Hello!  This is my first time posting here.  I have a few comments and some
questions, too.  Well, first... I just this week bought one of those cat
"racket-sacks" for my little furry furret McKyle, and he LOVES it!!  He hops
all over, thinks the noise is great, and he's even taken to sleeping in it
now, instead of in his playhouse where he usually sleeps.  The first night
we had it, my husband thought I was up all night getting potato chips
because of all the racket!  This definately seems to be a great ferret toy.
There's not too many places around here to get ferrety stuff, so I have to
be somewhat imaginative once in a while.
 
To Jennifer Morlanne who asked for advice about her dog eating ferret poo...
I don't know anything about "For-Bid", but when I was a kid my parents had a
farm, and our dogs (all of them, many different breeds) used to eat any
animal poo they came upon- from horses or other dogs or anything.  Gross,
yes; and they vomited sometimes, but it never seemed to do any large amount
of harm.
 
To "R.C." who has orange-eating ferrets... Mine LOVES orange juice!  He's
never been offered any oranges, but boy does he love to drink OJ!  Although
he thinks it tastes best when it comes out of the glass I'm drinking from...
HMMM....
 
I must say that I agree with several posts I've read today who disagree with
the bite-taming advice of tightly harnessing the ferret for hours, etc.- I'm
not trying to cast stones here, and I will say that I have not been owned by
a ferret for very long a time and I still have much to learn, but that
particular action sounds very cruel to me.  I would like to know more about
this, if there is more to it, so that perhaps I can better understand this
method.  The rest of the bite-taming advice sounds fine to me, however I
don't have much of a problem with MyKyler biting much, except...
 
Except, occasionally, the little wild man will nip noses!  He never bites
anywhere else, and he only does it in play.  But he's so slick- he thinks!
He'll nonchalantly kind of mosey on up into your face, maybe give you a kiss
or two, and then allthesudden CHOMP!  And then he RUNS for it!  He is such a
little mischief maker!  Does anyone else have a nose nipper?  And why the
nose?  Big target?  I can't figure it out.
 
More questions too... I have tried all sorts of treats made especially for
ferrets, cat treats, and other human foods that are said to be OK for
occasional treats, such as raisins.  But my finicky fuzzbuster likes ONLY
the following as treats: Ferretone (of course!) and orange juice.  He
refuses all others!  Why on earth is this?  I've heard that most ferrets go
nuts for raisins & such.  Any tips?
 
I also need help with nail clipping.  I've tried every trick I know-
ferretone on the belly, straight out of the bottle, different nail clippers,
clipping before he fully awakens... he always HATES it & never cooperates!
I can't understand why- I'm sure it's not fun, but we've never cut him or
cut the quick or anything.  Even our (very good with ferrets) vet can't
manage him very well to clip his claws.
 
I am about to bring my plants in for the winter, and I am wondering if any
of them might be poisonous to my ferret.  I have a caladium, a purple queen,
a couple of cacti (which I have enough sense to keep out of the way) and a
strange tree-like plant about 5 feet tall with large, broad leaves (I have
no idea what it's called).  If anyone knows if any of these could be
dangerous to a plant-diggin' furry little fella', please advise!
 
Also, about cages- we usually let our ferret have free run of our well
ferret-proofed home while we are there, but at night or if we're away in the
daytime we cage him.  The cage he's in now is about 36" wide X 15" deep X
20" tall.  I feel like it's so small for my poor little baby.  We want a
bigger cage.  One of those 2 or 3 story ones would be nice, with all the
ramps and whatnot, but we just can't afford 2 or 3 hundred for it!  Does
anyone have a cage up for grabs, cheap, anywhere?  Or know where we can get
one?  We'd like to get another ferret soon too, so we need the space.  We
would possibly be willing to take a ferret with the cage!  We are in North
Florida, and willing to drive a BIT if need be.  Please e-mail me privately
with any info: <[log in to unmask]> Our ferret thanks you!!
 
Thanks anyone for any answers to you might have to my numerous
questions!  Happy ferreting!
Rachelle (Mommy)
David (Daddy)
McKyle (Wild Man)
[Posted in FML issue 2136]