Hi, guys!
 
Like Bill and Chris and the rest of the immediate world, I am
DESperately trying to get caught up.  I'd like to thank Mike for
his suggestion about using a cooler to help Bandit survive the
summer heat & the long drive to the oncologist in an un-airconditioned
car!  Pretty creative -- like most ferret friends -- and I think we
will try it or some variation thereof.
 
Nancy, I'm glad to hear Percy's doing OK so far.  Have you gotten
the pathology report?  What's the prognosis?
 
Bill, sorry to hear Slink still has pneumonia, though it sounds
like you may have the scar tissue in the esophagus problem solved.
Hope she continues to improve.  Please give Dr. Rosenthal my regards.
I forwarded a couple copies of the newsletter to her a few weeks
ago, also hoping it would whet her appetite to subscribe.
 
You know, we DO have at least one vet keeping tabs on the list now
-- Dr. Lenny Southam, who's sysop for CompuServe's Ask-A-Vet section
on the Pet/Animal Forum -- she used to run the Small Mammal section
-- and has been uploading the newsletter to the Small Mammal library
for the past few weeks.  (Hi, Lenny!)
 
Bandit seems to have recovered fully from his bout with heat prostration
& will start Cycle 3 of chemotherapy on Saturday.
 
Re: the person with the "odiferous ferret" -- what kind of shampoo
are you using?  Have you tried Bramton's Outright brand shampoo &
conditioner?  They also have a "between baths" spray to help control
odor.  Outright has some kind of enzyme that is supposed to be better
at actually eliminating odor rather than masking it.  The pet store
where we got Pogo swears by it.  We've used the shampoo but not the
conditioner or between-bath spray, and it seems to do the job, though
our ferrets do not react like yours.  It's not cheap stuff ($6.50-$7
a bottle), though if the odor problem is as bad as you say, it would
be worth it, I think.
 
As for the waterbed problem, I'm not sure what to suggest. Have you
tried smearing the corners with some noxious substance they hate?
I've been told toothpaste can be an effective ferret deterrent,
though you may not care for that idea.  Hmmm, they hate Bitter
Apple, but it doesn't last that long, certainly not long enough
to last the night.  Our ferrets ripped a hole in the bottom of our
boxsprings once & used to crawl in there with treasures like
our winter gloves, until we took an old Army blanket & attached it
to the bottom of the boxsprings (they couldn't figure out how to
get through that).  Later we got a bed frame that was higher off
the ground & now they just couldn't reach the bottom of the bed anymore.
I don't know if this is helpful to you or not, but I'll think about
it some more & who knows?  Maybe I'll have a brainstorm.
 
I understand from Steve Cullen (who I don't think has subscribed to
the list yet) that round one of the proposed ferret ban in Brampton,
Ontario, went to the ferret lovers.  A sizable contingent of
ferret owners showed up at the hearing & caused the council to
postpone action for further study.  Apparently a couple of council
members admitted not knowing what a ferret was!  If I hear anything
further, I'll pass it on.
 
Bill, your comment that we need to remind newcomers to the list that
ferrets really ARE wonderful & lovable & hardy & healthy is right on
the money.  I've been thinking about that, too.  It's been so easy to
get all wrapped up in Bandit's health problems & forget about talking
about how the other three are doing -- which is FINE.  Pogo is 5 months
old now & as big as Charlie.  He & Charlie are bosom buddies, especially
when it comes to 'rasslin' -- they chase each other all over the place,
chuckling & squealing & bouncing, with the bells on their collars
jingling up a storm.  Pogo has been well named, it turns out -- he
truly thinks (I believe) that he can fly, leaping from couch to table to
chair as if he really believes he has wings.  He will also do a standing
jump off the ground to try to grab your hand if you hold it above his
head -- haven't measured the vertical height but it is much higher than
any of the other three have ever managed.  His latest thing is to follow
you into the bathroom & if you are doing anything at the sink, he will
stand up and grab your leg until you pick him up & give him a drink of
water from the sink or from a dixie cup.  Even funnier is if you let him
try to get a drink from the faucet -- he will try to "bite" the stream
of water, & of course then he gets a mouthful, which makes him cough.
 
Kinda reminds me of when Charlie attacked the bubbles in the bathtub,
thinking he could grab them -- and was he surprised when he ended
up wet all over!
 
Here's a question for you, Chris, and anybody else out there with
small children.  We are thinking seriously about adding to our
family (I mean, of course, having kids) -- what kind of suggestions
can parents of ferrets & children offer?
 
I'll give the soapbox back now.
 
Later,
Katie, Jeff, Bandit, Molly, Charlie & Pogo
 
[Posted in FML issue 0259]