hi everyone!!
 
it seems that my household has FINALLY gotten into the christmas spirit!!
(with only a few days to spare!).  The tree is going up late this year, so
tonight will be the test to see how the newest addition hagas deals with
something outshining him!  I'm expecting keera to continue her habit of
hording ornaments to make her hideyhole pretty, so they galss balls are
going up high again...
 
I want to let everyone know how wonderful your support and suggestions were
with keera and her weird moods.  Your letters let me know that ferrets
really DO grieve..and they get depressed just like we can!  I never truely
realized that sometimes their attention span isn't 3 seconds long and they
do get sad.  I always felt that they were so happy being alive, they didn't
pay much attention to other emotions!  I have been proven wrong..
 
Keera is a bit better.  She had blooddrawn and a weak ferret profile down
up at cornell medical.  Results were perfect.  Medically, she is a happy
ferret...but now come the questions:
 
1. all but adrenal has been ruled out on her.  The vet says her vulva is
in the normal range, but i noticed her 4 of nipples have been showing.  If
i remember correctly, that can be a symptoms of the adrenal tumors due to
the sex hormones they produce..right?  She hasn't become the big fluffball
she normally does and she is sleepier/less active than normal.  What are
the chances of adrenal?  any suggestions for course of action??
 
2. I've been reading a lot about the ALPHA ferret.  I;m assuming this
means dominant fert...but i'm not sure.  can a girl be an alpha?  is there
a beta?
 
3: Keera has always travelled a lot with me and has been everywhere i have
gone...Fezzik rarely leaves the house is more of a homebody.  The story of
country vs. city ferret.  My question is does anyone else see this with
their ferrets?  Keera has always gotten bored around the house quicker
and Fezzik is a big socially inept doofus when he gets outside....any
suggstions on how to get keera to enjoy the indoors more--she is such a
snob about doing the norm!!
 
4: Fezzik has taken up to scratching ME while I'm SLEEPING!  Does anyone
else experience this?  Or know why he does it??  The first time it happened
I had been out with a friend that smoked cigs (i don't).  that night he was
sniffing me fiercely.  then i fell asleep to be woken to fezzik digging
down deep into my long hair and scalp and scratching like heck!!!  I
thought it was b/c he didn't like the smell, but my sister woke to the same
thing while she was visiting (he LOVES her..some call it a crush, i call it
an obsession) and then my roomie's (his owner) awoke to it also...it is soo
weird!  when you yell at him for it he sniffs you real hard, sticks his
nose IN your ear and blows out and in really forcefully and drags his wet
nose all over your face if you let him... i have never seen this before and
it is only in the past month of so.i am thinking he is schizo!! :)
 
Last Q: Are cotten balls bad for ferrets.upon getting out of the shower one
morning, i open the cabinet drawer to see keera curled in a tiny bag of
cotton balls with her her sticking out the hole.  Now hagas tries to get in
there (notice i say tries, only his bottom half fits).  keera has taken to
bringing them to the drawer she sleeps in and making a blankie...they don't
eat them, just lay on them.  any danger??
 
I hope you all can give me some hints, it's been crazy trying to figure
them out!!
 
thanks again!!!!
meg, keera (the snob), Sir Hagas the rotund, and Fezzik scratch and sniff
ferret--smell great!
[Posted in FML issue 2533]