Hi
 
Well Brandy is here.  The RSPCA inspection went well.  The inspector
arrived early and explained, "I won't keep you long, I just need to
see where they will be kept".
 
"Fine", said I.
 
With this he turned on his heels and started to move outside.
 
"No, they live in here", I explained and took him into the lounge.
 
"This is where they spend most of their play time"  He just looked
puzzled at the pile of toys and fluffy hammocks.
 
"They sleep upstairs, in the bed room", I told him
 
He just looked ever more confused.  I showed him the temporary cage in
which Brandy would live until he accepted and had been accepted by the
other (Lector, Priss and Bob).  He seemed pleased enough with what I
thought was a fairly small cage.  I then pointed out the ferret house.
A four story log cabin with a floor area measuring 5 feet by 5 feet and
standing 5 1/2 feet tall.  If this wasn't enough to convince him I was
bonkers the three foot square fur hammock, rope bridge, electronically
controlled cooling extractor fans and tunnel maze totally melted his
already failing mind.
 
His only response
 
"Pick him up tomorrow!", at which he left.
 
Anyhow, Brandy is here and save for the first 24 hours where he refused
to eat, all has gone well (touch wood).  I have no idea how old he is
but he has been with the RSPCA in Bradford for a year and was adult
when he arrived there.  He is so full of energy, I though my girls were
hyperactive but they collapse and fall asleep long before he has even
stopped jumping and dooking.  This is proving a little wearing on the
other three as he will only accept there need for rest for short periods
at which point he will drag them out of which ever hiding place they
have adopted and play with them anyway.  This is most shocking to the
narcoleptic Bob.  Once asleep she is unwakable and due to this she
doesn't wake when Brandy drags her out of bed to play with her.  On
realising she isn't going to wake he abandons her wherever he happens to
be.  Some time latter a slightly chilled Bob wakes with a start wondering
who stole her bed and how in weasels name did she end up out here in the
middle of the floor.  With this insurmountable quandary weighing heavy
on here less than razor sharp mind she slumps back to bed only to have
the whole process repeated.  I shall try and train Brandy out of this
but for the moment it's just too funny for words.
 
Speaking of too funny, my local pet shop has started selling radio
controlled mice.  If the idea of a ferret chasing a high speed radio
controlled mouse with a turning circle much tighter than your average
weasel isn't funny enough the sight of four ferts heading from opposite
corners of the room at high speed all focused on one outcome - the
destruction of the mouse - is painfully amusing.  All four ferts on one
collision course with nothing anyone can do to prevent it.  Wham!  -
weasel pile up with the poor mouse some where underneath.  Expecting
nothing but the total annihilation of the mouse it seemed incredible to
me that when I pressed the forward button on the controller our tiny
e-rodent hero rocketed out of the writhing fur heap totally untouched.
Better still was the look of total bemusement on the faces of the ferts
when they extricated themselves from said heap only to discover their
prize quarry was gone.  A not unsubstantial argument about who ate it
without sharing later and they reluctantly give up and go to bed -
except for brandy who spends the next 45 minutes repeatedly dragging
Bob out of bed when my back is turned.  I am sure he does to see the
confusion on her face as he has now taken to just sitting there and
watching until she wakes up.
 
Hay ho.
 
Hope you are all well
 
Dooks
 
Wayne
(Lector, Priss, Bob and Brandy)
 
Wayne Gardner
Clinical Scientist
Dept. of Medical Physics
Bradford Royal Infirmary
[Posted in FML issue 4593]