The Baltimore Ferret Show will be held this Saturday, September 21st from
10:00 a.m.  until 6:00 P.M.  at the Annapolis Armory in Annapolis, Maryland.
There will be fun events all day, ferrets being shown in championship &
speciality rings, doubtless lots of vendors with customized ferret goodies,
etc.  Bring your ferret to compete in fun events - but also bring proof of
current canine distemper vaccination for entrance to the show.  Call
410-448-1281 for information.
 
carpet digger - Erika - try bitter apple in a tube - for furniture.  This is
pretty sticky but will not evaporate like liquid bitter apple.  Smear on
area where chewing is going on.  Ferret probably will not like it and give
up the game and find something else to get into.  Saved buttons on a leather
chair by using this - everyone decided these neat leather buttons not worth
the bad taste.  And very little dissuades my monsters.
 
Steve - anal scent glands are located on either side of the anus.  Up-ended
a couple of my intact ferrets to see how visible they were (they should not
be too easy to spot, or you might have a problem) - hard to see, but trust
me, they are there!  While whole hobs can be quite musky when in season, in
my experience, the jills are most apt to release their scent glands.  The
girls have "Jill spats".  This is usually accompanied by a lot of noise,
brushed tail and immediate release of scent glands.  And bummed out looks.
They never really hurt each other - just sorting out the top jill thing.
Their favorite place to conduct these spats seems to be under the covers at
night.  Now that will get you out of bed in a hurry!  If they are really
stinky, I rinse litte butts under tap and blot dry.  Otherwise, scent
usually dissapates in a few minutes.
 
Nilsa - Your baby ferret is quite young and probably missing litter mates
and mama.  Normal for baby to cry - and they do cry.  Handle baby as much as
possible, and if any of your other guys are very accepting of the new one,
put him/her in the cage with baby.  Baby will be happier with a real live
ferret companion.
 
Mush for kit - there have been various recipes reported.  What I use in
introducing kits to mush is chicken or turkey baby food, Totally Ferret
finely powdered in electric coffee grinder, and Esbilac puppy milk replacer.
Make it quite liquid at first and gradually move more toward regular feed as
kits mature.  I also give kits cooked chicken breast or turkey at about five
weeks.  This is a trip.  And you must mind your digits.  Kits become totally
feral, snatching and grabbing the offerred poultry.  They snap and bark at
each other and sometimes have tiffs over a choice morsel.  Well, after all,
they are carnivores!  This, introduced at an early age, will give them a
life long love of chicken and turkey and even beef.  Should not be a
replacement of regular diet but an adjunct.  And this can come in handy -
especially when ill - good source of protein.  The kits really go bonkers
over this - "And we have been getting mush when this was around - hey!"
 
BTW, for anyone who does not know it, BIG really does edit and get out the
FML in the wee hours of the morning.  With own busy schedule, I have flashed
out my mail several times recently at 2 or 3 a.m.  and been surprised to
have next days issue of FML coming in.  Hey, Bill, such dedication.  Has
anyone said "thank you" recently?  Well, Thank You!  Cheers, Meg
[Posted in FML issue 1695]