Question number one: There is an infection/disease that pregnant women can
get from handling used cat litter. Does anyone have any information in this
topic with regards to used *ferret* litter?
 
[The disease is Toxoplasmosis, which is a truly *nasty* disease.  I understand
that it is relatively easy to treat, the trick is in identifying it.  It
can lead to death, blindness or brain-damage if untreated, and in pregnant
women it can lead to birth defects without any symptoms becoming obvious.
I understand that it is vaguely similar to Lyme (deer tick) disease.
From what I've read on the topic, given the appropriate environmental
conditions and an infected animal, that this can be caught from just about
any animal.  (Eg: I've not seen any statements about particular animals
being immune)  Bat feces is particularly hazardous.
 
Scary stuff.  But before you run out of the room screaming, it's *very*
rare, particularly with cat litter.  There appears to be a 1-2 person/year
infection rate from bat feces in Ontario (out of 12 million or so), and
from cat litter it's even rarer.  (Lyme disease is <1 per year)
 
I don't know what the infection level (eg: percentage of animals carrying
it) is, whether an animal kept indoors is likely to catch it, nor have I
heard of anyone catching it from ferret litter.
 
Be that as it may, why do you think I had to do all of the cage cleaning
for the last year?  Gregory's doing fine!]
 
Question number two: should I go to extreme efforts to keep my ferret from
licking up the soapsuds when I wash her? I never thought that Ivory soap was
all that tasty myself, but.... holding her head in one position doesnt work,
cause I inevitably get soap on the hand that is holding her, or get some
close enough to her mouth, that her ever seeking tongue finds some. Once she
starts licking it, she doesnt stop the licking motion...
 
[We use Hagen flea shampoo, but don't use it very often (eg: <1/month).
Mocha's smell doesn't bug us much.  She doesn't lick it...  The ferret
books mention soap licking, but it doesn't appear to do any damage]
 
Question number three: how much pure sugar can a ferret ingest before it
a) bursts or b) gets sick? My little girl steals things that are wrapped in
plastic (mind you, not any item, and not items made of plastic, but any item
wrapped in plastic... like, candy wrapped in cellophane, or *anythign* in a
ziploc baggie) - and there was this halloween candy sitting in a bowl that I
didnt think they could get at.... little sugar-pill type candies, called
Smarties.... I think she just hid htem in the couch, but the couch is very
large and heavy, and I havent had the energy to lift it up and shake it to
see what comes out...
 
Request number one: Chris, could you change my mailing address to
[log in to unmask]
 
[done]
 
thanks
/amq
                                                                          
[Posted in FML 0086]