Re: Nightmares
Only one of our bunch has nightmares and that is Atlas.  The first time we
heard it, it woke both my husband and I up since we thought someone had got
caught between the mattress of the bed and the wall.  (Atlas was sleeping
under the bed.) Nope...in fact, every body came out looking very sleepy when
called.  We heard it a couple more times before we figured what it was and
who exactly it was.  (Ferret piles are the desired way to sleep!)
 
Atlas is as emotionally sensitive as Squirt, but Atlas isn't as bright as
Squirt.  Atlas and Hijinx spent 2 of their 1st 3 months of life in a pet
store.  We have seen from their behavior that they got very little handling
in the pet store and what they did get was not always very positive.  Hijinx
is a nipper...she used to be a *biter*, but we are slowly making headway.
She does have a peculair fondness for nipping women....this was obvious
right from day 1.  She either found she got put down when she bit/nipped
women or she did not care for the handling she received from them.  I think
it was the first choice.  Atlas, on the other hand, has an extreme aversion
to being picked up or being touched for that matter.  We are slowly working
through that, but he still will go into a fit and bite (to the bone on me
not so long ago) on occasion if you don't put him down.  He's scared...we've
never done anything he should be scared of and he's had this behavior from
day 1.  The strange part is he is desparate for attention and affection, but
doesn't want to be touched.  He needs lots of love and teases constantly for
it, but when he gets it, he's scared and he tries to run off.  I think he
got really scared of something - something bad happened to him, and he
hasn't quite put it together yet that we aren't going to do that to him.
The fact that he's not exceptionally bright isn't helping him to figure
things out.  He's coming along, but slowly.
 
What he did last night illustrates the problem he has.  I was laying on the
floor and Atlas came up and curled up on my back.  He was happy there and
stayed for about 15 minutes, until I made the mistake of acknowledging his
presence by talking to him.  He then promptly left.
 
Perhaps his screaming nightmares will stop when he finally works out what
his problem is.  Unil then, we'll have to just be patient and keep giving
him the love he needs.
 
Re: Ferret Fairytails
The new Brian Jacques's book is _Outcast of Redwall_. I checked the title
last night. I absolutely love the cover art - it's quite ferrety! ;)
 
-kim, squirt (Squirt M. Burkard, Supra-genius!), pippi (Acrobat
Extraordinaire!), atlas ("Love me, fear me, do as I ask and I will be your
slave." -from Labyrinth), and 'jinx (Fangfully Nice)
 
Kimberly Burkard     |             _    Everything I needed to know in life,
Eastman Kodak Company|      _____C .._. I learned from my ferret:
Rochester, New York  | ____/     \___/  Frolic and dance for joy often, have
[log in to unmask]<____/\_---\_\    no fear or worries, and enjoy life.
[Posted in FML issue 1463]