Food lodged in palate: Boy, over the years I think we've seen just about
any shape get lodged at times.  Some individuals are more prone to having
it happen -- narrower palate or perhaps torae.  Fritter used to be very
inclined that way, so we first just moved her hand near her mouth when we'd
free pieces.  Then we started putting her hand in her mouth and moving it
as if she was dislodging a piece after the fact.  Then we moved to actually
moving her hand into her own mouth and dislodging the piece.  She was very
startled!  She realized, though, that SHE could do it herself and ever
since that was able to free her own pieces as soon as they caused any
problem.
 
Modern Ferret: You all know that this is our favorite ferret magazine by a
wide margin, and we do consider Mary and Eric to be friends, but I have to
agree that I don't like overly much of a "home page" feel -- just a touch.
Still, I sure don't think of that as an "error" -- more of a taste
difference.  Mary and Eric are in a weird position: a number of people
think they have a huge staff and tons of corporate money while it's
actually a small home business up against industrial-strength competition
which already has a decades-long "in" with large distributors.  I think
maybe they wanted people to understand this, that's all.  Haven't asked
them, so don't know if that's it or not.  Anyway, I DON'T agree with the
poster's statement which equated the various ferret magazines.  We've had a
great many years of experience with ferrets.  Modern Ferret has editors who
KNOW and CHERISH ferrets and ferret people.  The OTHER ferret magazines
have editors who don't know ferrets (and some comments have sounded from
time to time like they don't much like them) and in between the articles
from people who DO know ferrets they tend to intersperse ones from
non-ferret-owning writers.  When such people don't check their sources, and
the editors who are supposed to check for accuracy don't know ferrets
errors wind up introduced.  Sometimes editing has created errors in pieces
which were correct as sent.  Other times photos have been doctored to
become dangerous to the legislative push in CA.  CA letter writers have not
had their identities protected.  Once medical information was so incredibly
wrong that it create a flurry of people trying their hardest to notify FML
and club members as fast as possible so that ferrets would not die as a
result, and it wasn't simple printing error like a misplaced decimal point.
Those are ALL mistakes which Modern Ferret just plain would NOT commit,
because Mary and Eric DO care deeply about ferrets and ferret people, and
they KNOW their stuff.  To Steve and I caring and accuracy mean a HUGE
amount -- in fact, they make the difference between buying and decrying.
We'd happily buy the entire range of magazines if the ones with the
problems tried harder to correct them!  They COULD become as accurate and
caring as Modern Ferret IF they bothered to do accuracy checks with those
who actually KNOW ferrets (or got an editor who knows ferrets) and used
some common sense about FFZ situations.  (Oh, by the way, there are some
folks right here on the FML whose ferrets get along with rabbits.  Then
again, many don't, but it's not a hard and fast thing.  If you want a real
laugh search back a few years for the post about someone whose ferret
adopted a house mouse!) Gads, I've got to get to those letters to Ferret
Usa advertisers I was going to send, but free time has been a scarce
commodity.  I think it's very good that people let others know their
assorted opinions on magazines and other products -- when those are
listened to they result in better products and better products can't help
but be better for our ferrets.  From knowing them since they were novices I
can honestly say that Mary and Eric are folks who are always open to
learning and who value the opinions of others, and Steve and I consider
their magazine a bargain.
[Posted in FML issue 2640]