I've noticed that Jasper, my fat ferret, has this stunningly beautiful
thick, soft coat for the winter, while my other two don't.  I'm constantly
putting Jasper on my lap and just running my fingers over and through his
lovely fur- it's amazing.
 
Plants and rocks: I put those big lava rocks in my potted plants to keep
the ferrets out.  Hah!!!  Hauling those rocks out of the planter kept them
occupied for days.  They just grabbed them with their front paws and moved
them out of the way.  Some folks have used chicken wire instead, wrapped
around the top of the planter and the stem of the plant: I just used a
plant stand. :-)
 
I had to laugh at Brandon's confusion over the extreme vocalization of his
ferret- I completely understand.  My first three ferrets were average, not
too loud, not too quiet... just right.  Kayla, however, squeals and shrieks
over everything.  It was a shocker when I first brought her home.  I
thought the boys were KILLING her until I peeked around the corner and they
weren't even touching her!!  Now I realize it's just a part of who she is-
and where she's at emotionally.  Now that she's more relaxed at my house,
she's not so bad unless she's in a temper or excited about something.
After scratching persistently at my carpet this morning, she finally got a
scruffing and a time-out.  As my hand reached out for her scruff she
started her squealing and shrieking routine- I hadn't even touched a hair
but an uninvolved passerby would have been on the phone to the SPCA.  I
rolled my eyes and laughed at my little lady's theatrical nature.  :-)
 
Because ferrets have such complex personalities it's easy to see why people
get worried at extreme behaviour differences within their business.  I
guess my philosophy is to treat them each as individuals, and get to know
them as such, and not worry so much about it.  Kayla's personality is
pretty complicated compared to my boys (is it because she has that great
female mysteriousness?), so it's going to take me a while to understand
her.  I'm looking forward to deepening the relationship over time.
 
Ariel
Jasper, Baxter, and Kayla
[Posted in FML issue 2491]