Hey all.  With the addition of a new member to the ferret family around
here, it's become more and more necessary to come up with a good method for
keeping the frits from adopting corners that are impossible to put a box in
to use.  For instance...Magkij znak loves the corners behind doorways.  It's
easy to put a box behind a shut door, but when you want to open it, it
becomes a problem pretty quickly.  I was brainstorming with my roommate the
other night on how to make those corners look less appealing and we thought
that there might be some way to make the corner look "flat." Like a
triangle-shaped block of wood nailed into the corner, of course it would
have to be taller than the ferrets are, though.  I don't know.  Anyone have
any suggestions?  Even some of my box-trained guys like those behind-doors
corners.
 
ZERO:
Actually, I really like the name Zero (for the poster who was pleased with
the pet store they went to).  I would, however, be upset if someone at a pet
store told me that *they'd* named the ferret and that I couldn't change it.
I think that a name is intensely personal and helps form a bond between a
person and an animal (Bond, schmond my ferts say).  It's like people and
nicknames.  Someone might be a Mike to someone and a Michael to another (or
Kelly to some, Miss White to others, you know...), depending on the
familiarity, etc.  Never underestimate the power in a name.
 
RECENT PET STORE CONTROVERSY:
Whew!  Some of this discussion leaves me sweating!  There really isn't a law
that says that all pet stores are a bad thing.  There are some (unfortunately
not the majority, though) that really care about the animals.  These are
good, especially the ones that provide information and education, not for
the purpose of the sale, but for good general knowledge.  If I went into a
store with questions about a ferret or other animal, and the employee was
knowledgable and was willing to answer my (sometimes extensive) questions,
even if I wasn't going to buy an animal that day, I would probably come
back.  I saw nothing wrong with the poster a week or so ago who wanted to
start a small petstore.  If the animals are well-cared for and healthy, we
should encourage it.  Perhaps a few strong personally run pet stores would
be better than these "Mega Mart" type pet stores that concentrate on the
quick buck from the impulse buyer.
 
ULCERS:
Edie has been doing much better with a mix of whipping cream and a touch of
honey.  She won't take it cold, but if you heat it just a bit she loves it.
I wouldn't use something so sweet, except that she was wasting away and
wouldn't touch anything else that had been recommended for putting weight
back on.  The cream doesn't seem to upset her stomach, either.
 
Yeah, I know.  I guess I'm in the maximum verbosity mode today.  So many
recent cans of worms opened on the list.  I really enjoy the discussion of
different ideas and stuff.  Well, if anyone has solved the behind the doors
problem, let me know.  I'll probably have to put you up on a little pedistal
or something.
 
Take care.
 
Kelly
Reverend Maynard, Edie, Cosette, Static and Magkij znak...
[Posted in FML issue 1830]