Greetings all!
 
I'm Jennifer, and I go by Batine or Batty online.  My husband Andy and I
are currently living here in Jacksonville, Florida and have a small zoo
in our apartment.  We currently have two 4 year old cats, Bonkers (F) and
Tigger (M), an adopted cockatiel named Moe, and my little furry girls,
Lydia and Pandora.
 
We moved here from the Detroit area for a better job 2 years ago.  Andy
works with another guy from Michigan, and we have met with him and his wife
a few times.  They have two 4 year old males, Floyd and Neitzche, 2 cats
and 2 med-large dogs.  The wife, Cari, works as a vet assistant.  We had
gotten our ferrets together to play once last year, and they all got along
beautifully.  Last week we were asked if we would like to adopt their 2
boys, as Cari did not have time for them anymore and was going to send them
to Mich to live with her sister otherwise.  My hubby said yes on the spot.
 
Last night we went to get the boys and their midwest cage and accessories.
they were already in a travel carrier waiting to go when we arrived.
 
Cari mentioned that Neitzche was having a little trouble with his legs but
could walk fine when he wanted to.  She did not elaborate further, nor tell
me any history on the boys.  I remember some from when we had first met
them, but it is sketchy.
 
When we got home, I brought all the ferrets into our bedroom to meet and
play under my supervision.  They were glad to come out and play, and as I
watched Neitzche and Floyd re-introduce themselves to my girls and cats, I
became quite horrified..he was unable to hold his back end up at all, and
drags himself by his front legs, his hind legs moving deliberately but
unable to support himself.  I picked him up to look at him, and his poor
undercarriage was rubbed raw and oozing blood from dragging himself around.
He was not like this the first time I saw him last year, and I am really
pissed that Cari who works for a vet has not taken him in for this.
 
I have been holding him up seeing how much strength he has in the back
legs, and I am hoping he can be rehabilitated.  He still gets around great
with his front legs, and both boys are sweet cuddly things and I am very in
love with them.  My husband instantly looked up ferret info and came across
this list, and found a great post from Daniel Poryanda from 7/23/97 that I
am going to try implementing.
 
I also was disgusted by the condition of the cage and accessories..  I was
cleaning the shelves for the cage and the water ran off brown.  Everything
smells like patchouli incense.  Their sleeping bag has never been washed
and was brown with dirt, and poor Neitzche leaks urine and cannot get his
bum into the litterpan to poop.  The hair on my scalp was tingling I was
so enraged.
 
I am so glad I took the boys now, and I am going to take them both to MY
vet, who specializes in ferrets, next week for a checkup and a diagnosis
on Neitzche.
 
Any thoughts you fine folks have on rehab techniques would be really
welcome, I have been scouring your archives too.
 
thanks for listening and for having such a great list going here.
 
Batty and Yeti
and our menagerie of doom
Bonkers and Tigger (meow)
Lydia and Pandora, Floyd and Neitzche
and Moe the featherhead.
[Posted in FML issue 2829]