Re: Burrial:
 
Some very good friends of ours, who run the Ferret Cart at Texas Renesance
Festival every year for six weekends in the fall, told me a story that I
think is particularly pertenant to the discussion of ferret burrial.
 
First, a little background.  Bill and Camille have a camper that they take
to the TRF.  They only show half of their ferrets on Saturday and the other
half on Sunday, as the ferrets get very tired of being handled.  Those not
being shown stay in the airconditioned/heated camper.  All of the other
festival participants know that they have live animals in the camper and
will allert them if the generator stops.
 
The festival participants usually have a big party each night after the
public is gone.  Bill and Camille had put all but one of the ferrets back
in their cages in the camper, leaving Max, a georgeous *GOLD* (no, not
butterscotch - *GOLD*) hob loose in the camper.  (Incidentally, Max is the
grandfather of four of our brood.)  While they were at the party, Max
managed to dig a hole around where part of the camper's power and air-
conditioning feeds come through the bulkhead.  When they returned from the
party, Max was no where to be found.  It was about half an hour later,
after searching every nook and cranny of the camper that they found the
hole.  They almost paniced and might have if there had not been a knock on
their door at the same time.  It was another one of the participants who
asked, "Are you the people with the weasles?"  They said that they had
ferrets and that one was missing and asked if he had seen him.  The other
person said that he thought so, but that he was afraid to pick him up, as
he thought that something was wrong with him.  So, Bill and Camille ran to
where the other person had seen the *affected* animal.  And, sure enough,
there in the middle of a clearing on the dew covered fairgrounds, under a
full moon, was Max - doing his ferret dance.  They just stood an watched
him dance for a long time.
 
Some years later, when Max died at the age of 13, they had him creamated
and at the next TRF, they spread his ashes in that same clearing - - -
- - under a full moon, of course.
 
I cannot think of a better or more apropriate burrial for any pet.
 
Re: Jills in heat
 
We have four whole jills and I can tell you for sure that you have
absolutely NOTHING to worry about.  Since you are aware of what to watch
for, there is NO posibility that you will not know when your jill comes
into season.  Usually, she will spray once or twice in the week before she
comes in.  That is a good signal that you should start paying closer
attention.  But even if you don't notice it for a few days, there is not a
problem.  When she first swells up, she is dry and it is not a good idea to
breed her or put her with a dud-stud at that time.  She is not ready to be
bred until she becomes moist around the swollen vulva (about 5 to 9 days
after she becomes noticably swollen).  We have had people bring jills over
for stud service, that were not fully in.  When that happens, the jill will
resist the hob vigorously.  We will not breed/false breed a ferret if that
happens.  A few days later, that same jill will succumb to the hob with
only token resistance.
 
Again, don't worry.  You will know with only a glance.  If you have to
examine her, then she is not in season yet.
 
--
"Cats may be cool, but carpet sharks rule!"
 
John Gaver ([log in to unmask])
 
[Posted in FML issue 0756]