Lisette writes:
 
>3. If I decide to get a big moose ferret a year or two from now, could
>someone please tell me the bad stuff now??  Bigger poop~ need a bigger
>cage?  They can jump higher or farther?  They are much stronger and break
>more things?
 
Well, I can really only speak for White Russian...he's the only really
muscular boy I have, although I have some others that almost weigh as much.
I've never noticed bigger poop...don't know why, although he's only 4 solid
lbs., not 6 or 7 like some I've read about.  He certainly can't jump very
high or far...he's actually a tad klutzy but he is definitely stronger.  He
can push a 4 level cage (fully of ferrets and a litter box) away from the
wall with his head so he can walk behind it.  He kind of waddles when he
runs and looks like he couldn't go very fast, but when he was still whole
and started going into rut, he was able to stay right on our little
Chablis' tail (and she runs like the wind!) Must have been the hormones. ;)
He hasn't broken anything yet...just moves whatever is in his way...out of
his way.  Naturally, they need a good size cage just to be able to move
around comfortably.
 
>4. At the ferret show last year, I walked by these big ferrets and they
>smelled really terrible.  I have almost no sense of smell.  Do the big
>ferrets smell terrible because they are in heat, un-neutered, or because
>they are poofing at the show?? ...
 
At ferret shows, most of the really big boys you see are hobs.  Some were
more than likely in rut.  They get greasy and several together can be very
"noticeable".  An un-neutered male does smell more strongly than a neutered
male.  A male in rut smells MUCH more strongly than any other male.  I
doubt they were "poofing" at the show...but it's possible.  When you saw
White Russian, he was not yet going into rut.  I DID, however, give him a
nice bath that morning.  Since he was whole then, I didn't want him to
offend anyone, or turn them off to ferrets.  Personally (and I'm not the
only one), I love the smell of a hob.  I could just bury my face in their
fur and inhale!  I did not intend to ever neuter Russian as I felt he was
"perfect" and did not want his looks to change, which they always do to
some extent.  When he did start going into rut, though, he was much too
rough on my other boys and had all the little girls screaming as he dragged
them around the house.  There were bloodied backs as I had another hob at
the time.  I ended up having to only let Russian out to play by himself,
which depressed him immensely.  Having to decide between the most fantastic
looking ferret in the universe and the happiest ferret in the universe, I
chose to make him the happiest.  He has changed...not as much as Kodiak
did, but he's changed.  Instead of being "ethreal", he's just a damned good
looking boy now.  There have been times I've briefly regretted it...but
seeing him playing with his friends so happily keeps those times brief.
He's such a special boy, I would, of course, love him if he were skinny and
bald!  As much as I love the smell of hobs, too many in rut in a confined
space can be a bit much.  I'm sure that was the problem at the show.
 
>If I got one of the big ferrets, would it smell so much?  Please forgive
>my ignorance.  I would love your ferret even if it was Really odiferous.
 
If you got a big ferret that was a late neuter, he wouldn't smell anymore
than your other ferrets.  If you got a whole hob, he would only get really,
really smelly when in rut.  The rest of the time, while you could tell the
difference, it wouldn't be very bad at all.
 
I'm no expert, but this has been my admittedly limited experience...three
hobs, all three late neuters.
[Posted in FML issue 2814]