Howdy,
 
I read throught the massive mailing list today!
 
Hooboy!  In reply to questions mentioned:
 
RASH - Jennifer
---------------
Jennifer.  I'm not a doctor, but a BIG man who gets skin rashes like there's
no tomorrow.
 
If you're getting prickly pimple like bumpy, red rash patches in your inner
arms (inside part of elbow), neck (front or back), back of knees, inner
thigh/calves....and they itch like crazy?
 
Could be one of the following:
 
-You're allergic to the ferret's furr .... maybe not all the time...
 but when you sweat and they rub against you, you do react.
-Maybe the critters travelled through some materials that you react      to.
-You have discovered (I'll have to say it phoenetically) exema.
-You have discovered poisin oak or ivy perhaps?
-You have discovered fiberglass insulation?
-It's just sweat rash that comes in the summer on some people.
 
For me? nothing works other than doing the following:
 
-Using TIDE clothing detergent
-Using DOVE non-perfumed moisturing soap
-I have this weird petrolium based cream for big outbreaks during the winter
-Not using fabric softener
-Wash the ferrets every week with Ferret shampoo. Some argue this isn't
 necessary, and I'd agree, but believe it or not... the girls are used to
 it and quite enjoy being cleaned up.
 
SOCKS and UNDIES
----------------
 
Yep!  Bin there, dun that, and Mindy had a lot of sock poops to prove it!
Mindy gave up on that habit awhile back.  It's not a good idea to encourage
it, but Mindy had a stash that I'd find now and then.  She only wanted my
dirty socks.  Clean ones weren't as tasty (YECK!).  Gabby and Lola aren't
too keen, although they too like the dirty ones now and then to play with.
 
Eating these materials isn't good because of the chance that they will
become lodged in the fert's intestines.
 
I had a worse problem recently.... Lola liked eating the gravel from the
litter box that she'd fling about the cage at will.  Why'd she eat it?  I
don't know, it just wound up in her food bowl at times.  Kate and I had to
perform mercy removels of lodged gravel from her anus under the water tap a
couple times.  We've since changed the litter over to Yesterday's News and
bio-degradable chlorophill stuff which the girls and we are still getting
used to.  We'll have to get rid of that chlorophill stuff because Kate and I
are allergic to it.
 
HISSING
-------
 
Means many things.  As another FMLer posted... watch their body language as
well.  It can be like sayin' the S word in various contexts.  Why do I say
that?  Gabby tells me to get lost on many occasions by hissing at me in
disgust.  Other times it's fear, anger, annoyance, defiance, attack!, happy
play, etc.... It's very generic.
 
Trick: If you can learn the various versions of it and use it when the ferts
make you mad.... believe it or not... they stop and listen!  Dooking is a
harder thing to learn how to pronounce in ferreteeze.
 
Gabby's digust hiss sounds like:  Huuurt!
Gabby's screw off! hiss sounds like : HIYUUUURAT!
Lola's last attempt at defying Kate in an arguement sounded like a slow air
leak....<VBG>
 
CUDDLING
--------
 
It comes with time.  Always remember too that as we react to a ferret's body
language, they react to ours.  For the first time in Lola's life with Kate
and I, last night......I shared a special "peace" moment and was allowed to
pet her for ten minutes as she rested on the couch.  Ahhhh... finally.....
 
Mindy always wants hugs and kisses in the morning when she wakes up.  If I
don't, she follows me around until I pick her up and do so!  Gabby is,
well.... give me a hug and kiss and let me be.... That satisfies her.
 
    Later,
 
    Rob and Kate with our fuzzbutts!
 
    Mindy      - 1.5 years old sable female
    Gabby      - 1.3 years old sable female
    Lola       -  5 months old silvermitt (cow ferret! She's big!)
    Samson     - the feline BIG brother (1.5 years)
[Posted in FML issue 1675]