TO: Denise Coldeway (and anyone who wants to know an easy way to ...
RE:  Nail-clipping   ("theirs", not ours)
FROM: Colleen Wei
 
   Hi. I printed and kept your note re: medicine-giving for my future reference.
In turn, since you mentioned nail clipping as a hassle, I thought I'd tell you
how I do it not only hassle-free but almost enjoyable.  I hold the ferret in
my lap with his/her back to me and he/she bending at their "waist" with
their upper body leaning against my tummy.  (Understand?  Gee if I could
show you -- a picture truly is worth a thousand words!)  Anyway, then I put
a few drops of linatone on their tummy, they bend their head down and lick
away, totally absorbed while I go through their paws one at  a time, careful
to keep them "propped" when lifting their front paws since they're using
those for balance.  I use human nail clippers (found these to be best for
control and seeing exactly where I'm cutting. But have to be careful to not
nick their toe pads with the curved cutting edge of the clipper.)
The first time for some ferrets takes a few seconds to get them to stop
wiggling and see the linatone.   But after that, nail clipping truly becomes
practically cuddle-time.  They sit there licking and not caring an iota what's
going on or not going on with their paws.  Most times I finish before they
do and then when I go on to the next (they line up at my feet!) I put the
one down with his back in the corner so the walls or door jamb lend
support and he just sits there licking for a few more minutes.  It's really
cute and funny after a few of them to see this group/row of ferrrets all
"sitting on their backs", bent in half, leaning against the wall, examining
their tummies.
    Of course it works against me too.  They  ask to be put in my lap to get
their nails clipped (well I know they're really asking for linatone), even when
nail clipping isn't on my agenda. I could just be picking them up to cuddle
or simply sitting in the room where I usually clip; they come in and look up
at me and lick their lips until I melt and pick them up,  then they
automatically slump into the sitting position  and wait for the linatone on
their tummy.    But if I feel they've already had too much linatone I won't
give it to them, then they just sit in my lap in that bent position waiting.  It
gets really hard not to overdose them on linatone!
 
Colleen Wei
 
[Posted in FML issue 0630]