They say that ferrets are typically at the "adult" stage by about 6 months.
But the, I guess there will always be the exception to the rule! :)  Here
are a couple of stories about baby Hershey, the little fuzzbutt (little...
yeah...right!) that I helped rescue from the streets of Philadelphia.
 
First, let me tell you that Hershey is by no means "small".  Even Fuzzer
(who used to be the huge one of the bunch) has taken second place to
Hershey!  Though Ziggy and Fuzzer still take Hershey for a "rough and
tumble" every day, Hershey is NOT one to back down from a fight!  He gives
them their money's worth, though he always backs down in the end and races
off to a hidey-spot, where he can poke his nose out and glare at his
attacker.
 
Even the tiny girls, Misti-Ferret and Add-A-Kiss will take him on (though
they always start losing almost immediately!) when their aerobic schedules
permit!  He enjoys it when they decide to play, because he always wins!  He
then hops about on all four's, chattering and squeaking fit to beat the
band!  You'd *swear* he was smiling!
 
Well, the other day, I had forgotten to close the bathroom door when I left
the fuzzbutts out.  Now, typically, the bathroom, the cellar and two of the
bedrooms are Ferret Free Zones.  The cellar is always kept closed and the
bedrooms are blocked off with a very (so far) effective gate.  The bathroom
also has a door, but it is usually left open when the fuzzbutts are in
their cages, to keep it aired out.
 
Hershey likes to check out all of the forbidden zones when he is left out.
I *usually* see him heading upstairs and will suddenly remember the door
and he will let me get to it to get it closed.  This time, I didn't see
him going and didn't think about the door for several minutes.  When I
remembered, I rushed up to see if they had gotten into anything.
 
The trash can was knocked down (nothing was in it, though), the toilet
brush was on the other side of the bathroom, and all of the rugs were
scattered around.  Of course, there was Hershey, too!  He saw me and ran
to a corner made by the towel cart and the wall.
 
However, since he is so big, all that would fit under the cart (where he
was *easily able to get under when he first moved in!) was his nose!  He
realized that this wasn't a very effective hiding place, but didn't know
where else to try to hide.  As I started putting the bath mat back in it's
normal place, he saw his chance!  He rushed unerneath the bath mat!  Well,
that didn't work, since I just picked it back up again!
 
When I had picked up the trash can, I put it in the doorway, to get it
out of the way while I put all of the rugs back down.  Hershey decided he
wasn't going to be able to successfully hide in the bathroom and made a mad
dash for the door.  However, just to prove that he was still a little kid,
on the way out of the bathroom he reached up a paw and knocked the trash
can over as he went by!  Talk about not wanting to grow up!
 
Yesterday, he also decided that he had to have Misti-Ferret's snack.  So,
after I gave it to her (a Bandits Treat), he grabbed the other end of it
and wrestled it right out of her mouth!  As he turned to run with his new
prize, the long arm of the law reached out and snatched him up.  I pried
the snack away from him, and then had to listen a baby ferret's version of
being "cussed out" while he hissed and chattered at me for taking away his
treasure!  He was so cute that I gave him a second one of his own, while
giving Misti-Ferret back her original one (hey...even ferrets want what's
theirs!).
 
If this is going to be a regular thing with Hershey, I think I'm going to
like it...after all, if a ferret is a lot like a kitten that never grew
up, it's just *got* to be even more fun to have a *ferret* that never grows
up! :)
 
Todd and the (I don't wanna grow up, I'm a dook-a-dook kid...) Fuzzbutt
Rodeo Clowns!
 
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[Posted in FML issue 2718]