First, hello, my name is Paige and I am the proud owner (or am I the one
who is actually owned??) of a chocolate ferret named Hershel Noel Wonka.
Just call him Hershey, he doesn't like the formality.  I recently acquired
this lovely addition from a wonderful loving person who runs a shelter
nearby named Dayna Frazier.  I work alot and needed a ferret that could
go to work with me, but whose energy levels were a bit lower than some.
Hershey is PERFECT for my lifestyle.  He does not dook very often and
doesn't seem to want to play very much.  Originally, I was also very
concerned about whether this meant I was a "bad mom" and my ferret was
bored.  It also didn't help that my good friend also has a ferret who dooks
every 5 seconds or so.
 
Then, through the kindness of Dayna's words and my own observations, I
realized that (*in my particular case*) my worries were more a result of
my own insecurity about being responsible for another life and constantly
comparing myself and my ferret to others and questioning my own abilities.
I keep reminding myself that every ferret is unique.  Why should every
ferret dook until his heart explodes, and why should I expect that to be
the only indication of his love for me?
 
If Hershey were truly bored, he would not interact at all with his
environment and his health would also start to decline.  He would indeed
sleep alot, but ferrets need alot of sleep anyway.
 
So, he might not dook, but he does show me in other very special ways that
he is happy.  He follows me around just to see where I am (though it is
probably more to see if I am going to open a door or give him a cheerio ;)).
He explores the house and likes to lounge in one of his hammocks and watch
the world go by (he always goes to his cage bed when he wants to just
sleep.  I get plenty of nose kisses and play every now and then.  He will
often pounce on a toy, but just would rather play with himself.  Even to
the point that sometimes he will stop playing if I interrupt his game to
try to get him to play with me.  Once I started to accept these gifts as
signs of his affection rather than expecting that he give me certain
specific signs, I felt much more at ease.  Even though dooking is cute, it
is simply wrong and sterotypical to think that every ferret will do it
often.
 
I am sorry to ramble and take up so much space, but when I read those
messages about people so concerned about being bad parents I really only
had one thought.
 
"The bad parents are the one that don't bother to EVER ask that question."
 
So, give your fuzzy a kiss, make sure he is healthy, and just love him/her
the way they are.
 
Paige
Hershey (Mom, you just think you're funny.  This bag, now THAT's funny!)
[Posted in FML issue 2496]