Three things:
 
1. Tim-I don't know if this is what you were watching, but there is a show
called "Beastmaster" where the hero has two ferrets as "sidekicks"-it's a
 
"Xena/Hercules"-type show set in times of scorcery and swordplay.
 
2. Lisa-we had had our Nicodemus for about a month and a half before
deciding it was time to get him a fuzzy friend now that we knew what we
were doing.  We went to a shelter and, with our own thoughts and on
concurring advice from a few shelters, decided to get one that was a year
old or younger so that the ferrets were closer in age.  It is hard enough
for a new ferret to adjust to a new home and for two unfamiliar ferrets to
get used to each other without a big age discrepancy if they are your only
two.  Kits often play rougher and have more energy (though lots of ferts
stay really active all their lives) than, say, a 6-year-old fert, and it
may be tough on an older ferret to have a kit at it all the time, for
example.  We ended up getting a five month old for our three and a half
month old to play with and it's worked out great.  Go shelter!
 
3. Dating with ferrets-you know, they actually do have services where you
can "rent" a pet for a day to help you meet people for dating.  I have seen
a piece on 60 minutes a few years ago, I think; there were several animal
shelters that would "loan out" dogs for a day to screened people-it gave
the animals a much-needed chance to get out, get fresh air and exercise and
one-on-one human companionship and maybe get seen to be adopted (and maybe
the person "renting" them would grow attached enough to adopt) and the
people really did go to the park with them as a conversation starter to
meet potential mates!  Hmmm, perhaps a ferret shelter possibility?
Rigorous screening of potential "borrowers" of ferrets, of course-no one
that hasn't a clue about ferts at all should get to take them.  Maybe they
have to do training and spend time helping out at the shelter first for a
few weeks, and only a few hours of outing time at a time?  Don't know how
serious an idea this would be, but they DO do it for dogs and cats, etc.
Teehee!
 
-April
 
Vote for Nicodemus as often as you get a chance (up to twice an hour at
each site) till May 11!  Prize money to ferret shelters!
 
http://www.gopbi.com/services/pets/slides/contest_other3.html
 and
http://www.sofla.com/services/pets/slides/contest_other3.html
[Posted in FML issue 3387]