I received a call from Jimi of "For The Love of Ferrets" June of 1998.  She
knew I was looking for a BIG ferret and one was on it's way in...was I
interested?  I would have to wait, because the lady who found him (roaming
the streets of Alvin, Texas) was trying to search for potentional "owners".
 
When I went to pick up Sully....he was beautiful.  Silver with very few
black guard hairs down his back (maybe fifteen) and a black mark down the
right side of his pink-white nosey.
 
I picked him up and he kissed me.  So much for a frightened ferret, right?
Anyway, he stole my heart instantly.  I took him home along with his
blankey and toys, and a promise to bring him back for his second distemper
(I was friends with the shelter mom, so she broke her usual rules to let
me take him home...typically, all shots are given before the ferret goes
to his or her new home).
 
The next day I get a call from Jimi at the same time as I take Sul out of
his cage.  She asked how things were going and as soon as I said "fine"
Sully bit into my finger.  He moved his head back and forth as if trying
to get in good and deep (and he did).  So, here I was screaming and
embarrassed...Jimi was embarrassed, too.  I was able to dislodge my finger
from his mouth and put him back in his carrier.
 
When I finally put him in with my then crew of five (Sully made six), he
looked gigantic amongst the others.  Wow!  He was also petrified.  He
screamed if another ferret so much as looked at him.  So, back in the
carrier he went for another couple of days.
 
Finally, I put all six of them in my bedroom.  Sully dooked the loudest
and jumped the highest.  Dante thought Sully was IT.  He followed Sully
everywhere and slept with Sully.  My three eldest (Domi, Meisha and Nonnie)
had looks on their faces as if to say, "Man, you're nuts!".  Staci, well,
she was in her own little world; didn't care one way or the other.
 
I have to say, Sully became my favorite.  He was the ferret with...well, he
was almost human like.  I am not very good at explaining, but he was very
personable.  He was also a good friend.  When I was sad, he would try and
make me smile.  Like on our last day together.  I was crying before I got
into the car.  Even though I had the carrier with me, I held him in my lap.
He seemed out of it.  But the next thing I knew, he stirred, turned over on
his back, curled into a cute little ball and looked up at me with a smile,
which is what he did when he wanted to make me smile or laugh.  And it
worked.
 
We had wonderful games we'd play.  One was tug of war.  I place my index
finger in his mouth and gently tug.  He'd get this devilish look on his
face as if to say "I'm not letting go" (and sometimes he didn't...he had
the jaws of death).
 
We'd also play a game with the kibble.  I would feed him kibble by kibble.
As he would take each piece of kibble from my fingers, I would laugh.  The
more I laughed, the more excited he got.  If I didn't have a kibble for him
when he finished chewing, he'd look at me, then at his bowl, back and forth
until I finally gave him another kibble.
 
Sully also loved to play TAG.  Of course, I was always "IT".  I had to
chase him.  Sometimes he would chase me.  Tag generally started with him
running, jumping on my leg, then running off.  He also loved it when he'd
bite my toes and I'd scream.  The louder I screamed, the better.  (brat!)
 
Thank you for letting me share stories about my sweet baby.
 
Lise and Domi, Nonnie, Stacia, Dante, and Cooper,
loving and missing Meisha and Sully
[Posted in FML issue 3037]