Paige Marie Baldassaro:
You might want to try Aloe Vera, straight from the plant.  Just keep an eye
on him so that he doesn't lick it too much.  My first ferret Snoop use to
get rashes on her upper belly.  The vets couldn't figure out what it was,
so I tried some different things, and the aloe vera worked.
 
Pet Stores:
I have a little philosophy on Pet Stores.  If you don't like the way they
do things, thell them, and tell them repeatedly, until they get it right.
One of the pet stores in my city used to keep the ferrets in cedar shavings
that would get into their food bowls, they had no blankies or toys, and
were kept in an aquarium.  I asked them why, and the people there didn't
know.  I gave her some stuff on ferret care the I got (with permission)
from the internet.  Within hours their living conditions had changed.  They
were put in a 2 level cage, the cedar was taken out and litter was put in
the pan, they were given blankies that were washed every 3 days, they were
given hammocks and toys.  The information that I gave them was given to
every person who was considering the purchase of a ferret, so that people
would know what they were really in for.  The ferrets were handled more
often to help socialize them.
 
I believe that you can't blame the many for the "crimes" of the few.  I
have heard some bad things about some of the Petco stores, but I've also
heard some good things.  I guess that some people are more "naturally"
inclined to care for animals.  The most that you can do is not buy from the
bad ones, and write many letters of complaint to the CEO's of the
Corporation, and get other animal lovers in your area to do the same thing.
They can "ignore" one letter, but they can't ignore hundreds, and be civil,
you get more with honey than you get with vinegar.  You can't honestly
believe that all heads of Corporations are heartless and are only out for
the almighty dollar.  Some of these people do care what happens in their
stores, after all you are the ones who keep them in business, and for a
Corporation as large as Petco, it's hard to keep tabs on all of the stores.
But, things won't change overnight.  I buy from my local pet store because
they do care about the animals that are in their "temporary" care.  And if
you see something that they may be doing wrong, they are always open to
suggestions, and help.  Most of the people who work in pet stores are
usually high school aged, and they don't know how to care for exotics, and
they are only doing what they think is best, and don't know any different
until someone tells them NICELY.  If you're snarky, they are less likely
to listen.  Explain that you've owned ferrets for XX years and this is how
to care for them.
 
Just my 2 cents.
 
Isabelle
Oscar (Mayer Wiener)  cause he's such a weenie.
Miko (Girlie Girl)
[Posted in FML issue 2678]