Dooks to everyone.  I have to sit down and teach all my fuzzies the
Christmas carols.
 
Well, as of yesterday, my Crew of Merry Mayhem numbers 8 ferrets no longer.
Really was a weird day.  Was walking down the hall here in the vet school,
look over on the wall, there's a notice "Need home immediately for two
female ferrets.  Potty trained, will walk on leash." So I call the number.
Girl has two females, 2 & 3 years old.  She's only had them one week and
can't keep where she lives.  Before they came to her they were with a
student for one semester, then he had to find them a home because of where
he lived.  Before that they belonged to a friend of his.
 
So, I call Larry, he says go for it, I call her back.  She's not sure what
color they are "they have a mask", doesn't know if they're Marshall ferrets
or what, no vaccination history, etc.  So we meet her out at the Pet Hotel
she boarded them at over the weekend.  She also gave us their 4 story high
condo cage (which the rest of the troop took over in nothing flat).  So
anyway, here comes this huge cage with two little girls in it.  One, the
three year old, is a silver mitt with a blaze on her head.  The other is
a sable-this one is a MF ferret-the silver isn't.  Both coats are terribly
dry and rough.  They've always eaten Meow Mix, use clay litter.
 
I was good---none of this was the girl who was giving them to us fault.
It was the previous owners.  So one the way home I have Alys & Bailey in
the carrier and I'm talking to them.  They're diggning on themselves, and
I noticed Bailey's tail looks like Kits-sort of bare.  So, they stay
downstairs in the carrier, Larry gets the big cage upstairs and the Crew
takes over.  Jennifer went up to see ours and of course they looked at her
but didn't really approach.
 
After she left I got the Hexadene medicated shampoo & the Resichlor spray
and bathed and sprayed the girls.  We had them separated for a while, but
finally turned all loose to play.  Calvin had Alys pinned for a while, but
let go.  By 11pm I had 4 hammocks hanging in the condo and 10 ferrets
passed out in various areas.  This morning Alys hadn't eaten anything yet,
so called my vet and he told me how to break them into the new food (the
others just have always latched onto it).  So right now Alys and Bailey are
in the smaller cage and the other 8 have taken over the condo.  Dr. K said
to keep Alys and Bailey separate for about 3 weeks to get them to eat
properly, but I figure I'll let them all out to play together in the
evenings.
 
Larry called me this morning ready to take Alys to the vet.  Said she
wasn't walking right, was just laying there.  I told him it's probably
depression.  Think on it-4 homes in the three years of her little life and
she never knows when that will change.  She was last one up this morning,
so I held her, cuddled her, told her no more home changes, where she is now
she stays.  I figure if she's not acting better tomorrow she'll see Dr. K.
I want him to exam her anyway and see if he can tell if she's been spayed.
She's my first non-MF.
 
I do have the number of the fellow who had the girls before Jennifer, and
as he was a friend of the original owner, so am going to try to find out
vaccinations, how the names are spelled (if her name is Alice, I'm spelling
it Alys) and if she's been spayed.  Hopefully before long they'll be on the
chicken gravy and up and bopping with the rest.
 
Sorry this is so long, but had to introduce you to the newest members.  Of
course the original 8 are like little kids afraid of losing their spot in
mom's heart, which I'm being extremely careful in letting them know they're
all loved, just as they always have been.  Last night Kit showed off by
hiding in a box, then when I was coaxing her out, she'd turn sidways, inch
out, sneak back in, finally coming out all the way and dropping into my
hands as if to say "See, see?" and at the same time having Suzy Derkins
climbing up my sweatpants leg almost yelling "Look at me, no, look at me"
Ah, the fuzzy children.  Gotta love em.
 
Rebecca & the other two human slaves
The now stronger Crew of Merry Mayhem of 10 ferrets
The 4 cats who want to know what the hell happened!
 
=======================
Rebecca McFarlane
Secretary
Basic Medical Sciences
School Veterinary Medicine
Purdue University
West Lafayette, IN  47907-1246
Phone:   765-494-8632
Fax:     765-494-0781
"Do not meddle in the affairs of dragons, for thou art crunchy and taste
 good with ketchup"
[Posted in FML issue 2799]