Hi everybody!  Just a few responses:
 
FEMALE NEUTERING
>I also asked the vet here in Germany about getting my female, Pris, done
>too, but he said that he only does that in cases where her reproductive
>organs are actually causing problems.
 
Please do have her neutered.  She is very likely to develop aplastic anemia
if she is not neutered.  Check out the FAQ for more detailed info.
 
COUCHES
>The little buggers have torn holes in the fabric just big enough to let
>them get inside the couches.
 
You can easily keep your ferts out of the sofa.  It's probably safer for
them to keep them out of the couch for a variety of reasons.  As you
mentioned, the flea fogger may contaminate any food of theirs that is in
their.  Alternately, the springs in sofas can be deadly... Remove the sofa
legs if possible.  Get an old bed sheet.  Cut the sheet to fit the bottom of
the sofa.  Stretch it tightly across the bottom of the sofa, and use an
industrial staple gun to secure the heck out of it.  I've also heard of
folks using a thin piece of wood and screws to the same effect, but the
sheet has kept even my determined guys out.
 
CRAWLING FERT
Someone recently mentioned that their young (6-8 week old) kit appears to be
"crawling" when he walks.  Some ferts, especially when they are in a big,
strange, new place will "crawl" and creep low along the floor since they
feel unsure of themselves.  Keep an eye on him.  Until he gets a little
bigger, you may want to confine his play space to one room so that he can
become familiar with the space (and learn where those oh-so-important
litterboxes are).  If the problem persists however, I would go to a vet.
 
TOOTH CLEANING
>The vet wants to put him under gas anestethic and "work on his teeth".  I
>don't know what that means exactly.  Has anyone had any experience with
>this?  Ever heard of doing this?
 
Sounds like you have a good vet.  By the description that you gave, I would
say that your fert needs to have his teeth professionally cleaned, and this
is what your vet is doing.  The build up of tartar is causing a severe
irritation to his gums.  (Imagine how your gums would feel if you never
brushed your teeth or went to the dentist!) If you can, check out the latest
issue of Modern Ferret magazine (write [log in to unmask] for information).
They have a great article in there about cleaning ferret teeth.  You will
probably need to learn how to brush his teeth so that you will be able to
maintain them after your vet cleans them.
 
>How long should Bentley go without food and water before the surgery?
 
No more than 5-6 hours maximum.  The ferret's digestive tract is 3-4 hours
long.
 
MORE TOOTH CLEANING
>I think he meant have it done once under anesthesia and thereafter brush
>them myself twice weekly.
 
Correct.
 
>I live in a FFZ so I am wondering do I go to a dentist or a vet for the
>teeth cleaning.  Also I am currently a struggling actress and therefore
>very poor - does anyone know how expensive it is to do this procedure?
 
You need to take your fert to a vet where he may use a gas anesthesia to
sedate him so that his teeth can be cleaned properly.  The sedation may not
be necessary, depending on your ferret.  If money is a huge concern, you can
purchase the supplies to clean his teeth yourself.  You can use a tooth
scaler, tooth brush, and tooth paste made for dogs and/or cats on your fert.
You will need an assistant to hold the fert firmly.  Have the assistant lay
the fert on his back and "scruff" (hold firmly) the back of the fert's neck
with his hand.  See the Modern Ferret reference above for more info.
 
CARPET PROTECTION
Try nailing down a piece of clear, plastic carpet runner (available at most
hardware stores) or a piece of remnant carpeting (available cheap/free at
carpet stores) over the area in question.
 
Cheers,
Gina the Monkeywrangler
and the Chimps of Mayhem:  Paleface (Bean), Gunnar the Red (Goose), Daniel
Spikey Tiger (Spike), Beau Geste (Bo Bo), Harriet (Hawwiet) and Wienerbutt
(Weenie)
[Posted in FML issue 1809]