>From:    Natalie Binder <[log in to unmask]>
>Do any of you have stories about people who didn't want ferrets, then got
>one (maybe a roomate or spouse bought one), and they discovered that they
>really do like ferrets?
 
Oh yes!
 
I had gotten an injured great blue heron into my center (wildlife rehab).
It needed live fish on a daily basis, so I was going to a local pet store
to get them.  The person who was getting the fish for me was also the
ferret person.  He was telling me that they had one who had a broken leg
and therefore, was not on display any longer.  I had never had any positive
dealings with ferrets, so I didn't really say too much at this point.
 
Another day when I went to get more fish, this employee started talking
to me about this injured ferret again.  He said they (the pet store) had
called the vet and were quoted over the phone (without the vet seeing the
animal) $400 to repair the fracture.  In light of that, it was likely that
the ferret would be destroyed.
 
This guy convinced me to take the ferret ("You're a wildlife rehabber.  You
*must* know about ferrets").  It wasn't easy to convince me for a variety
of reasons.
 
1 - This is Michigan and the year was 1995.  Ferrets only became legal here
in 1994.
2 - I really knew nothing about ferrets - what they need, eat, etc.
3 - I knew there would be a big fight with my husband about bringing
another animal home (we already had 5 cats and 2 dogs plus all the wildlife
that comes and goes).
 
After I was convinced, the store employee and I convinced the manager to
*give* me this ferret at no charge.  I appealed to his sense of money
("It'll save you a euthanasia charge.  You might as well cut your
losses.").  That worked.  Then, the biggie: Convincing my husband to let
me have her.
 
Once all that was accomplished, we all (hubby, daughter, and myself) went
to the pet store and picked her up.
 
The next day, I took her to a vet.  He felt that the fracture was healing
just fine.  He did nothing to it, just vaccinated her and sent us home.
(Her front left leg had the fracture and has never bothered her.) Then, it
was off to the book store.  I was lucky.  Among all the marginal ferret
books, was Deborah Jeans' book.  I could tell it was MUCH better than
anything else on the shelf, so that's the one I bought.
 
Within the next week, I had a great 1-2 ferret cage, the right litter, knew
I wanted better food (I had Kaytee), had the right bedding, toys, etc.
 
That was all in October of 1995.  Tracy is the ferret.  She is a beautiful
(according to everyone who meets her, not just me) silver mitt.  She is
also teeny.  She's only about 1 1/4 pounds right now.  She lived alone
(that hubby "no more animals" thing again) until late May, 1998.  That's
when we added Dexter to the household.
 
Dexter's owner was allergic to him and had to find him a new home.  It took
10 days and a new cage, but then they were sleeping together.
 
After Tracy got a buddy, her personality changed.  She really started to
act like she ENJOYED life!  The difference was incredible!  I'll never have
a single ferret again!
 
Between October, 1998 and December, 1998, we added 4 more girls to the
business (tried 2 boys, but Dexter doesn't like other males).  So now we
have 6 and I can't imagine ever not having ferrets again!
 
Kim and The Super Six
[Posted in FML issue 2622]