I'm so sorry to hear about Snow.  Just remember that he's happily drinking
from the ferretone waterfalls and tunneling through dirt mountain even as
we speak/write.  You will be reunited one day, just have paitence.
 
In response to the question about ferrets and depression - YES!  Our
beloved fuzzbutts can get depressed after the loss of a loved one.  Ferts
are highly social creatures and this is one of the reasons that some
fuzzies are only adopted out from shelters in pairs.  They form close bonds
with each other...just like people.  My Stimy got very sick after his
lifetime love, Allie, slipped away from us.  While she was sick, he
constantly wanted to play with her...and it broke my heart to seperate them
when she had so short a time left, but he was simply too rough.  After she
left us for the bridge, he spent almost all of his time lying in front of
the door to the room she'd spent her last days in...just waiting to go in
and see her.  When I'd show him that she wasn't there, he'd go looking
elsewhere in the house.  For almost a week he was just lethargic and
sad...I know the sad look in their eyes that you're talking about..it just
breaks your heart.  Then he got real sick.  I think it was when he realized
that she'd left us and wasn't just playing hide-and-seek with him.  Stimy
was on antibiodics for two weeks.  He got better physically, but I didn't
really see the depression subside until he formed a tighter bond with my
Jerry.  Now he seems fine.  It's been almost 4 months.  As they say, time
heals all wounds.
 
Just give Charlie that extra love that you have for him....and maybe an
extra raisin or two.  He's just hurting.  He'll probably snap out of it
in time.
 
Lot of love and dooks,
Kim and the troublesome two, Jerry and Stimy
[Posted in FML issue 3196]