Hello everyone,
 
I am a newbie to the ferret world.  It's a sort of hobby of mine to learn
about all kinds of animals.  In November I began to research ferrets and
that's when my interest was peaked.  Last week I was finally able to read
Ferrets for Dummies from the library and am seriously considering inviting
ferrets to become part of our family.  I joined this list last week and
have learned so much since then.  Thank you to the person who listed the
website for Abebooks!
 
I don't live near anyone with ferrets (that I know of) so I am getting my
weekly fix at Petco.  I was actually pretty amazed at how well those
animals were kept compared to a Petsmart I used to visit.  On my second
visit I pet and held nearly all of their ferrets.  One of the adults
jumped up and grabbed onto my finger with his sharp teeth and just hung
there.  This being my first real experience with ferrets!  I quickly set
him down (aware of all that weight and his spine) and pried his mouth
open just enough to get my finger back.  He was a cutie and VERY playful.
 
It will be several months before I adopt any ferts.  Money has to be saved
for all areas of ferty needs and my hands are currently full.  I will
continue researching and participating on this list.  I do have a few
questions to ask, so here they are:
 
Those of you who feed cat/kitten food, which brand and formula do you find
to be most beneficial?  (IAMS is really acceptable?)
 
For variety purposes, would it be a good idea to feed two or three
different brands every day?  Or maybe alternate the brands day-to-day?
 
How many pounds of dry food would two ferrets consume each month?  If I
were to buy bulk (25-30lbs) would it be okay to put the extra in the
freezer to preserve shelf life?
 
For Illinois residents:
What's this I keep reading that Illinois residents need a permit to keep
ferts?  Where can I obtain this permit?
 
Those teeny kits I see at Petco, how long does it take for them to reach
full size?  I have read that sometimes at 4 months they are already quite
large (for a fert).
 
Thanks to all who can answer these questions.  Prayers go out to the
sickies and lost, and yahoos (we're kinda prairie dog people in this
house) to those that are recovering and that have been found.
 
-Melina & Crew of cats, dogs, prairie dogs, hedgehog, rats and hamsters
[Posted in FML issue 3686]