After listing all the reasons why I shouldn't have ferrets anymore,
two weeks ago I took the plunge again and adopted 2 ferrets. Thank you
to every one who gave me words of encouragement and advice when I was
indecisive about whether or not to adopt these ferrets. Special thanks
to Brenda Johnson, who made my decision definitive when I heard about
the shelter they came from and realized there was a possibility they
could end up back there or even worse, since they came from craigslist.

Now about the weasels: they are about 1 1/2 yrs. old, a DEW male named
Spooky, Undercover Agent, and a dark sable female named Xena Warrior
Princess. It is such a joy to watch Spooky & Xena wrestle, chase,
pounce and fang in the tube. It is so different from Minky & Klondike,
who were old and ill when I got them. I don't regret taking them for a
second and I still mourn them, but this is my first experience having
2 young ferrets. Though I got Rocky as a kit and had lots of fun with
him, he didn't have anyone to play ferret games with. Coincidentally,
Spooky & Xena are the same color combinations as Minky & Klondike were,
and I often call Xena "Minky" and Spooky "Klondike." They don't look
the same other than color. Klondike was really big and had dark ruby
eyes; Spooky is smaller and slim and his eyes look brown. Minky had a
T mask, while Xena has an interesting thick V mask and she also has a
zipper.

They are arch enemies, with Spooky trying to capture and interrogate
the elusive Xena. In secret, however, they love each other. When Spooky
& Xena are wrestling, he sometimes drags her by the neck, but only if
she lets him. She can hold her own with him even though he's bigger.
In general, he is mellower, though you can't hold him. Xena doesn't
mind being held and often gives kisses but also bites and does
lick-lick-chomp. I suspect she would be a good mouser, though I doubt
there would ever be a mouse in my new apartment.

Xena is a collector of containers, some of which she steals from the
recycle area in the kitchen and others, sometimes filled, from wherever
they happen to be. Her most treasured possession is a bottle of Baby
Bubble Bath that came with the Baby Shampoo I bought. [BTW, always try
these products on yourself first. I bought a generic version and it
stung my eyes, so I returned it for Johnson & Johnson. I believe in
human testing of products to be used for animals.] Xena saw this
smallish bottle sitting on the edge of the tub and grabbed it with both
paws as if they were hands! She likes the Baby Bath Wash/ Bubble Bath
so much that she hid it in a corner behind some speakers and sometimes
sleeps by it LOL. Her latest acquisition is a large bottle of carpet
stain remover from the bedroom, which she dragged all the way into the
living room and hid it in between parts of the cage that came with
these ferrets. I am only allowing her to have one of each item; she
can't have all the empty milk bottles and orange juice cartons we
recycle. I had to set limits somewhere. I think she will build a
fortress with these containers to deter any foes.

Spooky is a persistent explorer who goes to great heights and faces
grave danger. The one cool day we had in months, when we were able to
open the windows, I found him on the widow sill in the bedroom (which I
never thought he could get up to) just as he reached where the window
was open. Then I didn't see him around for awhile, so I went into the
living room to look for him and saw him in the same place at that
window. I nearly had a heart attack both times. We closed the windows
and when I figured out how he got up to the bedroom window sill I moved
an item he climbed onto. He will no longer be allowed in the living
room alone if the window is open. Since we've had the AC on and the
windows are closed all the time he seems to have lost interest and
hasn't gone up to the living room window, which he can still climb up
to. He is definitely an adept climber who will explore wherever he can.

My new babies are the best ferapists. They get me out of bed early in
the morning and make me so happy when I watch them play. I am always
so happy to come home and see them. Despite the down sides of having
ferrets, I'm so glad to have them. Thanks to Wolfy for telling me not
to leave the FML even if I didn't have ferrets.

I still grieve for Minky & Klondike. Minky passed away last September
and Klondike in March. I miss my little polar bear terribly and Dr.
Minky too. It is sad to me that when I got them I never had a chance
to write much about them because I was always asking for advice about
their medical problems. But my experience with them made me realize why
some of you take in old, ill ferrets. Taking care of them and giving
them some happiness, especially after the abuse they experienced, was a
spiritual experience. I have finally gotten to the point where I think
of the happy times I had with Rocky, who died in March 2009, except for
the way he died (heart stick).

Thanks to all of you for being who you are and helping me along the
way in the wonderful world of ferrets.

Shron,
Spooky & Xena
In Memory of Rocky, Minky & Klondike

[Posted in FML 7508]