I'll be in Texas for the next week watching Elizabeth get some
fire-fighting awards and generally making a pest of herself.  I'll do
anything to get out of Missouri....even visit Texas!  ;^)
 
Q:"...And I want to give my new ferret a cool name.  As Bhor, you must have
a few good and unusual ones for cute little baby ferrets.  How do you name
yours?"
 
A: Just pull ne out of one of my former lives.  I've always been partial to
ancient Aztec names, like Neccidmaninhall, Seadabignozonyerface or
Whadagrossbutt.
 
Ok, I made those three up.  Most of my ferts are adopted (like me) and I
never change their names.  Ok, once I changed Spaz to Razz, but that was
the only time.  So for me, whatever name they come with is fine.
 
Carbone and Lady Noir refere to black or darkness because they are black
sables.  Real inventive.
 
Moose, Stella, Daye are all part of "Mustelidae," and Tori is part of
"putorius." Real punny.
 
Bear got his name because he was sort of furless when rescued, and also
because he was a big oaf (he was almost named Yeller Feller for the same
reasons).
 
Tui was named by Sam, and is a Moari word for a bird--since Sam and Tui
comes from New Zealand, the name is appropriate.
 
G.W. stands for "Great White" as in the great white shark;  he's the
largest albino I've ever seen.  Right now, he's even bigger than Bill the
Zen Man's Swedish monsters.  (Sorry Bill, but G.W. is *twice* the size of
Carbone!!!  He could eat the taco dog.) The name came because he loves to
sleep on his back, and his neck and mouth reminded me of the poster for
 "Jaws."  It is never safe to go into the computer room, his favorite lair.
 
Chrys is Greek for gold, a color he once was but is no longer.  And Amber
is a color she still is.  Original, yes?
 
Jezabel got her name because she would sleep all day and play all night,
and what better name for a woman of the evening?
 
Q:"Help!  My ferret's gums are bleeding around the canines?  Any advice?"
 
A: Never squat neckid in front of your ferts.  Especially if you are a guy.
 
Bleeding gums can mean several things.  Is a tooth broken?  Did they chew
on something that cut their gums; you know, like when you bite a chip
wrong.  At least some times the bleeding is minor and unimportant, but
sometimes it can signal serious gum disease.
 
Look for discolored gums, nasty smell or swellings.  This can be signs of
either an infected gum or bone.  Unless you know for sure the problem is
the gum and not the bone, see a vet and don't wait.  Bone infections can be
long term, impossible to cure events and could cause your ferret to go into
septic shock at the worst, or lose their teeth at best.
 
As for a gum infection, minor ones happen all the time, just like in
people.  Usually it is a symptom of plaque (tartar) and can be scraped off
by a vet dental tech.  The stuff is a result of mouth pH, carbohydrates
(kibble), and a general lack of chewing material like bone.  I control
dental plaque in my fertbunnies by allowing them access to softened chicken
bone.  Works like a charm, and I have 5-8 year old ferts without a spot on
their teeth.  Some people I know actually brush their ferret's teeth; I
tried it once but gave up on it because my toothbrush was too big to go in
their mouth, and it tasted nasty afterwards....
 
Perhaps someone with more experience in scaling or brushing teeth can also
respond.
 
Bob C and 19 Mo' Homewreakers of Fertdom
[Posted in FML issue 2601]