My wife, Debra and I have spent many happy moments reading Ferret Digest.
It is great to see so many happy ferret owners and it is always good to read
what the FLO is up to.  I might add that I send my condolences to any one
who has lost a loved ferret, I know how hard it is to lose a loved animal.
 
When my wife wanted to get our first ferret, (now named Jasmine aka Private
Nosey), I must admit that I was more than a little leary.  I, too, had read
all of the bad press that ferrets have gotten, and was afraid of the worst.
The only thing that let me give in was that my niece and nephew had a
full-grawn ferret when they visited last summer, and she was really "quite
tame".  So I agreed to to try and get used to the idea.  We bought her and a
smaller cage, and brought our new baby home.  Within a few short hours of
being home, she had won over my trust, love and devotion.  I could not
believe that one small animal could be so much fun to watch and spend time
with I must admit that it also changed my thinking about animals as a whole.
 
About a month later, my wife came home and ask if she could spend $160.00.
I didn't know why at the time, and I said, "For what, another "weasel"?" (My
slang for ferrets.) She admiited that it was, and that she wanted to take me
to the pet store and introduce me to her new friend.  I agreed, and we went
to the pet store where I was introduced to her new "weasel" friend.
Needless to say, we brought another "weasel" home, (now named Arial aka
Cadet Onery ).
 
Then about a week ago, my wife and I were in Charleston, Il and decided to
visit a pet store there that keeps a lot supplies for ferrets.  We went in,
and there in a nice clean cage with paper on the bottom, plenty of feed and
water, and even a couple of toys lay a full grown ferret male curled up in a
large clean towel.  We ask the attendent if we could see him, and after
finding out that we already owned two weasels, she agreed.  When we took him
out the cage, he cuddled up to both of us, and gave us each kisses.  We were
told that his last owner was a man who lived alone.  He had been brought in
and traded for another animal, not a ferret, because the he had made to much
noise at night, when he drank out of his water bottle.  The pet store had
been his home for the last two weeks.  Having been through the experiences
he had been through, I would not have been surprised if he had been a little
less tame, and more apprehensive, but he wasn't.  He was really tame, and
really liked to be handled.  We spent s ome time with him, and put him back
in the cage.  His sad eyes, told the story, he really was lonely.
 
After we had gotten our ferret supplies we left for home, about 60 miles
away.  My wife and I both talked about him, but that was as far it went.  A
day later I started thinking about him, and his age and all.  I began to
realize that he was maybe to old for a family with a small child, and that
he might react badly if he was treated roughly.  Which would give ferrets
everywhere a bad name over something that really was the ferrets fault.  I
spoke to my wife about it, and ask if she would call and see if he was still
there.
 
My wife called, and ask if he was still there, and was told that he was and
I told Debra to have them hold him till we could get up there to get him.
When the girl found out who was calling, and that we planned on coming and
getting him, she was really happy.  She said that she to had been worried
about where he would go and how he would react, but having seen how we got
along with him, and knowing that we had other ferrets made her feel a lot
better.
 
When we got there, and open the cage, he came right out to us.  He didn't
care to much about having a collar and leash put on him, but he took it in
stride.  After we had paid, and he had said his good-bye's to the girl who
had cared for him, we began our ride home.
 
As I said we live nearly 60 miles away, and he was really restless at first
but he seemed to love the lights, (dark had closed in on us before we got
home), he also seemed to like big trucks, and would peer out the window as
we went by them on the inter-state.  Finally, he decided that he was tired,
and slept in my arms the rest of the way home.
 
When we got him home, we let him wander around the house, and smell the
other two weasels in the cage.  Finally we put him in with them.  At first,
Arial, really gave him a hard time, and nipped at him quite a bit.  In fact
so much we seperated her into a smaller cage, but she gave us that sad look,
and we decided to try it again.  Soon they we all curled up in the top bay
of the cage sleeping together.
 
Today is the second day that he has been with us, right now he is curled up
in the hammock like he owns the place.  The two younger females are asleep
on the cage floor below him.  They were out before day light, and got my
wife up.  Which made her a little unhappy waking up to three weasels on the
bed, jumping up and down, and trying to wake he up, then finally licking
her in the face.  (I got real early, and they thought they had to get out
and play!!) I'm really glad that we did get him.  I think he will be real
happy here, and maybe it was the best thing that could have happened under
the circumstance.  We have named him Willie, as in "Free Willie" aka
Commander Calm.
 
I must now say that I only regret that we did not get some "weasels" a long
time ago.  We have had lots of animals.  chickens, rabbits, dogs, birds, and
lots of cats besides the ferrets, but the ferrets are different.  They have
a personality different than any of the other animals.  We love our weasels
as much or more than all our other animals, which now total 25.  We live on
2.5 acres, and have lots of room.  We have nineteen cats, 2 dogs, one bird,
and of course the three ferrets.
 
The was a question that was ask about ferrets and cats.  We had a kitten
that was about the same age as the first ferret that we got.  He has always
played with the ferrets, and there has never been any problems.  In fact the
three ferrets, and the three cats we have in the house are all big buddies,
as is out Siberian Husky, Winston.  It really something to watch them all
play together.
 
I also have a question for the vet.  I have heard quite a lot of debate over
rabies shots.  Should they be give "dead rabies", or "live rabies"
vacination?  I would really like to know the answer, why, and what the
difference is.  Thanks ahead of time.
 
Debra, Harold " the Maverick" Hawn
Jasime, Arial, and Willie
Plus 22 more.
[Posted in FML issue 1517]