Being new to this, I hope it's ok to combine a few different responses/ideas
on one note.  Apologies if I have the protocol wrong.
 
>Re:  "Joseph A. Brzostowski" <[log in to unmask]>
>Subject: dominance pooping? >
 
I'm so glad to see this note cuz I think this is what I've been dealing
with!  We had Cody, a two -year -old adoptee, for about a month.  She seemed
99% litter trained.  Then we added a male and female 4.5 -year -old
littermates.  They have sweet temperaments but don't seem litter-trained
even in the cage!  When all three are out, it's poop-mania.
 
Even Cody seems to feel the need to poop all over.  Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrr.
Anyone have ideas on how to deal with this?  Also, someone asked what does
"dook" mean and someone said it was the pooping ?  !  I thought it was the
adorable happy SOUND they make !
 
Please correct my note about the PVC pipe - the connectors are $ 1.50, not
$150 !  That would be too costly even for ferrets.
 
I'd also like to comment on the auction controversy.  Although I would worry
that ferrets purchased at an auction might not be cared for properly, I have
to agree that money has nothing to do with it.  All three of my ferrets were
adopted - free.  They even came with free cages.  We are lavishing them with
love, care, and vet service.  But the fact that they were free was a
definite factor in our acquiring them.  If I knew a pet store was going out
of business I would try to get "bargains," too.
 
I spent the whole weekend - including my Mother's Day - rebuilding a ferret
cage into a four level condo now named Mellowrose Place.  I was fortunate
enough to discover a cage builder in my area who helped me get the parts I
needed to restore this "rescue" cage.  Let me tell you, cage making is
painful and frustrating, and I've got the aching, red, raw hands to prove
it.  The cage-making people deserve every penny they get, and according to
this guy, the pet store mark-up over his cost is outrageous.
 
I'm a new member of NYFRA, New York Ferrets Rights Association.  These
tireless people visit pet stores, malls, etc., explaining what ferrets are
all about.  Just this past weekend we participated in an adoption day at a
pet store.  Some teenage boys were thrilled with our fuzzies and would have
bought them at any price.  (Ours were not for sale or adoption - just
"demos...") Not until we explained about the care and love they need did the
teens have second thoughts.  The cost wouldn't have deterred them, so again
I say, money is not the issue.
 
Dayna's terrible story caused me to burst into tears.  I can't get it out of
my mind.  Bless Dayna, her vet, and the tech, for their courageous efforts
to help this tragic creature.  It's only the beauty of their acts that make
the story bearable.
 
Finally, in light of all this, I can't agree with the Buddhist saying.  I
don't think pets are in the last incarnation before becoming human.  I think
humans are far lower than a lot of animals.
 
Kat
[Posted in FML issue 1569]