Hi all!
 
1.  Have you had Randy checked to make sure he's not blind?  I have a
ferret who has no fear of heights and sometimes takes a tumble.  When we
adopted Baron von Ferret from the shelter, he had cataracts in both eyes and
has very bad eyesight now. He will probably be totally soon.  I've read
that not all cataracts are visible.  Maybe the vet should check him?
 
2.  Our shelter uses a couple of drops of Children's Vitamin C liquid to
help ward off any bugs that are going around.  But be aware that too much
Vitamin C for ferrets could probably cause the same reaction that it does
in people - diarrhea.
 
3.  In 1988, my job transferred me from New Mexico to California.  Of
course I had ferrets.  I freaked out and cried for days!  I too smuggled
my ferrets successfully into the FFZ. We had a 160 pound Bullmastiff dog
sitting next to me in the front seat who captured the attention of the
inspector. Is it worth the risk of possibly having your ferret killed at
the border?  From documented reports, they are pretty inhumane when they
kill ferrets at the border.  If you try to smuggle ferrets across the
border, remember that the inspection station to watch out for is the
"agricultural inspection station." I've never seen one located directly
on the border and are usually 1 to 10 miles into California. Even though
my ferrets are precious to me, having them live is more important.  I
don't think I could try to smuggle them in again.  It would kill ME to
have them destroyed! Call the California Domestic Ferret Association or
Ferrets Anonymous for up to date info about California. P.S.  I DO NOT live
in a FFZ now!
 
4. Baby gates - I've had a total of 14 ferrets in 6 years (11
currently). Thirteen of them just tried to climb the baby gate.  Number 14
(also known as Riker or D.S, whichever is more appropriate at the time) is
intent to destroy the soft, rubbery ends on the baby gate.  I've tried Bitter
Apple (he licks it off) and hot stuff (he paws it off before chewing on the
rubber).  Any suggestions?
 
5.  Dr. Kawasaki in Woodbridge, Virginia would be an excellent choice for
surgery. Good luck.
 
        - Carla Almaraz
[Posted in FML issue 0976]