Last week was over visiting pretty Liane to see Mr. (neutered) Mink in
her garage before he was transported over to Tracy's ferret shelter in
Spokane.
 
He's a fine looking specimen.  So quick and alert and such a busy little
pink tongue.  He was very busy licking the bars on the cage door while at
the same time chewing.  He "played" with me by squeeling his little
drawn-out screams and would scurry around the cage to partially hide in the
towelling, all the time peeking out to see just where I was.  He tried as
best he could to chew my little white beard when I was down close to him at
his level, but not exactly nose-to-nose.  Of course my nose is a lot bigger
than his, and believe you me, I wasn't going to offer him any part of my
nose.  So I just let him scruff around and nuzzle my beard as best he could
thru the cage bars.  He was delightful and so very animated.
 
I am pleased that his behavior is pretty much like my little female mink,
Miss Minky.  However, He didn't mock charge me like little Miss Minky
charges me when I puff her thru pursed lips from outside her cage.  Miss
Minky will hunker down in her nest box and pretend to be looking away from
me while I pretend I'm sneaking up on her very, very slowly.  Then after
freezing in a mock "pre-attack" attitude and I then suddendly "puff" her,
she'll launch herself directly at my face and "spit" at me between her
front paws as they clutch the cage just millimeters from my face.  Then
she'll utter a low, long drawn out sort of a whine all the while stamping
her rear paws and swiftly snapping here tail left and right.
 
I get the sense that she's saying to herself: One of these days I'm a gonna
get you good, little Eddie!
 
She seems to enjoy this little game of prey and victim (I being the victim)
and will assume the partially hidden ambush attitude almost everytime I
walk into the Ferrets NorthWest reception room.  Maybe Mr. Mink will play
like that with Tracy.
 
By the way, I noticed that his whiskers were very short and broken.  Also
he appeared to be without his two upper canine teeth, but I must confess,
using a flashlight in pretty Liane's garage, it was rather difficult to see
in his upper maxillary jaw.  It could be that his maxillary K9's were worn
down, broken off, or decayed out of his mouth.
 
Tracy, assuming you have him now in your possession, could you give us all
back here a report on how you find him and his behavior?  I don't know for
sure how many people here are really interested in him (or my mink for that
matter) but I sure would like to hear how's he's doing in your care from
time to time.  Maybe some others would be interested in him too, since he's
so very much like a feisty ferret.
 
Post your report on the mailing lists so we all can benefit from your
knowledge and what you are finding out about him day by day.
 
Thanks a lot.                            Edward Lipinski  @   FNW
[Posted in FML issue 2919]