Ferret Fights
A trick to break up a nasty ferret fight without getting your flesh
involved: I use a 4-cup measuring cup with a nice lip on it, filled with a
bit of ice water.  When things get out of hand, sploosh a little bit on the
warring weasels.  The shock of the cold water will give you a few seconds to
separate the two while they figure out what hit them.  Ferrets aren't dumb,
and they *will* figure this one out quickly, so don't overdo it.  This is an
emergency measure.
 
 
Ferrets and Dogs (Thomas, Jan 21-22)
My mother owns one of those mentally unstable beasts known as a Pomeranian.
"Fritz Fancipants" (I kid you not) weighs seven pounds, and is terrified of
the barn cats, who always feel free to express their opinion of him
(SSSSss!!  SMACK!!).  He's really not a bad little guy, but he's a bit
hyper--which usually makes him piddle.  Heh, chacun a son gout.
 
When Nic and I got Dodge, we did a big road trip to introduce him to all the
relatives.  Stop one was the Parents'.  Surprise of all surprises, F.F. fell
in love with Dodger, and the two played for hours.  F.F. was heartbroken when
Dodge left, and my Mom spent the next week torturing him by asking him,
"Where's the weasel?".  F.F. would go running off to search the corners and
woodpile by the stove that had so enchanted Dodge during his visit.
 
Perhaps you could take a ferret for a test drive and see what your pups think
of it.  Poodles are usually excellent with other small animals, and since
your guys are part poodle, I expect you will have some luck.
 
 
Ferrets and Booze (Garth, Jan 21-22, et al, Jan 22)
 
Dodge thinks beer smells pretty interesting, but he hates the carbonation.
I think he thinks the beer is biting back at him.  This doesn't stop him
from crashing through the empties, in search of flat beer.
 
Dodge is always in our glasses, searching for interesting liquids.  He finds
Nic's favourite, vodka and O.J. (well, Tang) is quite palatable.  Evenings
usually find Nic attempting to relax with a pint glass of his Tang concoction,
while Dodger the Tang Shark tests Nic's patience with repeated attempts to
steal a nip.
 
The other night, Nic was on the couch with his T.V.  and Tang, as usual, and
Dodger was relentlessly harrassing him.  Nic was mechanically throwing Dodge
off the couch every minute, concentrating on the T.V., when, suddenly, the
attacks abated.  Dodge, unbenownst to Nic, had decided to stage an attack
from the rear.  He ran up on the back of the couch, and just as Nic went to
take a sip of his vodka and Tang, Lightning Weasel ran over his head and
dropped off the bill of Nic's baseball cap, excecuting a perfect swan dive
into Nic's half-full pint glass.  I don't know if Dodge got exactly what he
wanted (he seemed happy) but Nic got a free shower.
 
Dodge is really into ice cubes, so these days we usually give him a cocktail
ice cube (the size of a gumdrop) and that keeps him occupied at least until
our drinks are half empty.
 
Ferrets and Fleas
I have had great success with a product called the Ovicollar (Vet-Chem) for
my cats.  It's a plastic collar impregnated with flea hormones that causes
biological defects in baby fleas.  I think the company also makes a spray;
the collar, unfortunately, is a bit chewy and attractive to fuzzies.
 
The label states that the hormones impregnated in the collar are safer for
mammals than table salt or sugar.  Cats wearing the collar distribute small
amounts of anti-flea stuff wherever they go, making eliminating fleas in the
house a sight easier.
 
We had a really bad flea season up here last year, and the collar did the
trick.  Check with your vet to see if they can get a spray for you.
 
Lynn
[Posted in FML issue 1454]
[Posted in FML issue 1454]