A friend called me Fri afternoon to ask what baby ferts look like, he said
that he thought he saw 2 under a boat where he works.  I of course rushed
over there and sure enough, there were 2 baby chocolate ferrets under a
boat and the little boy's eyes weren't even open yet.  They were both
covered in maggots, eggs, and two kinds of mites.  I stuck them under the
water and got most of the things off of them and the little girl started
lapping at the water furiously.  The little boy wasn't so interested, and
figured he probably wouldn't make it thru the day.  Even with their
screaming, I didn't see mama.  Took them to work w/ me and had a friend stop
by my house for me and pick up some syringes and food for them, and the
little girl was *famished*, ate like a horse.  The little boy ate about 1
1/2 cc's and that was it.  At about 7:45, he cracked one eye open just
enough to let in some light, and then he died.  I had him for all of 6
hours, and I cried.  What's it going to be like when mine, that I've had for
years, die?  Anyway, I brought the little girl home and cleaned her real
good and got a cage set up for her.  She is still eating like a horse and
now looks like a stomach attached to a head.  She goes to the vet Monday
with Spooky Ears to make sure she doesn't have worms or coccidia (although I
doubt it since her poops look good, but you never know).  I have named her
Toughy because she has survived the loss of her mother and sibling(s) and
has had to adjust to a lot of changes.  She is absolutely adorable--she
isn't real steady on her feet yet, but her face is already expressive and
boy how she plays--grabbing my finger and being so tough!  Sadly for me, I
cannot take on another ferret and will have to give her up.  Happily for me
and Toughy, Sue in Chicago will be the proud mother of a chocolate baby girl
w/ a pinch of white on her chin.
 
You might wonder why I took the babies:
1. This is southern Indiana, the day was hot and humid.  We all know that
   ferts cannot live in hot humidity.
2. I did not know if mama was alive or not.  They were found at a business
next to a busy road, did she get hit by a car?  Did she succumb to the heat?
Did someone find her and take her in?  Was she still transporting more
babies?  Did she get killed by some idiot who might think she was a skinny
rat?  Why didn't she come to see why her babies were screaming?  Did she
abandon them?
 
My friend said that he hasn't seen her, and has laid out some food for her
if she does come back.  Did mama escape from someone's house?  Did the owner
just dump her?  Did mama have these babies on the loose or while she still
had a home?  If she still had them while at home, then how could a person be
so cruel as to dump them?  Whatever the answers, one tiny life was saved.
(The little boy died of infection, BTW.  Seems that something happened to
his mouth as there was infection on the roof of the mouth and on the upper
gums where each canine should have been.  Looked like his lower canines
didn't align right and rubbed the gums raw leading to infection.)
 
AND, I have lost my job over this, although it's not a big loss.  I took her
in with me today, and the old bat with the sour disposition called me
"ignorant" for bringing her to work with me, and said that she stinks.  I
will be damned if anyone calls me ignorant for one, and I will be damned if
I'm going to let an animal DIE because some old bat doesn't like the smell!
Besides, it's not the fert she smelled, it was moistened fert food and A/D
food that she was smelling.  Stupid old bat.  But I tell you what, I would
lose my job again to ensure the safety of an animal, whether it be cat, dog,
ferret or otherwise.
 
Anyway, wish little miss Toughy a good transition to her new home come
Saturday and a good vet check.
 
Sandy
[Posted in FML issue 2311]