Hello, sorry that family demands kept me away for so long, but I'm trying to
fit in my ferret help demands, too. Have addressed 47 notes to small mammal
curators to try to survey problems of other mustelids in zoos, and have begun
organizing materials and thought for the handy guide.
The following is not a true outline, but more rough organizational notes about
some things to include. I know I'll come up with more, but want others to
comment on anything I might have overlooked here. It would be a big help, since
there are bound to a number of things I've overlooked.
Marking
with waste products
with anal or ear glands
Vocalizations
when upset
hissing
chittering
other "cursing"
screaming
when determined or curious
when playing
laughter'
beeps
pitch and status in group
Body language
Facial
ear
mouth
eyes
Tail positions
hard base
up
piloerected
wagging
social position in group
back position
when arched
when straight
when twitching or poorly supported
piloerection
tail only
back of neck
all over
motion
hopping
dancing
slamming into walls
determined run
determined investigation with or without digging
determined stash/rearrange mode
making cute
using your guilt to train you
problem postures and behaviors
sore back
leg problems
foot problems
when starting to be overheated
get me to the vet right now
dehydration, severe diarrhea
injury
persistent vomiting, gagging, constipation, or known ingestion of rubber,
plastic, or other item which can cause blockage
respiratory stress
infection
collapse or exhaustion
severe reaction to too much or too little heat
seizures
Why cylindrical objects may be too attractive to males and what to do about it
Why your ferret grooms you, marks you, or may mark itself with your scent
licking
sneezing, snorting and head rubbing
removing those objectionable skin bumps on you with incisors
Basic training tips
Ferrets' strong aural abilities
use of praise
using normal ferret behaviors to work to desired behavior
using tricks such as standing up to exercise an infirm or elderly animal
noticing and working around handicaps
visual
hearing
mobility
retardation
Normal household dangers
having a safe room or cage
ingestion hazards
blockages
poisoning
furniture hazards
landings, stairs, and other large falls
getting in walls
getting out
playing with electrical cords
suffocation from sticking head in object or becoming wound in plastic
bag or ingesting hazardous item
toilets
drains or heating vents
possibly dangerous toys
opening cabinets, drawers, etc.
machinery
stoves
motors
dishwashers and clothing washers
getting into other machinery
bedding
wood chips and respiratory disorders
cloth eaters
galvanized metal dishes
male penile bone becoming caught in cage wires
claw rips
Play and cuddling
Well loved and reasonably safe toys
Amount
How to tell when ferret has had enough tickling, cuddling, etc.
"Come under here with me"
Clothes climbing and burrowing
Getting ferret out from beneath furniture
Nursing and basic medical care
Disclaimer
Finding a good to great vet
Tapping into the knowledge of other vets
Exams and injections
young kit (Would a breeder, PLEASE, give me an assist here? Otherwise,
I have to skip this section except to note that Brown has found 2 to 3 week
intervals rather than 4 week to provide best canine distemper protection with
initial vaccinations.)
at about 6 months
young adult
over 3 and 1/2 years
5 and over
Basic care
bathing and dry skin
internal and external parasites
claws
teeth
feeding
too much calcium, too little zinc
use moderation
too many sugars
too much fiber
laxative aids
treats
high protein and high fat
Brewer's yeast
why a lot of diet is still guess work
ear mites
neutering and spaying
Symptoms with multiple causes
Hair loss as a symptom
fever as a symptom
increased size of one or more nodes as a symptom
exhaustion, collapse
Signs of aging
Tumors (benign and malignant), and cancers
lympho
insulinoma
adrenal
other
Dehydration, electrolyte imbalances, related starvation
Gastric and intestinal blockages
Making life more comfy for a sick animal
Getting around
ramps
baby oil
blackheads
concentrated nutrient diets
massage
range of motion exercises in warm tub
heating pads or other ways to stay warm
ways to stay cool
Ways to make the jobs more manageable
When you have to force feed
When you have to rehydrate by subcutaneous injection
When you have to monitor diet or for another reason must keep shifts
or check on regular basis
How the alpha animal may be able to assist you
What am I missing? What would you like to see covered in sections?
Nancy, yes, ferrets are very aural, which is not unusual for an animal which had
wild ancestors evolved to react to the sounds of many types of animals in pitch
black burrows. If you have consistency in your speech they learn many nouns and
verbs, and some adverbs and adjectives. Our favorite story about this happened
once when Hjalmar put some of his fruitcake in one of his favorite hiding
places. I said something to Hjalmar along the line of "Hjalmar stash Hjalmar's
fruitcake?" --all of which were known words and Fritter got up from her resting
place and checked Hjalmar's (not her's) favorite hiding places till she found
his fruitcake and ate it. When possible we use consistent nouns and verbs,
order our sentences in noun-verb-object order, use only a few moderators such as
"good", and exaggerate the way we vocalize like with a toddler. This
consistently gets amazing results unless the ferret is in a "don't distract me
now" mode.
Re: ferret which bisected room: that's great! We've seen treats placed in a
straight, short line but not with such a surprising location.
Paula, While I have never read of a ferret being hurt by caffeine we did have
one once with a hidden heart problem so you might want to buy the decaf cola for
your critter and keep the amount small to prevent sugar jags and reduce tooth
decay.
Geri, Meerkats are in viverridae like the mongoose (with which the CA Fish and
Wildlife people have occasionally confused mustelids). Mustelidae includes
skunks, polecats, weasels, ferrets, mink, otters, stoats, martens, fishers,
tayras, grisons, wolverines, badgers, striped weasels, stink badgers, etc.
There are 25 genera, and the last I heard the family arose a good while after
the viverrides so the similarities may be from relation or parallel evolution.
Nancy, your list doesn't include Ann Jeglum who saved Bandit, Hanan Caine
(908-580-0506) who was with the AMC and is now at Basking Ridge Animal Hospital
in N.J., Dr. Rosenthal of the Animal Medical Center in N.Y. C. -- one of the
nation's big research clinics with a full oncology floor, and many major
veterinary schools.
John, we have seen folks who were allergic to ferrets, and BOTH my hubby and I
react to unneutered males but not to other ferrets (I am also allergic to
mink.).
Our guys are well. Meltdown had a temporary gastric blockage from (by color
once it passed) either stealing too much banana or getting a hold of some
styrofoam. She could stay partially hydrated so Hanan supplemented that with
sub-Q ringers, began antibiotics, and we monitored her carefully. If it hadn't
cleared but she wasn't in danger next step would have been to look at it and
hopefully dislodge it with a barium enema. If it got serious there, of course,
would have been an emergency op. Since signs began on a Sunday night and they
are ones with which an owner must jump quickly her binge was a tad expensive,
but not as bad as it could have been, and we only lost a couple of night's full
sleep. New owners: DO jump quickly when a ferret is persistently gagging, or
dehydrated, or fevering, or has eaten non-food items, etc. since not doing so
could result in losing the critter in 24 to 48 hours, and since the problems
caused by a severe blockage which is not attended to promptly can quickly become
too severe for even surgery to work.
I was recently very upset about losing my Uncle Jay and asked Meltdown to "fix
Mommy". She very tenderly cuddled and kissed me till I was calmed down again.
As long time subscribers know, she (and others) have made a point of comforting
us before.
Love, Sukie, Steve, Meltdown, Ruffle, 'Chopper, the living helicopter, Spot, and
Meeteetse
[Posted in FML issue 0503]
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