Firstly I should mention that Felix is alive and well having been living in
Twickenham for a whole 2 weeks.  However this seems to be despite his best
efforts, they say that curiosity killed the cat, well the question has to
be asked: Ferrets are still on this planet, HOW?
 
Felix is nicely settled in and we have a routine where I attempt to get
ready for work, have breakfast and generally faff, whilst Felix has his
breakfast and a playette.  I then clean out the cage make sure he has
enough to keep him going for the day and then put him back in his cage.
When I get home I change and then let him out to play, this seems to work
quite well as he is hyper active for a few hours and then he wanders off to
sleep and track him down and put him back in the cage.  This is the first
question, I sleep, he goes into a coma, he would hear me coming if I was
accompanied by the local philharmonic orchestra , is this normal - surely
no animal can get past evolution step one by being so completely oblivious
to the world and it's dangers.
 
I've also discovered that he has an abhorrence of surfaces that have
anything on them, the nose goes under what is ever there and it goes
onto the floor - to then be scattered even further afield once he worked
out how to get back from where he's just climbed up. Which is the second
black mark on the evolutionary score sheet as  he thinks he's superfert
and keeps trying to eye up jumps that I know he isn't going to make, is
this evidence of a genetic link between ferrets and lemmings. Normally I
get there in time to rescue him from this idiocy and nip the attempt in
the bud, however this morning didn't quite work as he was eyeing up a
jump, edged forward a bit too much and fell off the back of the
armchair- thud. Luckily it was only his dignity that was wounded.
 
And finally there is the supposed fear of fire.  Now I have a coal effect
gas fire and for once it was on.  Felix wandered in looked at it, then
decided that it would make a good climb!!!!  Luckily I have learnt enough
to realise when he's about to head off up/over/under/through/... something
so was able to pick him up give him a hug and send him off to play with
something less dangerous.  So something else on the shopping list!!!
 
So flat is now largely unrecognisable, the front room is full of Felix play
things.  The spare room is full of Felix's cage and more toys, the kitchen
is normally covered in a layer of crunchy ferret food.  And occasionally
the front door mat is nicely decorated with a carefully placed pooh,
someone suggested that putting him back in the cage was a deterent for this
as he'd soon learn that pooh on the carpet means no play.  Well this has
absolutely no effect as all he does is go to the corner and sleep, as he
quite often pops back to the cage on his own for a sleep.  So as a deterent
it kinda misses!  C'est la vie.
 
And how would I describe his personality - contrary.  When I pick him up he
want to be put down, when he's put down he wants to be picked up.  When I
put down fresh water he goes and licks up the splashes from the shower,
when I give him fresh food he'll go and retrieve some from a stash.
 
So would I recommend a ferret as a pet, yep!  Even though the first two
weeks have been quite trying as I tend to follow him from room to room to
make sure he hasn't found anything I'd missed that is likely to cause him
injury.
 
Tony and Felix
 
p.s.  He likes the vacuum cleaner, and on his first encounter chased the
"sucky" end round the living room and attacked the cylinder!
[Posted in FML issue 2895]