Hi, all!  Well, it looks like ferret math is being contemplated and I need
some advice.  First, a general call to action -- I live in Lincoln, NE, and
we are willing to drive pretty far (a day trip -- *maybe* even stay
overnight) to get our new adoptee.  (And we do want to adopt rather than
buy -- there are too many homeless furbabies out there!) We want to make
sure we make the right choice and find the one special baby who will get
along great with our other three.  So does anyone know of any fuzzies up
for adoption in our region?
 
Now to the advice part.  We currently have Xena, Gabrielle, and Bear.  All
three will be a year old this summer.  Xena and Gabrielle are litter-mates
and have never been apart -- we got them as kits.  Bear is a rescue we got
in December.  He is a big boy and plays very hard, but he is a sweet baby.
Bear and Gabrielle bonded very tightly and Xena is sort of odd ferret out
now, which makes me sad for her!  She's never been very social, but she was
very attached to Gab prior to Bear's arrival.  So.... we need advice on what
kind of a ferret to get.
 
Does sex matter?  Will three girls and one boy be a bad combo?  What about
two of each?  What about disposition?  We want a ferret who is sweet and
affectionate and relatively docile (I just don't think it would be a good
idea to add another rough player into the group, and I really don't want to
have to nip-train another adult -- Bear is a sweet, wonderful baby, but I
have scars!).  However, we need a fourth fuzzy who is capable of holding
his/her own with Bear, who does play roughly, and who won't be terribly
upset and stressed over this kind of play.
 
Thoughts?  Advice?  Any help would be greatly appreciated.
-Tasha, Belinda, the Ferret Patrol and the Kitty Brigade!
 
"It has been said that man is a rational animal.  All my life I have been
searching for evidence which could support this."
                                        -- Bertrand Russell
[Posted in FML issue 1931]