Hello and dooks to all, sympathy of the most heartfelt kind to those who've
lost their beloved friends.
 
To the gentleman who took the kit from 'the fleshmonger', I wish my family
and I could shake your hand!  It's too bad that people like this twit don't
get the idea after someone does this.  Of course, I don't suggest everyone
else do this, but I can truly understand your anger.  When we brought our
Mookie home a week ago, he could hardly walk.  He'd been in the pet store
since December 14, in one of those 'glass tanks'.  He's a really big boy,
and with nothing to climb on, no room to run, he had the weakest back legs.
The first night he just basically drug himself on the floor, and when he
could get his pins underneath him, he staggered.
 
The other six of the group couldn't understand why the newbie couldn't run.
Well, by the second day he was better, and by Sunday (we got him on a
Thursday), you'd never have known he hadn't been with the group all the
time.  Poor bugger didn't even know how to climb!  I went back to the pet
store that Sunday and walked through.  Of course they had the other ones
still there, but Mookie had been the oldest and biggest.  After enquiring
as to the price of the cage (just like ours), I suggested to the pet store
worker that they allow their ferrets room to run and things to climb on.
Told him if I'd been a first time ferret owner I'd have thought Mookie was
crippled and would have brought him back.  Kid didn't know whether to wind
his butt or scratch his watch when I was through (and I was nice!).  Of
course, our daughter is standing there trying to find a crack in the floor,
and my husband's outside grinning like the Cheshire cat.  Sara told me,
"Mom, they won't do anything---you should have saved your breath." I told
her I had to do that.  Maybe it wouldn't help, but maybe it could get
someone's wheels to turning.
 
As for jumping ferrets---some of ours do it to.  I swear they think they're
Rocky the Flying Squirrel!  Socks was on the sink one night and took a
tumble before I could catch him.  He fell really hard, and I know it hurt
him because he wobbled around a bit.  I cuddled him and kept him quiet, but
before the evening was out he was fine.  Our cinnamons seem to be the
worst.  I swear they carry measuring tapes and wind velocity checkers!
 
Do ferrets bond?  Oh, yeah.  We've got 7 and they came to us at different
times, but you'd never know it!
 
Do ferrets get the flu?  Yeppers!  Daughter was sick for a week, and we
noticed sneezing, and Socks even got the Hershey squirts, but with
Kaopectate and a lot of cuddling, and for a day being in the other cage
he's fine now.
 
Sorry this is long.
 
Rebecca & the other two human Slaves
Socks-hey, when you gonna hand out more treats
Kit--Mom, bring your purse over here so I can get the car keys, the
billfold,  I gotta go to the ferret mall
Genie-Mom, why don't you move that a little closer so I can jump on it
Scully-ah!  let's go get in the sink
Calvin--Look out Mookie, I'm gonna get you
Suzy Derkins--Genie, teach me how to leap this high
Mookie--runrurnrunrunrun
Chewie-Mother, how many times do I have to tell you I don't like those pills
Dribble & Sarabi-its no fun batting the ferrets-they fight back
Tigger--I'm a kitten, no I'm a ferret, no I'm a kitten, no.......
 
=======================
Rebecca McFarlane
Secretary
Basic Medical Sciences
School Veterinary Medicine
Purdue University
West Lafayette, IN  47907-1246
Phone:   765-494-8632
Fax:     765-494-0781
"Do not meddle in the affairs of dragons, for thou art crunchy and taste
good with ketchup"
[Posted in FML issue 2592]