Hi guys ... (collctive, all females included, of course!)
 
Ok ... I need some advice about face biting.  It's BB.  He doesn't bite
hands (tho' he can't resist a nice juicy ankle) but what he does do is lunge
at faces, almost the same way a dog might snap it's jaws.
 
Now, he hasn't got me yet, but he has threatened (quite openly, mind you) to
rip my lips off if I dare give too many kisses and not enough raisins.
 
BB has become one of my faves, and I'm dying to take him to the park, etc...
but I've got to cure this biting thing.  In my arms, or pouch, he's quite
nicely at child-face level and the consequences, as we all know, could be
bad, bad, bad.
 
I've been letting him lick ferretone off my face, and I've been giving him
lots of kisses and not allowing him to bite my face.  Any other suggestions?
I'm resigned to keeping him at home until next summer, so I'll have a whole
year to work on this biting thing.
 
I have to tell you all that BB has the biggest heart in the world.  He was
terribly neglected, feared by his owners, starved, ignored, and on his
infrequent forays out of the cage, locked up immediately for doing the dance
of joy.  Yet he thinks people are wonderful, aside from wanting to bite
faces.  He coerces me to play with him, wants constant interaction with
hoomans, and needs constant affection.  Princess and Uno (who were fed and
watered, but always confined to their large ferret mansion) could take us
people or leave us, as long as they have each other.  (In fact, I took
Princess out and about yesterday, and when we got back Uno looked like a
nervous wreck, pacing and nosing through one blanket and hammock after
another, looking for her.)
 
I ran into some people from Michigan yesterday, who looked at Princess and
Mort curled up snoozing in their pouch at my hip, and said, "You haven't
heard of Kodo, have you?" And I said yes, I certainly have, but what
happened to Kodo only makes my desire to educate people about ferrets that
much stronger.  (I leave any and all potential "biters" at home, including
sweet Uno who rarely bites, but when he does, bites HARD).  So we got into a
discussion about Kodo, legislators, that awful Karen person--the Michigan
folks called HER rabid!  And how it all came down to a matter of pride to
the people who started the mess and wouldn't let it go.  They couldn't admit
they made a mistake ... We talked about Senator Dingell's bill (they hadn't
heard about it) and the new Kelly case.  The woman said she thought the
whole thing was a ridiculous waste of tax-payer money, and I asked her to
please be sure that her voting habits in the future reflect those beliefs,
and that she pass the message on to her friends and family.  These people
were FOR Kodo, though they were quite adamant that their children not touch
Princess or Mort.
 
Ok, now for the free bandana part: I ordered some bandanas from The Ferret
Store (one size fits all--ha-ha (they came in two different "small" sizes) I
am keeping the 7.5 inch one, because it fits three of my ferrets, but the
red one only measure 6.5 inches.  It does fit Princess, but I'm going to
make her a pink one to match her harness and lead.  So if you have a very
little ferret and don't mind red, e-mail me and I'll snail mail you a red
velcro bandana that measures 6.5 inches around the neck.  I'll even pay the
postage.  I don't have use for it.  I ordered it for Mort, but it's way too
small.
 
Thanks for being here, fml!
 
Ah--my sig changed a bit because I've been exchanging e-mail with Mike and
he said he stays away from the "f" word (that's folk, as in folk artist)
because it scares people away.  He's tickled that I quote him in my sig, and
sorry he doesn't get to perform that song very often.  If you ever hear that
Mike Rayburn is in your area (he does lots of college shows and some State
Fairs) check him out.  He does marathon concerts--like up to 6 hours, and
he's "clean" (appropriate for children for the most part) funny.  And has
some real tear-jerker songs, too.  Is this appropriate to the FML?  YES!
Why?  Because when I first met Mike, he was owned by a sable female named
Fishhead, who kept him company on the road.  There's a picture in his 1993
newsletter of Mike scruffing Fishhead and her yawning, and the caption
reads, "Here Mike and "Fishhead" share a private moment.  (No, she doesn't
bite ...)" I haven't had a chance to ask him if the little sable ferret is
still with him, but I will!
 
--Sheri
 
(and  Pepper, Mort, Uno, Feather, BB (ferrets), dog Harley, and SO Dave).
 
"Until our paths find us together
        may you forever
            go in peace."
     --Mike Rayburn (comic entertainer and acoustic rock artist)
[Posted in FML issue 2008]