I tried to post this Tuesday, and again on Wednesday, but mail from me
to the Ferret List is getting buggered somewhere along the line. So I asked
Lorene to post it for me, as she has been able to get through recently (Thanks,
Lorene :). Here it is:
 
    Hi all. Well, I'm up to ferret #3. I added a 7 week old male to the
troupe last Thursday. I saw him in a local pet store last Wednesday, and
he was *so* adorable. I didn't rush into it though; I carefully considered
the matter, and went back to see him Thursday morning, then considered some
more. Then Thursday evening I bought him (well, maybe that was a *little*
rushed :). One reason I bought him is despite being at a pet store he is
unaltered. I've had trouble finding local breeders, and have been wanting
to find an unaltered ferret so I could let him or her reach adulthood before
neutering/spaying, and so I could forego descenting entirely.
 
    I'm not sure what to call his coloring. His markings are like a normal
sable, except less brown and more grey or 'silvery'; especially, he has a
number of silver hairs poking through the dark on his hindquarters and tail.
The store manager said he's a silver-mitt, but according to my books the
distinguishing feature of silver-mitts is their white feet, and this guy's
feet are dark. Anyone familiar with such a 'silver-sable'? Would he have
a special name, or just be a sable? Of course he's just a baby, so his
coloring may change yet. But then I got Cassie as a baby, and she was
brown from the start. One reason I was so taken with the new one is he
reminded me so much of Cassie at that age, except for his greyer coloring.
He even has the same all pink nose as she does :).
 
    So far the other ferrets don't care much for him. He's just too ram-
bunctious for them. One reason I bought him is that Cassie has always been
more playful than Buddy, and I wanted her to have a playmate who was more
her speed. Maybe I shouldn't have waited so long though (she's almost 2
years old now), because the new guy's too much for her. He jumps all over
her, nipping and bouncing, and Cassie just wants to get away. Bud's a
little calmer; he generally just lays there taking whatever the new one
can dish out (maybe he learned patience when Cassie was this way), until
he gets fed up, pins the new guy down, and chews on his head for a while :).
But as soon as Bud lets him up, the new one's ready for more :). Oh well,
it took a week for Bud to accept Cassie, and now they're best friends; I
expect it will be the same for the new one.
 
[ side note: last night Bud and the new guy were ganging up on Cassie! This
  relationship's not off to a great start :( ]
 
    Cute things he does: aside from the usual cute toddler versions of
walking/chuckling/ferret-dancing, he's the first ferret I've seen who does
the rapid hissing thing when play-fighting. He likes to wrestle with my
fingers, but seldom bites hard. He doesn't seem to have the hang of eating
and drinking yet :). What I mean is, when eating, more food seems to end
up flying about than gets ingested; kind of like the cookie monster :).
As for his drinking problem :), they had him on a water bottle at the pet
store, but I use water dishes. When first introduced to the dish he would
stand right in the water and dunk the front of his face when drinking. He's
improved to the point of usually only getting his chin wet :).
 
    Now I just have to think of a name for him. I was thinking squirmin'
Herman (when I first handled him his exuberance caught me by surprise, and
he wriggled out of my grasp and fell to the floor, and incidentally was
startled and sprayed. PU. He hasn't sprayed again since I brought him home,
thank goodness :). But I didn't care for that name. I thought 'slippery'
something; maybe slippery Sammy, and have been calling him Sammy since
then. But I think Sammy may sound a little too much like Cassie (at least
to ferrets). Incidentally, I seem to recall hearing the name Sammy Ferret,
maybe Sammy K. Ferret somewhere. I scanned the old Ferret-Lists, but didn't
find it anywhere. Anyone know where I may have seen that name (assuming I'm
not just having delusions :)? It's driving me crazy! Being a muppet fan I
thought maybe a muppet name, like Beaker or Scooter (or Dr. Teeth :). Or
maybe a name relating to his silvery-grey coloring. Any suggestions?
 
    A question: at what age should I have the new guy neutered? Should I
wait until he's in season for the first time, or is that too late? Would
having surgery when he's in season be harmful?
 
    One more thing. Someone posted a week or two ago about chipped fangs,
and Dr. Williams responded that there's no problem unless the break extends
into the pulp. Is the pulp the layer immediately below the enamel, or is
it deeper? I noticed on Saturday that the tip of Cassie's upper left canine
is broken off (my poor baby! Her toothy grin will never be the same! :).
I think it was only recently broken, as I seem to recall them being whole
the previous day or even that morning. It seemed slightly sensitive at the
time, but not anymore a couple of days later. The exposed surface shows two
layers, the slightly translucent outer enamel (maybe 0.5 mm thick?) and an
inner circle of solid white material. Is this the pulp, thus being a problem,
or will she be ok as she is?. The tips of both of Bud's upper canines have
been broken since I got him (just over 2 years ago), and the teeth are dis-
colored (though they are a light grey-brown rather than dark), but he seems
to have no trouble with them. Should something be done about them? I had
Bud's teeth cleaned recently, as they were quite dirty and the gums were
becoming inflamed (last year the vet said it could wait a year; now I wish
I'd had it done sooner). A urinalysis also revealed 'casts' in his urine,
which the vet said were probably caused by a kidney infection, which may
have been related to the bad shape his teeth were in. A week of antibiotics
cleared that up. Do Bud's fangs need work to prevent further problems?
 
    Anyway, sorry for running on (and on, and on :), but I don't post
often, so when I do I like to make it count :).
 
John, Buddy, Cassidy, and 'Sammy'?
Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada
[log in to unmask]
 
[Posted in FML issue 0882]