The first weasel experience was Stinky.  Stinky was a wild mink that had
been cornered by my black lab.  He/she had been knocked out by a log and
Sam was moving in for the kill when we came to the rescue.  Stinky lived
up to his name.  He had a outdoor enclosure with a house.  We would catch
him fish and frogs as well as Purina Mink Chow we got from a local mink
farm.  Stinky didn't like having his cage cleaned and he would hide in
his house with his head stuck out the hold and scream at you until you
were done.
 
After Stinky had gained some weight and didn't seem to be suffering from
any internal injuries he was released back into the wild.
 
My first ferret experience was about 25+ years ago.  My older sister was
working with the Animal Control in Cape Cod MA and received a call to go
pick up a rat that someone had discovered curled up outside one of their
beach cabins.  When she arrived she found out that it was not a rat but
a small ferret that the prior tenants had brought with them from
Connecticut.  At the time ferrets were still illegal to own in MA so
people would drive to Connecticut to purchase them.  The vacationers had
stayed a week and during their partying the ferret had escaped only to
return to the shelter of the steps after exploring.  The only problem
was that the family was now gone.
 
Well this little guy was next to dead so when my sister reported back to
the office that she had picked up a dead animal and would dispose of it.
She took him home and forced fluids and clear Knox gelatin until the
little guy was out of the woods.
 
My English Pointer wanted nothing to do with this slinky rat that kept
trying to make her dance.  My younger brother did not like animals and
would try to ignore Loki which made Loki more intrigued by him.  I
remember my brother trying to shoo him away using his baseball cap.
He tossed his cap at him and it landed right on top.  Now we had the
baseball cap with a tail bouncing around the room following my brother
around.
 
Loki lived for a few more years after that.  I never knew if Loki was a
boy or girl or how old he was.  My sister owned a few more ferrets after
that but gave up on them because raising reptiles and ferrets don't mix.
 
I didn't see another ferret in person until after I joined the Navy.  It
was my first duty station at Cecil Field, Fl and one of the girls who
lived in the barracks with us had one that she kept hidden.  She would
tote the poor baby around to parties in a small carrier to show it off
then when the curiosity would wear off the ferret would be locked up in
her car and forgotten while she partied.  This behavior ended up being
the demise of the ferret after being taken to the beach one weekend and
left in the car all day.  Unfortunately I didn't know about the death
until after the girl has shipped out so I couldn't turn her in.
 
Because of this incident I was more aware and aggressive about military
members who lived in the barracks and would break the rules by keeping
pets hidden in their rooms.
 
Peace
 
Wendy
From
Harmony House
[Posted in FML issue 5057]