I got to see the weasels on Nigels too!  Wisconsin is known as the Badger
state.
 
Rats, we have had a few ourselves, domestic ones of course, and we miss
Cassieopea terribly.  She was our only "limited " free roam rat.  She hit
the floor once, and got caught by a ferret, nearly cost her her life, but
gained her some freedom, her home was a small reptile tank, that we
discovered, she would never leave the top of, since her scare, with the
ferrets.  We left it open 24/7 for her, and she would be on top of the
screen waiting for us in the morning when we would get up to deliver our
papers.  She would patiently wait for her treats, and one evening i left
a whole roll of paper towels by her home, which she so diligently worked
all night to pull inside for nesting material, i never had the heart to
take it away from her...couldn't see the rat for all the paper towel.
Also learned never leave anything hanging nearby her home, for we had a
coat tree with my husbands work jacket on it, she chewed his pocket out.
Got bit by my hamster once, but that was my fault, i startled her from a
sleep.
 
When Persephone, Cassies daughter passed, we thought Cassie might need
a companion for company, so silly us, we purchased rats from a feeder
tank...?  Oh, what were we thinking @ the time.  We got Venus and Mars,
and one day a few weeks later, i picked up Venus and looked @ her, she had
a tummy like she swallowed a golf ball...hmmmmm....what's wrong with this
picture?  She blessed us with many babies, and Mars not wanting Venus to
have all the glory, blessed us a week or 2 later with a brood of her own.
One of Venus's babies, Twinkles (for the star on her forhead), used to be
able to squeeze through the bars on the new cage we got for all the 10
girls we had.  I have pictures of her peeking through.  The guy @ the
petshop offered to buy back the babies, but of course we wouldn't sell
them, we knew what his intentions for them were.  Feeders, so they all
lived here with us, including all 10 boys, whom have had a good life and
eventually all but one have passed on now.  So, rats, domestic, it depends
how they are treated.  Gerbils on the other hand may be a different story?
Don't have those, but work with a woman who's son does, but the animal is
not handled very much either, so.
 
Back to the Weasels on Nigels, did anyone who saw it think that the Fisher
resembled a small dog with a long fluffy tail?  The polecats in England
looked an awful lot like my Lily :-) she is our biggest @ 4.2 pound
female, she likes to sleep a lot and eat....she did however war dance for
Dan a few days ago?  Lily is a sweetheart, and loves to sleep on her back
with her tongue hanging out between our pillows too.  Wish i would have
had the camera handy...
 
I have an ill fur child too, Poppy.  She has a swollen tummy, fluid build
up, enlarged spleen.  She has had many tests, and w/b going in to vets
again tomorrow.  Someone suggested checking her heart, does anyone have
any other suggestions.  I am keeping her stablized in a cage.  She is
eating and eliminating, but just looks so uncomfortable.  Had all those
tests done, and we are stumphed....my Bandit is coming along, his tummy
has gone down, and he is eating, another stumper.  I am still missing
Eppers/aka/Eppy, though.  He my baby has just simply vanished, and i am
missing my entertainment for the evening.
 
Diane, i wrote you about Nova, my heart goes out to you.  Troy Lynn, i
know how much you cared for Rusty.  My heart goes out to everyone, who
has lost a furred child.  We all go through a gamut of emotions with
these guys don't we?
 
Well, my house work isn't getting done like this, so i w/close and wish
everyone well.
 
Respectfully
Donna, mommy to many furred children
and Missing
Epimetheus
Odysseus
Athena
Angel
Diana.
[Posted in FML issue 3669]