>Date:  Sun, 29 Nov 1992 16:44:31 -0500
>From:  Gowsell <[log in to unmask]>
>
>Anyway, My name is Inez Gowsell, I live in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan
 
Hey, another Saskatchewanian! What does that make, 3 altogether on the
list, Chris? Just my luck, the other two both live in Saskatoon; I don't
know *any* other ferret aficionados here in Regina (heavy sigh :). Anyway,
welcome to the list Inez!
 
[If there's three Saskatchewanians, that means that half of the Canadian
FMLers are there...  Well, not really, but close.]
 
     Well, Cassidy's up to 1 lb, 10 oz. Her growth seems to be tapering off;
she was gaining an average of about 1/2 ounce per day, but is down to around
1/3 and falling. I'd still like to see her reach 2 lbs, just so she's closer
to Buddy's 2.5. Am I concerned too much about her weight? How does it compare
to that of other female ferrets out there? Or will she probably still grow a
fair bit? (she's just over 3 months old). I guess the important thing is that
she's healthy and happy (*very* happy; sometimes when she's especially excited
she goes into a 'ferret frenzy', hopping around like mad, rolling around, even
turning somersaults. It seems to be a notch above the normal 'ferret-dance' :).
 
     Speaking of ferret weight, I wanted to ask about feeding. I've always
let Buddy eat 'free choice', and he seems to regulate his intake properly
on his own. I've been doing the same with Cassidy. Since I've been doing so,
the two of them have been going through much more than twice what Buddy went
through by himself. In the morning I put out what used to last Buddy a couple
of days, and when I get home it's all gone and I have to put out more. Neither
of them appears to be getting overweight. I assume Cassidy is eating most of
it because she's young and growing. I'm worried, though, that she may get in
the habit of eating a lot, and become overweight when she's older. Am I again
worrying over nothing?
 
>Date:  Mon, 30 Nov 1992 11:14:29 -0500
>From:  [log in to unmask] (Brian Hughes)
>
>OK, we were thinking about getting Squirt a playmate.  Squirt's about
>3 years old and is very well behaved (for a carpet shark anyway).  She
>has never bitten anyone or anything (not made of rubber) and is very
>good about using her litter box way back in the bedroom.  My concern is
>that 1, we get a monster who bites and craps in every corner of the house.
>and 2, the new monster teaches Squirt these nasty habits.  I realize
>from this 'forum' that I've been quite fortunate with Squirt and
>probably shouldn't expect this level of discipline from other weasels.
>
>Anyway, here's my questions:
>
>       - Are my concerns warranted?  (Will Squirt degenerate?)
 
Being pretty much a beginning ferreter (I got Buddy, my first, in May), I'm
not really an authority. However, I *can* say that Buddy is *much* happier
since I got Cassidy. Before he seemed to be bored most of the time, and was
only occasionally playful. Since I got Cassidy, though, this has changed.
For the first week or so he didn't know what to make of the newcomer, and
would either bite or run away when I put them together. However, after the
initial adjustment he warmed right up to her. Now they play together, wrestle
together, sleep together, and generally follow each other around. Buddy also
seems a little more affectionate towards *me* now. As for bad habits, Cassidy
nips a lot in play, but Buddy bites only when quite upset, and then rarely
(he's bitten me a total of 5 or 6 times, most of those during a short period
before he learned that biting me was *not* a good idea). Cassidy on the other
hand seems to already be better at litter training than Buddy (who still often
poops *beside* the litter box; ARGH! :). So it appears that neither of mine
has picked up bad habits from the other. I'd suggest you handle a prospective
ferret for a long time, to get an idea what sort of temperament it has. This
won't help predict how well it will take to litter training, but may reveal
a 'biter' (though I think most biters will learn proper behavior if you
discipline when bad, praise when good).
 
John, Buddy, and Cassidy
 
[Posted in FML issue 0370]