I have just recently joined the FML and I really enjoy reading the stories
that the other members write about their own "children".  The new addition
to my family is Mojo.  He is a fixed male, I think he is a silver, he has
pure white under fur, a mixing of black and white guard hairs that are
really beautifully patterned, and white paws.  I adopted him from a shelter
up near hamilton, canada for $150 Can, already fixed as compared to $200+
for a fixed ferret from a pet store (this is anywhere from $60 to $120 U.S.
depending on the rate of exchange that day <G>)  I am already saving my
money to adopt a playmate for him.
 
The other reason I am posting is that I have a couple of questions.  The
first is about his hearing, in none of the books I have read about ferrets
was there mention about poor hearing, so I was expecting an animal that
could hear a burp in a hurricane. Yet Mojo does not register that he has
heard even sharp noises, like handclaps, unless he is facing you and then I
suspect he is acknowledging the hand movement, not the sound.  He has a bad
case of ear mites (which I am treating) so I suspect he might have ear
damage or wax blockage of the ear canal beyond where I can clean.  Are these
possibilities?  Or is he just cool as a cucumber and nothing affects him?
Does anyone else have this similar experience?  Please email me with
possible answers or suggestions or post them here for the benefit of others.
Thanks in advance.
 
My second question is about descenting.  Mojo's scent glands are still
intact, but when I adopted him, one of the pamphlets I recieved concerned
descenting and its long term effects.  One of these it listed was that
around the age of six years, most descented ferrets would experience
proplapse of the colon, which would lead to colitis and death.  I have
absolutely no intention of descenting Mojo, but my friend has a ferret
(Ziggy, a male sable) who was descented as a part of a "package" when he was
fixed (some vets up here feel the two operations go together like bread and
butter, or more appropriately, tonsils and adenoids).  This was before he
read the pamphlet and now he is upset that the vet did not tell him of the
risks.  My question is; is there truth to this pamphlet, does this happen,
or is the article simply animal rights activist propaganda? (the article was
writted by Fara Shimbo, if that helps)  I have no intention of descenting
Mojo regardless of the replies I recieve, I simply want to give my friend a
little peace of mind, if its possible.
 
Thank You for your time and patience
 
Ian Smith
[log in to unmask]
[Posted in FML issue 1246]