Hi Fellow Ferret Fanciers!
 
RE: COATS or SWEATERS FOR FERRETS: Oliver tends to get chilly on cold days
and usually wants up (and inside my sweater) a few times during our walks.
Last year, when he was little, I tried cutting the end off a sock and
putting it on him.  Naturally, he had it off in seconds.  Anyone know where
I could order/purchase a "fuzzy-sweater"?
 
RE: CLEANING THE LITTERBOX: Once daily, I use a kitty-box pooper scooper to
take out the solid stuff and flush it down the toilet.  Then I use the
scooper to "rake" the wet litter into the dry.  Keeps litter fresher longer!
(I dump the enitre load and clean box about once weekly.) No odour ever!
 
RE: NOT POOPING IN BOX: Elizabeth Draus posted an exasperated note about her
fuzzies refusing to poop in the litter boxes.  Whenever I've had to move
Oliver's litterboxes (one in livingroom; one in bedroom) I've always put his
nap-basket, car-carrier or food tray in the OLD litterbox location.  He'd
never dream of pooping where he sleeps or eats!  Works like a charm!
 
RE: BRUSHING TEETH: It never dawned on me before I read some postings last
week in this regard that Oliver needs his teeth brushed too!  Well, I ran
right out to look for a ferret toothbrush and toothpaste.  My local petstore
had a cat toothbrush (HUGE!  - maybe for lions -???) and some malt-flavoured
toothpaste for an astronomical price.  They also had rubber fingers with
bristles on them - also huge.  Another place carried chicken-flavoured
toothpaste.  I checked drugstores for the little rubber finger-brushed used
for babies and could find NONE!  Finally I settled for a very tiny, very
soft baby toothbrush - which seems just fine.  Now, for the toothpaste: I
knew Oliver would not be interested in malt or chicken flavour.  He has no
interest in chicken, any meat or dairy, but he loves red licorice and
swedish berries (anything fruity smelling - and before I get flamed - he
gets these on RARE occasions).  So I checked for a tutti-fruiti kid's
toothpaste and the closest I could come was bubblegum flavour.  Well, the
true test came on Wednesday when we tried the exercise.  He was surprisingly
good about it.  Didn't appear to like the pastiness/grittiness and grimaced
a couple of times - but was a pretty good boy.  He was rewarded with a dab
of diluted linatone and was unperturbed.  I could not find a toothpaste that
didn't contain flouride - even the petsore versions contained it - it this
something to be concerned about?
 
RE: NAIL TRIMMING: Oliver need a manicure *grin* about once a week.  His
nails grow quite quickly.  I use cat clippers and find they work very well.
I started doing his nails when he was asleep (babies sleep so soundly) but
nbow that he's a big boy (1 yr.  old) he permits this activity while wide
awake - usually with little or no struggle.  I was just wondering how often
most fuzzies need a manicure?
 
Andrea: "Ollie - move over, you're such a bed-hog!"
Ollie: "You're warm and cuddly - but where's your fur?"
[Posted in FML issue 1722]