Greetings, all!  Tenaka and Cayanne are even better than before they got
sick.  I don't know..  they seem to have found a hidden resource of energy
somewhere.  I think it has to do with my Mountain Dew they managed to get at
the other day...
 
I had been playing with the ferts in their room, when I see Cayanne make
like a flying ferret and leap from the top of their cage to the window sill
where I HAD had a Mountain Dew liter bottle (cap off).  The ferret and
bottle hit the floor, Tenaka came barreling over and both he and Cayanne
began lapping up as much of the stuff they could.  I dove for the towels I
keep handy for just such an occurence and mopped up the rest, but not before
the ferts get enough in them to experience the joys of caffeine.  I estimate
they got no more than two or three capfuls in them which was enough for them
to become really really REALLY hyper for an hour or so.  I have since moved
the cage FAR away from the window, and have been monitoring the ferrets for
any adverse effects, and aside from a SOUND sleep that night, there were
none.
 
But now on to the two questions I have.  At what age do ferrets begin to be
cuddly?  Mine had a brief stint of being exremely affecionate, but that was
when they were sick.  These critters are about 20 weeks old now, and are
still kits (although Tenaka is putting on WEIGHT for winter.  Talk about a
growth spurt!  Both he and Cayanne have grown so much fromt he time I
brought them home!).  Any ideas?  THey will NOT be held for long..  very
quickly they begin sqirming (and will chomp your nose lightly at first)
until they are put back down.
 
Second, when (or even if!) does the digging instinct fade a little?  I have
put plexi on the places they like to dig but the skreeking noise that makes
is enough to put your nerves on edge!  Someone (not on the FML) suggested
having the ferts de-clawed which seemes rather cruel and unneccesary to me.
But I must admit to a moment of weakness when that seemed a viable solution
to both saving the carpet and nerves (both mine and the neighbors who has
commented on the noise.  He thought I was hurting the ferrets, the skreeking
noise was so loud.  THey have managed to make a small hole in one of the
plexi panels.).
 
Any suggestions would be appreciated, and let me reassure everyone that I
have NO intentions of declawing my fuzzies.  If I did do that, how could
they climb my sweat-pants leg to get my attention?
 
        Hugs, Dooks, Raisins, and Ferretone to you and your fuzzies!
 
        Bryan Hall
[Posted in FML issue 1688]