>Dear Jenna,
In response to your post,
>I always get the same impression from every ferret owner: ferrets are some
>of the most wonderful pets; right up there with cats and dogs.
And honestly and sincerely they are....it sounds like through reading your
message you have not given Kazul a chance...I am not saying this harshly, or
judgemental, but you cannot bond with an animal first off, if you are
afraid, and secondly, if Kazul is never taken out of her cage....
One of my biggest joys is watching my little Morrow (and previously passed
Colours). I could have a really, really terrible, rotten day at work, get
home and as always, let them out to play and they can with their "high on
life" attitude just turn a mood around in a heartbeat!
>I don't consider her a danger to me or to anyone. I just can't relax with
>her when I keep worrying about her biting me.
When they are babies, they are teething..
>But that the whole family avoids her does tend to stress me out a bit as
>well.
When I first bought Morrow, my first ferret, she was so tiny! I brought her
in the house and she got "ansy" and I accidently dropped her. She hit the
ground and turned up at me and hissed at me BIG TIME. I thought "oh, no,
what have I gotten myself in to"? I had never been around Ferrets before,
and was a bit afraid of her too. At the time I bought Morrow, my mother was
alive and didn't like her either. But the day that Morrow was out playing
around, (at the time I also had 2 dogs (big ones), someone knocked at the
door, dogs went running and barking, and SO DID MORROW! She followed those
dogs , dooking away! Tiny thing...anyway, point being, turned even the
biggest frown into a smile:)
>I can't teach Kazul not to bite. I am a terrible trainer.
I cannot say that I am a good trainer either, but through the help of a very
good friend that was very knowledgeable about ferrets (I bought both of my
ferts from him - he managed a petstore) he showed me how, as to when they
bite when they are little, is to take your thumb, and rub it down to the
front of their nose with a "no!" at the same time. He said NEVER hit them
with a no, and I agree! But, it worked. Neither Morrow or Colours EVER bit
anyone human. Morrow, upon being a baby, had to be "caged" at night tho,
because she used to sneak up and try and steal the earrings out of my ears
while I was asleep!
Nevertheless my ferrets (having a 7 year old daughter) have previouly
visited the daycare when she was little, and still continue to be the center
of attention amoung the children in the neighborhood. Now? After hearing
about Kodo, I will have to retract from doing this....
I have 4 dogs, now but not for long, Morrow, and 8 gueinia pigs. ALL my
animals live in harmony! Colours, upon getting angry at my minature italian
greyhound, if he played too rough with her, would bite HIM! And I would
just calming laugh to myself and say "GO at it GIRL", cause she taught him a
lesson! This did not make her aggressive, towards humans either....
Forefinger in mouth, slide thumb down nose, NO!
>Another reason that I do not feel real close to my ferret is that I can not
>have her out and about, running around freely. My house is very large.
Limit her to a room to play in...
>quite some time. I don't wan't to go on feeling like a stranger to her.
>Heck, some of you live with and manage *multiple* ferret friends...
You should not feel guilty about a "feeling". But, I believe if you hang on
here, continue to hear stories and read up (another thing this guy sent home
with me was a BOOK...perhaps you will lose your fear in time. If not,
perhaps you might find a home for her.....
All of us cannot be "compatible" with every animal we meet.....
My ferrets have brought me more joy and laughter then even I could possibly
imagine! Losing Colours near about devestated me. It has just been two
weeks and I have to keep holding Morrow (she gets annoyed with me cause she
wants to PLAY).... and kissing her and I'm so afraid that something's going
to happen to her.....
Nevertheless, GOOD LUCK!
[Posted in FML issue 1931]
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