First a little history from my journal I keep on just the ferrets:
 
"6-29-03 (update)
 
Friday I picked up 3 ferrets to babysit.  3 girls, Shmitz (the biter with
bright red, polished toenails so I can tell it s her), Quinn and Bandit.
Now we have my Bandit I and the other Bandit II.  They all get along
great except for Goose.  He hates the new girls and has been moved to a
carrier by himself.  It s a good thing he s a loner or I d feel bad for
him.  The new girls are a load of fun.  The play, war dance and laugh
with the rest.  I trimmed toenails as soon as we got them home.  Their
toenails were TERRIBLE!  Ears need to be done to, but I ll need help for
that..  Shmitz is definitely a biter.  She s nailed me once and got close
a couple of times.  She nailed a house guest this morning *chuckles*.
Poor Mark.  They have the most unusual facial markings.  They must be out
of the same litter with the mottled "freckles" from the top of the head
to their cute little noses.  They go back home on the 8th probably.  I m
going to miss them, but it will be business back as usual again."
 
Remember "It s a good thing he s a loner or I d feel bad for him".  Move
up to the next and latest entry (as you can tell it's not an everyday
thing):
 
 
"7-18-03 (Goose s show of love)
 
The girls went home on the 8th.  As I said they would.  Goose was put
back with the others.  No sooner had I put him back I heard screaming and
fighting from Goose and Aaron and then a different ferret.  I thought
everything was going to be easy.  Goose apparently still smelled the
girls and now he was hunting down with the stealth of a plow and
attacking the other ferrets.  It was late evening no time to settle
things.  I put him back in time out.  I was to give all the kids a bath
so everyone smelled like everyone else the next day bedding changed cage
wiped down.
 
The next morning came around up at 5:00 am to go to work.  Let kids out
for an hour of play-time.  I let Goose out with them for reasons unknown.
I don t know why I thought it would be any different and I certainly wasn
t disappointed.  Again he went after Aaron.  This time I was there to
watch the beginning of the exchange.
 
Now keep in mind Goose is nearly twice as big as the biggest of the
business.  He s a loner never playing with anyone.  I have only just
gotten him to play a little with me.  He enjoys a little bit of love from
the hoomans, but not much.  He cuddles with the other 5 when it s time
for bed, but that s the only real contact he has with them.
 
So leave me to say that what I saw surprised me to say the least.  Goose
is not the loner I thought he was.  Imagine a body twice your size and
more for the littler ferrets coming upon you and forcing himself upon
your body and doing a super-groom from head to toe or trying to.  It s
all a little overwhelming, I m sure.  The others were bombarded by Goose
hunting them down and telling them how happy he was to see them again and
he missed them.  They tried to fight the mush beast off.
 
It broke my heart and warmed it at the same time.  I m sure now that this
was all he was trying to do to the girls.  He was welcoming them in they
were just completely overwhelmed by this big galoot.  And now I know he
is not a loner and craves the company of his cage-mates as much as they
all crave each others.  I put him in time out for a week for being nice.
I gently squished Aaron to the floor as I would when scritching him
(since he automatically flattens anyway when I try to pet him) and I let
Goose do what he s been trying so hard to do all this time.  Goose
started with Aaron s tail and nee-need (like when they scratch an itch
with their teeth) from end to end.  As long as I kept Aaron occupied with
my attentions he didn t mind Goose at all.  Goose then went for the neck
and nee-need there, too.  He went deep into the small abyss of Aaron s
ears like there was no tomorrow.  The vigor in which he took to his task
was admirable.  He was in heaven he was back home he was a part of the
family again.
 
After each one done, there was another to groom until all five were
properly groomed, ears cleaned, fur fluffed and all is now back to
normal.  Well, almost.  He seems to play a little more with the others
every now and again.  He has gently played with the littlest one and has
chased and war danced a bit with the others.  He still doesn t play like
the average everyday ferret, but he takes just a bit more time with the
others and is weaved into the pile of fur so he touches as many as he can
when sleeping.
 
I learn more about these small companions all the time.  I underestimated
the love they have for me before.  Now, again...I underestimated that
same love...but it's the love they have for each other.  Even the most
aloof ferret can and does require the contact of another...especially
when they share their lives so closely with the rest of the business...
or whomever/whatever they choose to call companion."
 
...SO LOVE YOUR FUZZIES!!
 
Veronica
 
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Henry County Humane Society  http://www.phchs.petfinder.org
[Posted in FML issue 4213]