>Sounds like a witch's salad dressing, but I was just wondering if Olive
>Oil had any healthy benefits to ferrets?
 
>And I remember reading that Witch Hazel is OK for cleaning ferret's ears...
>does it just go on the outside or do you squirt it in??
 
Olive oil will act as a hairball preventative, I think.  I doubt it'll do
much other than that; these guys are carnivores.  Olives aren't meat.  As
for witch hazel, I've heard that too.  I know you squirt it into human
ears.
 
I don't know about any of this for sure--these are my guesses.
 
Re: feeding ferrets raw meat and making them mean--I know we've already
discussed this, but there's no reason a meat diet would make a ferret
mean or make them want to hunt.  Hunting in most mammalian species is a
partially learned behavior--which means the critter's got the instincts
but doesn't really know how to line them up correctly or what they're for.
With domestic carnivores, we humans generally use those instincts for
purposes other than hunting--like playing with a toy.  In other words, we
teach the critters to use their hunting instincts in non-destructive ways
that are not connected with dinner.
 
About half my ferrets don't know what to do with a bird.  The other half
don't know quite how you go about killing it, but would love to try.
 
In any case, training a ferret to hunt *might* make the ferret less cuddly.
It's true with dogs that hunt, but not with cats that are employed as
mousers.  But a ferret doesn't learn to hunt its own food by being given
cut-up animals to eat.  You might as well say feeding meat to your children
will make them mean.  :-)
 
Re: ferrets and 12 week old kittens--let them play!  They're close to the
same size, and kittens are just about as playful as ferrets, and just about
as tough.  Just watch to make sure nobody's being hurt or seriously scared;
blood and screaming are bad signs. <g>   We've raised kittens and ferret
kits together, adult ferrets and kittens, kits and cats.  It's amazing how
well they get along.  Update on the ferret-raised Siamese kittens we had;
one of them (7 months old) lives with five ferrets.  He plays with them all
the time, and he plays like a ferret, not like a cat (hiding behind stuff,
jumping out and tackling, chasing, all that).  He sleeps in the ferret cage
whenever the top's open so he can fit.  As far as he's concerned, he's a
ferret.  :-)
 
Last but not least: I have a good friend heading to Oregon from Maine at
the end of October.  He's going to be taking one or two of our rescues
with him.  He's looking into airline travel for the babies as we speak;
suggestions are more than welcome.  Also, we'd like to fine a few ferret
folks out there for him to be in contact with before he goes.  Anyone on
here from the OFA?  He's going to be a new ferret owner, but he's as much
an animal lover as a person can be, and a great guy.  I can't remember
where he's going to be in Oregon, though.  Near Portland, I think (the
Portland to Portland move; a lot of folks do it).
 
His email address is [log in to unmask] (posted with permission),
and he'd be glad to hear from anyone out that way, or with advice on
shipping ferrets.  :-)
 
Jen and the Crazy Business
[Posted in FML issue 2806]