The second week of ferret research is ongoing and I have to say that I
have already learned a great deal. I've started meeting local ferret
owners, and, like their California counterparts, they are as friendly
as they are frustrated with local laws. They love their ferrets as much
as anyone. They are also about as paranoid about new people wanting to
visit their pets as Californians. I think I've won one or two of them
over, but it could have been my initial reaction to the pickled onion
I was served (Yumm! Honestly, a real taste treat! Bacon buddies with
pickled onions! Wow!). I wish I could get some of the California people
talking with some of the New Zealand people; I think they could be of
help to one another. Both have to deal with insipid government agents
who enforce laws that make little sense.

I wish I could comment more on the situation, but I need to wait until
after finishing my local work. You may read into this if you like. I'll
write a more defining report for the FML later.

I've also met my first feral ferrets; live ones that is. Some of the
local ferret owners, frustrated with the difficulty of obtaining pet
ferrets, have adopted ferals as pets (which I think is wonderful). The
ones I saw were magnificent! Honestly, I would grab a few for myself if
I could get them out of NZ (export -- as well as import -- is banned,
so I am told). Wide and black noses, huge paws, heavy muscles, superb
skeletal structure. Just beautiful, wonderful animals. I know next to
zero how to judge a ferret, but I think these animals could win a lot
of shows back in the dear old USA. NZ could make a bundle by capturing
feral ferrets and selling socialized kits in America, Japan, and
Europe! Well, the ones without Tb, that is.

Maybe up to 20-30% have Tb, which they get from eating infected
possums. The possums are about as large as a thin domestic cat and I
see them dead on the side of the road everywhere. I've seen a few in
person as well. The possums seem to be the bad boy in the possum --
feral ferret -- cattle Tb triad. Possums have Tb, but when eaten by the
ferrets (either as roadkill carrion or directly), the ferrets contract
the disease. The cattle are also involved, but how they get it (the
possums? the ferrets?) is still debated -- regardless of published
hypotheses. Outlawing ferrets hasn't seemed to make much of a
difference.

Many of the feral ferrets I am studying have been collected by the
government (or paid agencies) to monitor Tb. If they find the ferrets
in one particular area has the disease, they assume it is in the
possums there as well.

I will have more to say about feral ferret behavior later. I am still
working out the differences.

I also got to meet some of the older Mystic ferrets, but since that
ferret farm is now closed, they are getting harder to find. There is
only a single ferret farm left in New Zealand (on the South Island).
The Mystics are very much like Marshall Farm ferrets of the same age,
Like MF, the Mystics were early neutered and descented. In fact, I
saw a couple of the neuters that were showing all the signs of adrenal
disease, one severely.

Thus far I have only seen NZ ferrets housed in conditions approximating
North America. One person told me ferrets were moved indoors after
being banned, but another seemed to indicate that was how it always
was. My sample is still small, but the health problems I have seen
match those of ferrets of the same age in the Americas. The teeth I've
seen is worn in the kibble-eating pattern, the ferrets had moderate
to severe gingivitis, and a few instances of periodontal disease were
evident. I also saw adrenal disease (as mentioned), and at least two
ferrets with large tumors.

All this is being carefully documented and photographed, and by time
I return to the USA, I'll have one hell of a powerpoint presentation!
Since I am not speaking at the ferret symposium this year, if you want
to hear the details, you'll have to catch one of my new presentations
at York PA (AFA Sweethearts), Chicago IL (GCFA Cuties), Kansas City MO
(Super Hot Hotliners), Columbus OH (Buckeye Bashers), or Grand Rapids
MI (those crazy northern people who sound like Canadians, but with
att-it-tude). I think those are the only places I've agreed to give
talks at this year, but if I forgot you, drop me a line and I'll fix
it. I am, after all, on the other side of the planet from my master
calendar! Oh, yes, I might have a presentation or two ready for those
who show up to work on TLE's house (The Sticks KS). As always, although
I might be speaking on the same subject, each talk will be individually
written and different, so if you attend one, it will be a different
presentation than any other you might attend. Also, as always, I do not
charge a penny for presentations -- and I NEVER will! I just ask for a
refund of gas costs when more than a single tank of gas (I was forced
to make travel costs be refunded because of the large number of talks
I was giving was too much for anyone to afford, as well as I needed to
use the money for this trip.).

Taking DNA from ferrets isn't so hard, but one jill with babies made me
a bit nervous. I was reminded of the short warning I got from Scarlet
right before Rummy introduced herself to my thumb. Now Rummy and I
are the best of friends and I've been told she misses me and waits
at my door for me to come home. Later this week I will be trying an
experiment to use my web camera and send my voice and photo over the
computer to see if she recognizes me. I miss my ferts terribly.

I've been spending a lot of time discussing ferrety things with Dr.
King. She has forgotten more about mustelids than I hope to know.
What a wonderful, beautiful lady! And she is becoming a very good
friend. For those of you with a few extra dollars, you should consider
purchasing the 2nd edition of "The Natural History of Weasels and
Stoats: Ecology, Behavior, and Management." It is a wonderful second
edition and I highly recommend it. It may not be exactly about ferrets,
but you will understand them a bit better after reading the book.

For the last few days I've been driving around the area sampling DNA
from ferrets and also getting to see a little of New Zealand. I
actually saw a wild Kiwi, and I saw -- from a distance -- either a
stoat or a ferret running down a hill at top speed. AND, even though it
has been hard, I have started to become adept at driving on the wrong
side of the road. The driving isn't so hard; it is shifting (the stick
is on the wrong side!) and signaling (I keep turning on the wipers).
The only other bad part of driving in NZ is the NZ$1.78 per liter cost
of "economy" fuel. Yes, I said liter, not gallon. Ouch!!! I filled up
the tank and thought I was buying a house.

I'll update all of you a bit more later on this week. If you are lucky,
I'll attempt a NZ accent. Or try to pronounce Maori place names. I
still keep giggling when I hear the way Whaka Forest is pronounced.
(clue: WH is a "f" sound, the "A" is an "ah," and the "KA" is a second
syllable). Some day I will name a ferret "Little Whaka." We should all
support our underground ferret brothers and sisters in New Zealand and
each of us name a ferret, "Little Whaka."

Bob C [log in to unmask]

[Posted in FML 5923]