>It hurts to walk past the ferret room. I cried as I cleaned Louie's
>last deposit in his litter box. I find myself inhaling Louie's
>blankets, I will always love the musky ferret smell. I know grief is
>natural and I'm also sure I'm not the first person to be ferret-less,
>but I would really appreciate hearing how people have learned to cope
>with this new lifestyle....
>
>Jennifer

 -------------------

Dear Jennifer,

I am deeply touched by your sorrow and the loss of your three ferrets.

Coping with your new lifestyle now that you are ferret-less is a
process you will endure for some time to come.

During this period of loneliness however, there may be an emotional
soother for you, in the form of another pet you may not have
considered.

May I suggest a pet skunk. They make excellent cuddlers, have the most
luxurious fur and will eat just about anything. They are available in
different colors. Cinnamon, red, pure white, and of course the white
striped black.

As you may know, skunks are close kin to the ferret. They display some
of the same characteristic behavior, but are slower moving, deliberate,
and can be litter trained. In my experience with pet skunks they litter
pan train easier than most ferrets.

Like raccoons, the skunk uses his forepaws to feel his food and will
rub a chunk of food round and round between his paw pads, particularly
if the found food is an immature insect larva or an adult insect.

Skunks are legal in most states. However, when you are out leash
walking you skunk, especially the white striped black skunk, it is a
good idea to have in your possession, ready to show to any wildlife
official or police officer, on demand, written proof of the skunk's
origin.

It's a good idea to carry the skunk's shot record too, especially its
anti-rabies documentation.

It's sort of a kneejerk reaction on the part of wildlife officers and
the police, that when they spot a person walking a skunk, particularly
a white striped black skunk, that that skunk was picked up in the wild
and is not a healthy skunk obtained from a skunk breeder. That's their
story.

If you are interested in keeping a pet skunk, please let me know and I
will put you in touch with a skunk breeder/rescue shelter in Ohio. I'm
somewhat fearful that including this information on the FML may not sit
too well with the list moderator, since this is not exactly promoting
ferrets. Maybe he'll let me slink by with this posting . . . hope so.

First a ferret, second a skunk, then finally, your pet wolverine. Yo
Bro. Onward and upward. Obama's for Change too, man.

Edward Lipinski (Not a mulatto). [And your point is??? BIG]

[Posted in FML 6224]