Hello,
We are a family of 3 people, 3 cats, 2 dogs, 2 snakes, 1 horse, 1
cockatiel, and 3 ferrets.  We live in Eugene Oregon and have had ferrets
for 6 months now, and are thoroughly converted to the joys of ferrets
servitude.
 
Here is a brief description of each ferret:
 
Louisa - in charge of rubber toy acquisitions, is our first ferret and in
spite of her flaws is my favorite.  She was "on sale" at a pet store
because she was about 4 months old, and as we later found out, had a biting
problem.  She nailed the store employee a good one right in front of me,
but I was naive and the woman was impassive (I later found out how hard she
was actually biting).  She is an absolutely beautiful DEW with the most
fluffy coat I have ever seen, and weighs in at just over 2 lbs.  She
showered my face with kisses when I first held her in the store, but has
refused to do so again (she will however, kiss my son).  She is still
untrustworthy around my husband and guests (she is improving all the time
is this respect), but she will not bite me or my son.
 
Joxer - in charge of moving and excavating, is our second ferret.  He was
adopted from a local shelter as a companion for Louisa.  He is about 3 or 4
years old and is an absolute sweetheart.  I would say he is the closest we
have to being a lap ferret.  He is a lovely dark sable with a "spectacle"
mask, a black nose, and weighs in at over 3 lbs., but he weighed less than
1,000 grams when he arrived at the shelter.  He also had problems with his
coat and skin, but he is now very impressive and gorgeous.
 
Katrina - in charge of general mayhem and sock procurement, is another
shelter adoption.  She is currently about 4 months old and was adopted to
be more of a play companion to Louisa, since Joxer seemed to be so laid
back.  But as it turns out, Louisa is a loner, and Joxer is the one who
likes to play with the youngster!  She is a cinnamon blaze with a bib,
mitts, knee patches, and dark eyes that glow ruby red in most indoor light,
very striking.  We have only had her for about 2 months and she still seems
a little scrawny and her coat is not as nice as the others, but I'm hoping
that with the spring shed she will look better.  She is a real live wire
and keeps us very busy when she is having her playtime.  She still hasn't
figured out that when she bites through fabric it still hurts (at our
house, beware of the carpet with teeth).  She is currently very tiny (maybe
a pound), but has the heart of a lion.  It's absolutely hysterical to watch
her try to take a huge stuffed toy behind the refrigerator.
 
We have a huge five level cage with three hammocks and the ferrets get free
run of the house for several hours a day.  They get fed a mixture of Iam's
Kitten, Eukanuba's Kitten, and Totally Ferret (and ferretone).  Of course,
ferret math has been rearing its ugly head yet again (my husband has
suggesting getting another).  But we have such a nice group now, and with
more it would start to get difficult to travel with them (camping and the
like).  So I am inclined to keep the number at 3 for the time being.
 
Being a member of this list has been invaluable.  I'll try not to be such a
lurker, but I am still learning as I go.  It has been great getting to know
all of you, and my heart goes out to those who have had sick fuzzies.  They
are such dears, and our time with them is so short...
 
~*~Pam and her 3 outrageous house otters
[Posted in FML issue 2905]