Hi everyone,
just wanted to say that the past few days has seen some really, really
good, useful posts and I enjoyed catching up on things.  Thanks to everyone
for thinking of my friend and her dear Minnie, who showed no symptoms of
any illness until it was too late...so hug your fuzzies tonight, and remind
them of just how precious they are in your life.  They know how you
feel...tonight, I let Finny out to play, and I've only been in his life for
a week but damned if he didn't kiss me all over my face as if to say, "I
like this place and you too!" before I could put him down.
 
There has been some really good posts concerning MANY ferrets...I too am
a ferret slut, but I too have learned through trial and error that,
personally, if I have to have more than 2 cages, then some of the enjoyment
is missing for me, and time spent with the ferrets is diminished.  I used
to let my ferrets free roam, and I do miss the "individual" attention that
ferrets seem to give to you when they are out, all the time, and have their
own daily routines set.  But I also ruined the carpet in a rented house
because of this, and lost a ferret when "friends" came over and left a
window open.  I have also lived through a fire, and know how quickly it can
happen, and how disoriented you feel when it is happening.  So my kids are
out when I'm home, and they go to bed when we do, not that I wouldn't LOVE
little sheet sharks in the night, but I could Never find them all if
something happened....I have 8, and I HOPE to stay at this number....it
gets harder to take them ALL out, to go traveling, to go to ferret shows,
etc.  without someone getting less attention, with each new ferret.  But
it's also REALLY hard to say NO to the little waif at the shelter that
nobody wants, when you know you have a set-up at home that any ferret would
find really cool....I don't think that there is anyone on this list with
more than five ferrets who does not have at least one rescue or throw-away
in their business!
 
Liv, there is a place in Brookline on Boylston called Gill's that carries
8in1 Ultimate.  Noelle, you could try to wean your little girl onto the new
TF by slowly mixing the old and new...start with just a handful in a large
container and week by week work up the amounts, it takes patience but it
works with birds switching from seed to pellets so maybe that could help
before you run out.  What a picky little girl.....those newbies out there
should take heed of this and mix foods early on so your ferrets don't get
set in eating a particular brand.....
 
Trish...what a interesting idea....I want to bring that up with my vets
(with your permission) and see if maybe we could come up with a survey
for our clients regarding various stress factors before bringing their
ferrets in for vaccs, and will pay close attention to the ones that do
have reactions and what we did with the ferrets beforehand...ie, how they
handled the exam.  Please e-mail me when you read this as I don't want to
do it without talking to you more first on how Ed's reaction was.
 
June, I was talking to the hubby tonight about our deaf girl, Whitty, and
wondering...she doesn't know she's screaming so loud, but the other ferrets
playing with her obviously DO!  So why is it that they still continue
playing with her....if it were humans, or even dogs for that matter, the
other playmate would eventually stop playing with the obviously
"distressed, screaming one" in short order.  Does anyone else get my
drift...why don't the other ferrets start to ignore her?  Can they possibly
comprehend her handicap?  Hmmmmmmm.
 
Sorry so long, but I just read for 3 hrs.  straight to catch up...someones'
got to pay!<VBG>
 
Michele & the 8-is-enough
 
PS-I once tried to introduce a ferret to my horse, and the ferret tried to
go up his nose....where there's a tunnel, there's a way.......
[Posted in FML issue 2815]