Greetings, fellow fuzzy lovers!  I must admit I have been a lurker on the
FML for a few months, but I had some thoughts on recent events and decided
now was as good a time as any to introduce myself.  I am the proud owner of
three fuzzy terrors.  My roommate, Tim, and I share the critters and the
responsibility, and we both love them.  We decided to get a ferret on very
little information, having only spent a day with a friend's critter.  Lucky
for the ferrets I'm an animal lover and have a sincere desire to be a
responsible pet owner, so after talking to a few people and buying some
books, we brought home Mayonnaise, our lovely albino boy.  He was a pet
store purchase, and we unfortunately bought him from a less then informed
salesperson who knew nothing about ferrets.  We were very lucky, as we knew
nothing either.  The only thing I think we got gypped on is his age...they
told us he was 8 weeks old, but he is absolutely huge and is very mellow,
and was even then.  I'm betting he's a few months at least, and could even
be older.  He came home and was very well adjusted immediately.  He played
with Cindy (our friend's ferret), but when she went home he seemed very
perturbed and kept looking for her, so ferret math took over, and home came
Clover, a then 6 week, now 21 week old MF pet store sable boy (from a pet
store that seemed much more informed).  Two weeks later came Luna, our
silver mitt girl, who's about 19 weeks now.  All are very well loved and
well cared for, and are very happy here.  I discovered the FML shortly after
we bought Luna, and am extremely grateful for the wealth of info on this
list.  I'd love to donate my time to a shelter or ferret group in this area,
so if anyone knows of groups in Illinois (I'm in Urbana-Champaign), please
e-mail me privately.  Anyway, I decided to write today regarding thoughts
I've been having (provoked by Cleveland's killer ferret, Phoenix).  I've
been very active with my fuzzies, taking them out with me all the time on
walks, bringing them around the community, even taking them to class with me
sometimes!  People love them and have many questions for me, but since the
bite incident, I've had many people come up to me and say "yeah, I heard a
ferret attacked some kid in Cleveland!" I was even on the phone with a
culinary academy representative in Pittsburgh, and he asked me about it when
I mentioned I had ferrets.  Naturally, I set everyone straight wit the
details as I know them, and thankfully no one has gone on about the evils of
ferrets and has been willing to listen to me.  It's profoundly disturbing
that news of this single bite incident has traveled so far, and that people
only know the negatives.  I don't want to belittle the incident, but if it
was any other kind of house pet (ex: a dog), it's likely the story would not
have spread so far.  It's a shame that we have to work so hard to unravel
all the myths and preconceptions about ferrets that are built up by stories
that center mostly around human negligence.  I guess the key is in
prevention, because by the time we need a cure, it can be too late.  I know
how hard everyone works to expand knowledge of ferrets as pets in their
communities, and I think it's wonderful.  If we keep working hard, maybe
some day soon people will begin to accept fuzzies as the playful pampered
house pets most of them are!  OK, I will stop rambling now.  I'm sorry this
is so long, I just wanted to get involved in the list and say a few things.
Keep up the good work everyone, and thanks for all the help you've all
(perhaps unknowingly) given me!
 
PS - please, anyone involved in ferret groups/shelters near Champaign IL,
contact me!
 
Kristi and the Mustelid Musketeers of Mayhem
Mayonnaise (mm, raisins mommy *beg* oops, I'm fat and fell over)
Clover (huh? what? hey, what's that over there?!)
Luna (gotta get that big mean old couch *spaz!*...get those toes now!)
[Posted in FML issue 2237]