Hello, everyone.
 
Condolences to those who have lost a fuzzbut to the Rainbow Bridge.  Not
to worry, though.  Once Skeeter is done with them, Misti-Ferret and
Silver-Dude are there to show them just where the most fun can be had.
 
PET STORE KITS
 
I went to the local Super Pets store last night to get more snacks for the
Fuzzbutt Rodeo Clowns.  As usual, I went to see the ferrets.  They had four
babies in there and a prominent sign, saying "The ferrets WILL BITE!  Ask
for assistance!"  I asked permission to hold them.  As I moved the top, two
of the ferrets came over to my side and began leaping and trying to bite my
hand.  Being babies, and me being knowledgeable about what they were trying
to do, they were unsuccessful in that.  I waited my chance, then grabbed
one.  Once I had him on my chest and was cuddling him, he no longer wanted
to bite me.  He just sniffed and sniffed and sniffed...then stuck his nose
in my ear, then licked my glasses.  Typical baby.  I then put him back and
picked up the other (albino) and held him, as well.  When I had reached in
for him, he tried to bite me, too.  However, when I got him on my chest,
again, there was no biting at all...just normal excessive curiosity.
 
After putting the second one back, I realized why they were probably
nippers.  There were four ferrets in the cage and only two little balls for
them to play with.  Nothing else.  No hammocks, no tents, no rags to hide
in...nothing.  The cage was really a large glass enclosure about two feet
high, with a large wire-frame "lid" over it.  There was recycled
paper-litter (large clumps of soft post-consumer paper product) covering
the bottom and a single litter box (used with about 80% accuracy from the
looks of things).  They also have a heavy food dish and water dish.  Other
than the two balls, nothing else was in the cage.  I've tried any number of
times to educate the manager and staff on what these poor little fuzzbutts
need and they seem to listen and write things down...but the next time I
go in the store, things are still the same.  Since the little babies have
nothing to do with their time, they get riled up and have nowhere to get
out their energies.  No *wonder* they nip and attack!
 
RAIN-WATCHING
 
We got rain the other day.  Tons of it.  In a very short time.  The ferrets
were excited.  That's an understatement.  They were *VERY* excited!!!  The
bottom of my storm door is aluminum and they are all too short to see over
that barrier.  I like to leave the door open so they can get fresh air, but
the screen is in the top half of the door, so they can't escape.  Though
they could stand on an end table that was several feet from the door and
look out, they wanted to *see* the rain.  So I ended up picking them up one
at a time and holding them up to the screen so they could watch the rain
pour down and they could sniff the rain and lick the drops on the screen.
 
Well, then the wind decided to join in.  The rain began to blow in through
the screen in small gusts.  The ferrets went nuts!  The just *loved*
getting those tiny drops all over their noses and snouts! :)  Ziggy (my
seemingly deaf, but war dancing screwball) started bouncing off the end
table and the bookshelf and the door and the other ferrets.  Of course, as
soon as he caromed into another ferret, *that* one would start bouncing off
things and *they* would hit another ferret and...well, you get the picture.
Within just a minute or so, every ferret in the house was flipping out
because of a little bit of spray through a screen! :)
 
RE-PACK, PLEASE
 
I had a package that I needed to ship out.  It was on the kitchen table.
The chairs had been pulled well away from the table, because my ferrets
can climb onto those chairs and from there, get on the table.  Hershey, it
seems, can fly.  He can get to places where none of my other ferrets can
get to.  He can leap incredible distanced.  He can levitate.  He can defy
gravity (I watched him thumb his nose at it once).  He gave manufacturers
that "Shrink-To-Fit" idea.  The only place in my house that he hasn't
managed to get to is the top of my refrigerator.
 
Well, you guessed it.  Somehow, he must have rigged up a hang-glider and
bridged the distance from the chairs to the table.  He then shoved the
package onto the floor, where he enlisted the aid of all of the other
ferrets in getting the package open, then he tossed out all the packing
peanuts and dragged the contents out (defective computer parts) and got
*them* out of their boxes, then out of their wrappings!!!  After he was
done, he got bored and speed bumped, waiting for inspiration to hit him
for another grand scheme.  I think I'd better hide the car keys.
 
Todd and the Fuzzbutt Rodeo Clowns.
 
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[Posted in FML issue 2803]