>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 ...
 
With two of mine, the ferretone-on-tummy thing works great.  But with my
little girl, Faya, no way!  With her I have to have my fiance scruff while I
quickly clip away.  Have you tried scruffing?  If not, you could give it
try.  Some ferrets manage to wiggle even when scruffed, but most are still.
I always give her a treat after her nail-clipping, so that she knows that
she's been a good girl (even though she was scruffed).  Just always make
sure never to cut too short, because if the quick is severed, it will bleed
profusely and is hard to stop.  One tip is to keep Kwik-Stop Styptic powder
close at hand.  This is found at many pet stores and works great to stop the
bleeding if a nail is accidentally cut too short.
 
>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) an d a
>strange tree-like plant about 5 feet tall with large, broad leaves ...
 
Phew, I am so glad that you asked!!!  Caladium can be very dangerous!!!  If
consumed it can cause symptoms like: swollen mouth/sore lips and is
potentially fatal if esophageal swelling occurs.  I am not familiar with the
purple queen.  Is it related or equivalent as the marble queen?  If so, be
careful.  The marble queen has the same effects as the caladium.  Both
plants contain calcium oxalate crystals which cause the swelling.  As for
the cacti: all cacti are safe.  But make sure that that is what they are.
Many plants look like cacti, but are not, and may be poisonous.  But is
you're sure they're cacti, then don't worry.  As for the last plant you
described, well I have no idea what it is either, but I suggest you look it
up to find out :).  Anyways, keeping them all out of range is really the
best thing to do- because most ferts love to dig in the dirt, which isn't
good for your carpet or the plant.
 
Anyhoo, I am not really sure about availability of cages in Florida.  I got
a nice sized, three story white plastic covering metal cage, at a local pet
store (Animal Kingdom) for 130 dollars.  Many people custom make cages of
all sorts for a decent price- check you local newspaper, pet shops and phone
book.  Occasionally there are used cages for good prices in the newspaper.
Good luck in the search!!!
 
Dooks to All!!
Jennifer M. Coyer CVT
Fred, Faya and Zero the Fuzzmunckins
[Posted in FML issue 2137]