Hi, I am Ingella, live in Sweden, Europe and have had ferrets since 1980.
I found the Ferret Mailing List a few years ago before I even had access to
e-mail.  It was published in a Swedish Ferret Magazine and I kept it for
some months until I could get my fingers into the Internet.
 
For the time being I have two male ferrets, Pjatten and Gosta Goransson.
 
Pjatten is a rescue and I have had him since early 1992.  The vet said
then,when he was fixed, that he was approx.  a year and a half, maybe
almost two so he would be 9 years, almost 10 now.  He is old, sleeps and
rests mostly but eats and drinks and pees etc.  although he moves a little
slowly.
 
Gosta is another rescue (from a petshop)and he is 9 months old.  Big and
beautiful and eager to play.  He has already broken his leg and had surgery
to get a rubber ball out of his tummy, but everything has healed
wonderfully and his only problem is that Pjatten won't play with him as
much as he would like.  However, he can play with Harri, our big poodle.
(Which he really does and they both love it !)
 
Gosta is 2200 grams and the heaviest I have had.  Pjatten is the oldest I
have had, all the others have had to be put to sleep at 8 years of age.
None has been seriously ill, they have just been old and when they get
problems with bladder and intestines and teeth,and loose their dignity, I
have a wonderful vet that helps me to let them go.  I have noticed that we
have a very different opinion in the USA and in Sweden how much treatment
to give them for which life quality.  Well, no discussion about that.
 
I love my lettle rascals, have a wall at home with framed photos of each
and everyone I have ever had (Total 8 individuals, sometimes two at a time
but mostly 3) Since we have a dog too at present, we only have two now.
They have free access to the house with exception of my husband's office.
 
For the ferrets !
 
Ingella Arwidsson
[Posted in FML issue 2897]