Hi!  I have been reading FML for a little over a week now and wanted to
finally write to introduce myself and to ask  question that I have
not been able to find an answer to in the ferret literature.  I am a Vet.
student at ISU and have always been a cat lover.  When I moved to Ames I
had to give up my cats to live in married student housing.  This was
devastating, as you can imagine, but I resolved myself to finding some
other little pet that I could keep in the apartment.  I bought my very
first ferret on Dec. 4.  I was shopping for Christmas decorations at
Earl May and in the back of the store I came across a small cage with a
tiny ferret sleeping quite soundly inside.  I tapped on the cage and the ferret
 awoke and looked at me with his little beady black eyes.
Then he yawned, sticking his little skinny pink tongue way out.  It was
the most adorable thing I have ever seen and I purchased him
(impulsively) on the spot. Knowing absolutely NADA about ferrets I went
out and bought all the books I could find and set about making the
little thing at home in my small apartment.  At first I was terrified
that I had made a terrible mistake because Walter (that's what I named
him) was quite a nipper and quite a pooper.  Fortuneately I
happened to stumble upon this mailing list and all of my worry has
been greatly relieved  I am so grateful for all of the excellent advice
that I've read here. Anyway, to make a long story short Walter has
become a very special part of the family.  His nipping has almost
completely ceased(except when he's really excited or playing) and he is
fairly consistent with his litter pan.  He is quite adorable and keeps me
 constantly enchanted with his frolicking.
        The major question I have is about whether or not to cage Walter
when I am not at home.  When I am at home I let him run around the
apartment, but since I will be going back to school in January and will
be gone for long periods during the day, I wasn't sure if I should let
Walter have free reign of the apartment with no supervision.  I would
love to just let him be out of the cage but I'm not sure if it's wise. I
would appreciate any advice on this matter!
 
Sincerely,
Kimberly Arnell and Walter Puppachoo
[Posted in FML issue 1059]