This is my first posting and I wanted to say hi to everyone and ask a few
questions.  I will apologize for the length now.  I just started receiving
the FML and I love it.  It's great to hear from all the other fuzzy lovers.
My SO and I have 4 little guys.  We raised Podo (a.k.a.  Fatso) and Odo
(a.k.a.  Skinny) from babies and adopted Bear and Maggie this past June.  I
am still a bit unsure of what all the colors, markings, etc.  are...does
anyone know where I can get that poster someone mentioned a few days ago
about listing all the ferret colors & markings?  I'd love to have one.
 
Introducing my babies: Fatso (3 yrs) is a butterscotch (or panda?) and he's
5 lbs (my vet says he's never seen a ferret that big, but I've seen on the
FML that there are ferrets over 6 lbs. - is my baby fat or what?); Skinny -
3.5 lbs/3 yrs - is a sterling silver (I think), and Bear (5+) and Maggie
(6+) are sables (Maggie is really a boy, his owner thought he was a female
when he bought him - slight identity crisis, but he's handled it very well).
 
Add two more to the healthy ferret list...Fatso and Skinny only see the vet
once a year for rabies and distemper - no reactions at all. Do ferrets need
a distemper shot each year like rabies or once every three years? My first
vet gave them a distemper shot good for 3 years, but when I switched vets
the new one gives a distemper good for only one year.
 
I did have a problem with Bear.  About 3 - 4 months ago, he had a few
incidences of vomiting.  He never threw up anything more than liquid or tiny
food bits.  The vet said to feed him sugar water with an eyedropper.  Bear
was fine after that and the vet said he didn't need me to bring him in.  I
don't know if he had done this in the past or not, but he has not done it
since those three times.  Bear is caged with Maggie, but Maggie hasn't
vomited.  Fatso and Skinny (caged together, but separate from Bear and
Maggie) haven't been sick, either.  We didn't think he had swallowed
anything harmful (we're normally very good at picking up foreign objects)
and Bear never passed anything.  Any ideas?
 
Also, Bear has lost the hair on the top of his head and on his belly.
Maggie is VERY bald on the butt and half way up his back.  The vet thought
it might be adrenal gland for Maggie, but wasn't sure about Bear.  We did
all the other testing for parasites, etc.  and nothing was wrong.  However,
considering Bear and Maggie's ages, the vet felt that they wouldn't survive
the surgery.  We are not sure what we should do.  Maggie is over 6 and
pretty fragile (he's the smallest of our kids), but Bear is heartier.
 
Any advice would be very helpful!
 
Mary & Patrick
[Posted in FML issue 1883]