Okay, this is gonna be a long post, I'm just warning up front.  But I
planned it for Sunday, since that seems to be a light day on the list,
barring any hot topics.  And I'm confessing a few things here that I've
felt guilt about for a long time.
 
I got my first ferret in 1993.  I, like Betty, wanted a small animal that
was more interactive than hampsters and rabbits.  Saw my first ferret at a
pet store, and asked about them, since I had been led to believe that they
were mean animals.  To the employee's credit, they told me how fun and nice
ferrets were if properly cared for.  I don't even remember what city this
was in, just somewhere in Florida.  So, I did research and about 6 months
later, bought my first ferret from a pet store in Orlando.  I immediately
fell in love with her personality, and 3 months later got a little boy from
the same pet store as her buddy.  Their names were Athena and Joey.  In
1993, as I'm sure some of you remember, it was very hard to find any
products or information about ferrets.  The only thing I could ever find in
pet stores was the nylon hammocks and tubes by SuperPet.  So, I was one of
those bad mothers who fed cheap cat food to my ferrets, knew little about
ferret proofing, little about interacting with my two little fuzzies, and
less about their vet needs.  How those two made it with me for 2 years even
makes me wonder.  I didn't have a computer at home, then, wouldn't even
consider it, and when I read now about all the ferret people in Florida,
I'm amazed that I never ran into any.  But I did love those two little
buggers, for their different personalities, and their cute antics.  During
my incredibly bad marriage, we had 2 cats, 2 ferrets and 2 dogs (his
choice).  When we had a spectaculary bad ending to that bad marriage, I was
left financially and emotionally unable to care for myself, let alone all
six of the animals he left with me.  So, with a heavy heart, I had to make
a choice about what to do, and since my cats had been with me 8 years, I
felt I had to keep them, and find homes for the others.  I did make sure
that good, loving homes were the recipients of the ferrets and the dogs.  I
put an ad in the paper for the two ferrets, cage and accessories for $50.
I got a call right away from a couple that loved ferrets.  The husband came
to look at them, and confessed that his wife had instructed him to bring
them home no matter what their condition.  They seemed healthy to me,
although I worry now what two years of cheap cat food and no vet care, or
petromalt or lots of human interaction did to them later.  I hope that
having a good loving home, they were given what they needed and happy and
healthy.  If this story strikes a memory in anyone on the list, they were
sable MF around 2 years old, both, one male, one female.  I'd love to hear
how they fared.  The nice couple did call me about 3 months later and let
me know that they were doing well, for which I am forever grateful.  I was
broken-hearted not only to give up my animals, but to not have been able to
give them a good, stable home.  I promised myself that when I got my life
back together, I would have ferrets again, and I would care for them
properly.  I noticed over the years that pet stores started carrying food
and supplies for ferrets, and when I got my first computer, I saw how much
information there was available about our fuzzy friends, and started
learning and reading up on them.  I had already subscribed to this list,
before I got my 'first' ferret of my new life.  The funny thing is, I was
dating a man who said he'd prefer we didn't get a ferret, they were mean
and smelly.  We were considering moving in together, and about two weeks
before that was to happen, I went out and bought a cinnamin kit from a
breeder, took him over to Chuck's house, and said 'Love me, love my
ferret'.  Not a very fair thing to do, I admit it, but I felt that strongly
about it.  The funny thing is, two days later, Chuck informed me that this
was the best gift I'd ever given him, and I really should get one of my
own. <g>.  Of course, this little guy was Quinn, and for those of you who
have known me for awhile, we lost him to a stupid tragedy.  We already had
a second kit, Dessie, so we decided that we'd learn from our mistake and in
Quinn's honor, we got another ferret, a little girl who is blind, Chumba.
We also got involved with our local ferret club and shelter, and as ferret
math goes, we now have 5, 4 of which who are shelter kids.  And Chuck
picked out all four.  He doesn't post to the list, but he listens to all
the posts I read to him, and is glad we have this resource.  He's a great
ferret daddy.  All five get their shots, vet care when needed, eat TF and
Iams mixed, petromalt, treats and get LOTS of human interaction (not all
appreciated, but hey).  This list is one of the greatest things that ever
graced our lives, thanks BIG!  Not only did I learn how to best care for
them, but how to understand them better, how to make my life and theirs
more enjoyable.
 
Anyways, the reasons I shared all this are because it goes with several of
the posts recently.  First, if you've had a tragedy, don't let it scare you
off the joys of ferrets in your life.  Learn from it, and let it make you a
better ferret parent.  We know the pain of losing them, so we are more
careful and more attentive than ever.  Secondly, to Jenn Green, who's
boyfriend is obsessed with the list and his ferret, if it's the ferret you
can't stand, do yourself and him a favor, find someone who isn't.  If you
like, or can tolerate the ferret, let him do his thing, it probably means
he is a much more giving and sensitive person.  I feel sorry for people who
have ferrets and don't have the wonderful resource here.  And as far as
being strange, I was before ferrets, so why not with them??  ;) Some one on
this list once posted that most people owned by ferrets were a little odd,
but we certainly are happy, so what of it??
 
So, thank you, great ferret people, thank you my little loves who make my
life so complete, and thank you, Chuck, for not only being a wonderful man,
but taking the time to see what made me so crazy about these carpet sharks.
And thanks again, BIG!
 
Sherry
[Posted in FML issue 2607]