfriend and I have been telling ourselves that two
ferrets is enough...but I guess we were wrong.
 
About a week ago we went to our local pet store to buy our ferrets, Jethro
and EllieMae, some treats for Halloween.  We walked to the back of the
store, where the ferret things are kept, and there was the tinniest kit I
had ever seen.  She fit in the palm of my hand with room to spare.  She was
also very skinny, and her rectum was prolapsed a bit.  I had guessed (and
later my vet agreed with me) that this was because her system couldn't
handle solid food yet.  She didn't even have the beginnings of regular
teeth yet, only milk teeth.  When we put her back in the cage, she when
straight to the litter box, and attempted to go, but she clamped down with
her baby teeth on the front, and cried very loudly.  Then she tried to eat
some kibble, but couldn't break it up, and continued crying.  At this point
I started crying as well.  I took her out again, and she sat very still on
my hand.  I told the manager that they shouldn't accept kits this small
(guess where she was from?) and explained they should mash up her kibble
and moisten it.
 
Anyway, we left the store and came back a few times.  The last time was ten
minutes before they closed.  They had given her more kibble (dry) but
instead of trying to eat it, she slept in it, because there was no where
else in the cage that she could sleep with out almost falling through the
wire.
 
Well, I was sure she would die in that store, so we took her.  When we
brought her to the vet, and he said it was the tiniest ferret he'd ever
seen.  He guessed her age at about five weeks (and we had her for four days
before he saw her).  He couldn't give her any vaccinations yet, because
she's too young to handle them.  He said she should be spayed in a few
months, but when I told him she already was, he couldn't believe it.  His
response: "How did they do it -- with a dissection microscope?" They must
have spayed her at about four weeks, poor baby.  I would rather have paid
for the operation myself than see a ferret that young go through something
as traumatic as a hysterectomy.
 
On the bright side, she's put on weight -- I'm feeding her ground-up TF,
moistened with warm whipping cream and a little Ferretone.  She also has
free choice of dry food from the other ferrets' food dish.  Her rectal
prolapse has healed by itself after a few days of feeding the soft food.
She no longer cries when eating or using the litter box (She is totally
litter trained already!).  She loves us and often comes just to be held or
petted, but she also loves our other ferrets.  When she first met them, she
tried to nurse off them, but now she's stopped doing that, and just follows
them around.  The first time (and last time) she tried to nurse off Jethro,
she bit his you-know-what!  He jumped about three feet in the air, and gave
a very loud yelp.  He hid from her for a few hours after that, but soon
forgave her.
 
Sorry this is so long, but I had to write about my new baby.  I am so proud
of her!
 
Donna
Jethro (hey, let go of that!)
EllieMae (did I ask for a little sister?)
Baby -- we're thinking of calling her Gillian
[Posted in FML issue 2464]