[Ferret stuff toward end of post]
First: Sorry to bother you guys with this rescue question, but no one is
open to reach by phone, and I don't want to inadvertently kill this being :
 
I have a lovely white super fluffy bird I think is a dove with a red band
around its right foot.  It has this really small tan bill.  It kind of
growls when cornered.  It cannot fly, hung out on the lawn with Maria and
me out there, and its wings are not hanging or twisted.
 
The rescue places are full for now.  Mary--my pathetic rescue partner --
who is just as ignorant as I am at doing these things--has more numbers
she will call tomorrow.  The animals would eat it tonight if I did not put
it in a carrier.  And I would find the wings on the porch in the morning.
 
Can this dove live outside in a carrier on a hook we just put in high up on
my porch until I can find a place for it?  Does it need a blanket over the
carrier?  Can it eat Tetra Pond fish food without getting sick?  It had a
choice of bird food, small pieces of fruit, or Tetra Pond, and is pecking
away at the fish food.  I put paper towels on the bottom of the carrier to
absorb poopies, and to help keep comfortable.  Is this o.k.?  What do doves
eat?
 
Thank you for any help.  Again, my apologies for being off the topic.
 
                            **  Miss MAria **
Maria went walking tonight outside for the very first time.  I put her
leash on for the first time also.  She took it all like a pro.
 
Not an ounce of fear did she display.  She trotted quickly through a field,
rolled over and over, and did little silly leaps in the air.  I was
laughing out loud in pure joy.  Her tiny body was delighted by the
experience.
 
Just seeing her great happiness for the 30 or so minutes I had her out?  If
she were to pass tomorrow--knowing she had the happiness of this evening
would make everything worth while.  It cannot be easy for her: new place,
surgery, a bunch of butt sniffers every time she turns around.
 
But this evening I was SURE she was in heaven.  I had to walk briskly just
to try and keep up with her tiny, stubby legs.
 
By the way-I have to force myself not to keep picking her up to look at
her.  I am totally smitten, and she is truly adorable.  I hope to take her
to the GCFA Greatest Ferret Show On Earth.
 
Lisette and the 4 poopies on the rug, three poopies on the floor, and one
poopies half on and half off the throw rug . (Do you think if I wait long
enough that they will evaporate?)
[Posted in FML issue 3512]