Does anyone know where there are pictures of ferrets to download?  I can
find every other animal, but no ferrets.
 
[There are some.  I forgot who did them.  This should go in the FAQ.]
 
We've had our two sweeties for 2 months now and we've finally given up
on the idea that we can train them.  THEY TRAIN US.  Here's a story
about how THEY control us:  We've torn our apartment apart for our
little fuzzies and we've still got so much to learn!  They love going
inside the couch.  Not just under the cushions, but deep down
underneath.  I'm sure this shocks most of you  ;-)  Well, we took the
legs off the couches and chair and that seemed to keep them from
crawling up inside the couch through their home made doorway.  Then our
own little Houdini figured out you can still push your way inside by way
of the corners of the couch under the cushions.  Hmmm.  Main problem
here: she couldn't get back out from the top, and the legs were off so
there was nowhere to go from the bottom.  So mommy wrote the FML seeking
advice.  Next step - sew material over the openings leading into the
couches.  Child's play.  They watched me spend over an hour sewing the
stuff on with sort of a smirk on their little faces.  Little did mommy
know that they had a plan.  No sooner that I put the needle away, Pepper
tugged at the material until she got it off.  Silly, silly mommy.  So we
stuffed the openings with tons of rags and stuff just enough to deter
them.  It still doesn't work, but at least it gives us enough time to
get to them before they make us tip the couch over looking for them.
 
And finally, I thought I'd share our success with discipline: zip, zilch, zero.
 
We've tried everything and NOTHING works.  They know they're doing
wrong, but they don't bother to stop!  Here's some examples:
 
COUCH DIGGING
When we see them digging frantically at the couch, we immediately go to
them, pick them up by the back of the neck (scruffing?) and firmly say
NO!  Sometimes accompanied by a smack either on the nose or bum.  The
result?  They yawn.
 
CARPET DIGGING
See Couch Digging.
 
GO POTTY WHERE YOU PLEASE
Hmm.  Let's see...we've tried the same as CARPET & COUCH DIGGING
techniques.  We've tried rubbing their nose in it.  We've tried putting
them in the cage.  We've tried catching them in the middle and tossing
them in a litter box.  We've tried rewarding with treats.  We've tried
leaving them in the cage until they went.  (They learned REAL quick how
to fake mommy & daddy out)  All of course failed.  Generally, they'll go
right next to the litterboxes, like we're supposed to praise them for
being close.  Or when we discipline them, they tend to look at us like
we're keeping them from much more important things.
 
What it boils down to is they KNOW they're doing wrong, because when
they hear the footsteps approaching they turn with an "opps, he he he"
look on their faces, but no matter what we do, it doesn't break the
habbit.
 
These two are like having babies!  Constant attention and I wouldn't
trade them for the world!
 
Hi to all fuzzies & their pets!
 
Mish, Kenny, Salt & Pepper (Houdini)
[Posted in FML issue 1000]