After literally years of anticipation, a sable fert has joined my
menagerie.
 
I have *counts* 31 pets.  I have all sorts... horses, dogs, cats, small
mammals, reptiles, bugs... but never a ferret!  It was the one creature I
wasn't allowed to have... "too much work" was the main reason.  How a
ferret (more like a cat or dog) can be too much work compared to a horse,
don't ask me!  }:=8}
 
I used to work at the Oregon Zoo helping senior keepers and working with
the educational animals... which included three ferrets, Romulus, Tiberius
and Aphrodite.  The three were taken around the zoo along with other
educational animals as a sort of portable petting zoo, and the ferrets
were definitely the favorites among our work force!  I also took the three
fur-covered slinkies to elementry schools during the school year to give
presentations.
 
Aphrodite was never called by her given name.  Instead her name was
Aphro-bitey, and she was.  Whenever presented with exposed flesh, she'd
chomp down and not let go.  We loved her anyway, but she obviously didn't
like the "work", so she was adopted by one of the young staff members who
had ferts of her own at home.  Aphrodite calmed down immediately.
 
Rommy and Ti, on the other hand, were sweet little critters.  Ti had a
thing for "squeaky wheels"... whenever a stroller or wagon would go by and
the wheels would squeak, he'd jerk to attention and practically throw
himself after them.  Both Rommy and Ti loved to play hard and sleep hard.
 
I eventually had to leave the job behind due to illness.
 
For years now I've wanted a fert of my own but to no avail.  Months ago,
however, I bought a four level cage and got it all set up.  For years I've
been collecting all the ferret literature and info I could (I say you can
never over-research a new pet!).  Two days ago, my first ferret joined the
household!
 
He's a little sable kit, and of course the most adorable ferret on the
planet.  He needs a name!!  Usually it takes me a long time to name an
animal because I don't generally want a repeat name (for example I had a
rat named Oblio as a child and I don't want to use that name for another
pet) and because animals need to "fit" their names.  I'm VERY open to
naming suggestions for my new mustelid buddy.
 
He's a fairly vocal ferret and he loves the edible "rubber-texture" chews I
got him.  I can't wait to spoil him rotten.  Right now he commandeered a
kitchen towel as his own (surely for some highstakes ferrety mission).
 
I have two dogs, a basenji mix named Gypsy who's around 9 years old and a
service dog (a dog trained to help a disabled person) named Jareth who's
still a pup.
 
When the new kit was put in his cage, the two dogs and several of my cats
gathered 'round to observe.  I told Gypsy it was a baby which is her "cue"
to know "this animal is part of the pack".  Well, she must've decided this
was a SPECIAL baby, because she's suddenly extra-protective of him.  She
always protects the babies, but the tenacity with which she's taken to the
fert is amazing.  She immediately wouldn't let Jareth (who tends to be a
little rough) near him... and the cats had to stay their distance.  When
the baby was out playing, she stood guard nearby.
 
The cats seem to think he's cattish enough to completely ignore.  The
eldest cat nearly got up and walked away, and the littlest (an adopted
kitty who was severely neglected and is the size of a nine-week old kitten,
though an adult) batted at him a few times, startled when he was wiggy
wiggy-ing around and decided he was just a "weird cat".
 
I want to have a multi-ferret household, and plan on adopting ferts from
the Oregon Ferret Rescue in the future.  Any "dislikes" expressed by the
family on the matter of this new species in the house have been immediately
alleviated by the cuddly and silly antics of the kit (I knew they would).
 
So begins a wonderful adventure!!
 
Tserisa -- [log in to unmask] -- and her menagerie
 
The new fert, Gypsy (dog), Jareth (service dog), Neko, Maddy, Gwen,
Pickles, Spook, Julian (cats), Moody Blue, Cuff, Grommit (rats), Boo
(minature giant space hamster), Bunny (rabbit), Mist, Nrgwenya (royal
pythons), Draco (bearded dragon), Moses (iguana), Legs (tarantula), Morn
(ringneck dove), Jabberwock (Nanday conure), Fuss Budget, Notgonna
(budgies), Jasper, Smokey (horses), the pond fishies, and the millipedes.
 
Pets and People helps train therapy and service animals for free and works
by donation.  You can help, just by doing your online shopping through
iGive.  Sign up today.  Many pets and many people will thank you.
<http://www.iGive.com/html/ssi.cfm?cid=1188&mid=98318>
[Posted in FML issue 2906]