> On the other side of things, my girlfriend's
> ferret Molly is quite meek and friendly: a real lap-ferret. Her mother's
Just the opposite of MY ferret Molly, who's a real tough cookie, and won't
take sh*t from NOBODY. "Molly" is actually a nickname for her REAL name:
Maledicta, latin for "evil speech." :-)
> Oh yeah, an "FFZ" is (I am quite sure) a "Ferret Free Zone",
> ie. an area where ferrets are illegal (eg: some ignorant states in the
US).
Yep, FFZ is *indeed* an abbreviation for Ferret-Free Zone -- currently,
California, Massachusetts, Michigan, Hawaii, New York City (murky legal
ground here) and Washington, D.C. Hey, that's an improvement from when I
first subscribed to the FML a year and a half ago -- New Hampshire and
Utah were FFZ's then, and now have found enlightenment. :-)
> iii) I had some other point, but now it escapes me. Oh well.
Heh, this happens to me ALL the time! :-)
> From: [log in to unmask]
> Date: Sun, 5 Sep 1993 17:44:00 -0400
[deletions]
> Regarding Ferretone and Linatone. These are vitamin supplements
> manufactured by 8 in One Co. Ferretone is specifically designed for
> ferrets, Linatone certainly won't hurt them and is usually very easy
> to get hold of.
A correction is necessary here: Ferretone is made by 8 in One, Linatone
is made by Lambert-Kay. The formulations are slightly different; check
the label. Also, there's Linatone for dogs and Linatone for Cats, and
the formulas aren't *quite* the same.
> Regarding Descenting: Most veterinarians believe that descenting is
> an unnecessary operation and refuse to perform this surgery, or if
> they do it, it is outrageously expensive.
Personally, I think it's more likely that many vets don't want to do this
surgery because they don't have experience with ferrets and aren't
comfortable operating on such a small animal. My regular vet makes
no bones about his lack of experience with ferret surgery, etc.
He's happy to consult with ferret specialists, and really cares
about my ferrets, but for surgery, I go elsewhere and we're both
more comfortable for it. I can't speak for costs; all my ferrets
were pet-store convenience kits, and came neutered and descented.
> DESCENTING DOESN'T CHANGE THE SMELL OF THE FERRET!!!!! So
> why bother with it?? Descenting simply removes the odor sacks, much
> like a skunk who can no longer spray.
Why bother with it? Sometimes there are other problems to be considered.
I have a Small Mammals member who recently had his ferret descented at 6
years of age, because the poor thing was leaving puddles and stains
everywhere, and he was NOT spraying. He simply no longer had control over
his anal scent glands.
> regarding polecats: BIG difference. Ferrets are domestic animals.
> Polecats are wild animals. Even if captively bred, Polecats ARE NOT
> domestic.
Remember, though, that ferrets are closely related to polecats, and they
can interbreed. European Polecats are Mustela putorious, and domestic
ferrets are Mustela putorious furo.
> Ferrets were domesticated over 500
> years before the house cat. They have no wild characteristics. As
> long as they are properly raised, they are the best little pets
> around!
I love my little guys, and I'll talk anybody's ear off about the wonders
of ferrets as pets, but I have to remind myself regularly that they're NOT
for everyone, just as dogs and cats aren't for everyone. I realize this
is a heretical thing to say to this audience, though. ;-)
Katie, Jeff, Bandit, Molly, Charlie, Pogo & Sigmund
---------------------
Katie Fritz
Small Mammals Section Leader/CompuServe Pets Forum
Internet: [log in to unmask] CIS: 71257,3153
[Posted in FML issue 0574]
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