To Edward
        Please accept my condolences on the loss of your ferret.  But I
don't think you caused her death with the recliner...my friend's ferret
experienced much the same symptoms as you described (trouble breathing etc.)
and passed away from a fatal lung infection.  They tried various things but
were unable to prevent it.  I know this doesn't make it any easier, but at
least you can eliminate the guilt from your grieving process.
 
re :Colloidial Silver
>I tell you I still love the stuff, not only does it seem to save the ferrets
>from ECE, colds, and many other things,
 
      I have a rather old ferret (6 1/2) who seems to slowly be fading in
general.  He had an operation for a tumour on his penis and now, months
later, is a lot less active and his lindlegs seems weaker.  Also his teeth
are in very poor shape and seems to be bothering him a little bit. Will the
Collodial Silver give him a bit if an over all boost??  Can it help his
immune system do all the work so that my ancient boy can enjoy himself a bit
more??  I don't think he has long left, despite getting a clean bill of
health from the vet.  I would just like his last little bit to be as comfy
as possible.
 
> Anyone else notice their ferrets trying to look like another little ferret
>friend?
 
     Not really, but the first few years after I bought my silver mitt kit,
BooBoo, he decided he would like to be an imitation sable and went all
brown and yellow.  I bought a sable one winter and couldn't tell them apart
because they were alomost identical, right down to their little white paws.
It wasn't until recently that someone told me that silvers will often do
this and sometimes actually never return to being silver.  Unfortunately, I
gave that little female to some people whose ferret needed her more than
mine did and then I lost touch with them.  What a shame...I'm curious to
know if she suddenly decide to be silver one day again, like BooBoo did and
has been ever since.
 
>Yesterday I noticed Maggie walking strangely on her hind legs, and she was
>not nearly as ready to romp and play as usual.  When we watched her more
>closely, we noticed that she was favoring her back left leg.
 
        Much the same thing happened to Nick and it went away on its own
after a few weeks.  We suspected a pulled ligament or perhaps a slight
fracture and the vet couldn't tell so he said to let it heal itself.  I
don't much about ferret paralysis, but if it's just one leg I would suspect
that she may have hurt it playing or something.
 
>Hey, anybody else have watermelon loving ferrets?
 
      Like watermelon??? Try *LOVE* watermelon!!  Mine go crazy for it and
as a matter of fact i have to share my breakfast with them everyday, or
they'll be very upset.  I have a friend whose ferret plays dead on command
for a piece of watermealon as compensation!!!  Now if that isn't a true
watermelon ferret, i dunno what is!!!  Except when they don't eat it all it
dries into a sticky candylike substance on the floor and is really difficult
to remove.  *sigh*  I've never had any problems from feeding it to them, as
long as they don't get so much that it affects their normal eating habits.
Except i don't let them eat teh rinds, which I heard can cause stomach upset
sometimes.
 
>However, it has been a week and a half and Mandy still squeeks like a
>wounded bird when they come near her.  She hides whenever the other two are
>playing or runs to lay on me.
 
      When I first got Ashley she hadn't seen another ferret from the age
of two weeks (she was the only survivor of an orphaned hand fed litter) and
by this point she was 3 1/2 years old.  To say my ferrets terrified her
would be an understatement.  She went wild with fear and tried to appear
mean (kind of funny really since she's only about the size of my
hand)...everytime a ferret went near her she would let out this hugh pitched
squeal (she actually sounded quite insane).  But I know my ferrets are very
gentle, even when they're trying to eat another ferret or drag it around, so
I made her stick it out.  I just tossed em all in a cage together and let
them get used to each other.  After maybe two weeks tops she was so
enamoured with them that she couldn't stay away from them. Now she hounds
them relentlessly and they are the ones running from her!!
 
     Also someone mentioned tying the litter box down with twist ties...
that's not so hot an idea because I know several ferrets who enjoy eating
the coating off the twist ties and then risking injury by poking themselves
with the wire.  A better idea are "zap straps", or cable ties, which are
available at your hardware store.  Once they are affixed they are virtually
impossible to move unless you cut them off with scissors.  I buy 'em bulk :)
------
Joop (stop calling me fat!!You're hurting my feelings.I'll accept a treat as
an apology though...)
BooBoo (where's my teddy bear???Who shoved it in this box?What?I did?? oh...)
the ancient Fang -never mind, he's asleep-
Ashley (hey what's in this plastic bag??Oh goody, dirty litter!I'll just dig
it all out for mum...)
Chloe and Shadow (wahhhhhh let us out!!!!)
------
[Posted in FML issue 1275]