Well, we caved in - we couldn't resist a cute baby ferret.  My fiance'
(Gene) and I wanted to go to a shelter at some point to get our next
ferret, but while we were visiting my sister in Madison, WI, we saw the
most adorable little boy.  He was just so sweet - and then I felt the nip.
Not a strong bite, but I worried about what this little one might do if
someone who wasn't experienced with ferrets adopted him.  He was more nippy
than most kits I've played with at pet stores.  We decided we could handle
him, and brought him home.  His name is Spunky, and the store workers said
he was 9-10 weeks old.  He has grayish fur, with white mitts and bib, and
his points (legs and tail) seem to have a combination of black and white
guard hairs - is he a silver mitt?
 
It's really too early to tell exactly how nippy he is, as we just got him on
Sunday, but he has drawn blood a number of times already.  We're using
bitter apple liberally, as well as the other ferret anti-nipping techniques.
The 'push the nipped finger farther into the mouth' trick has been rather
effective - few nips today, and no blood drawn.
 
Here's the strange thing - when I picked him up and looked at his right ear,
I thought he wasn't a Marshall Farms ferret, as there were no tattoos there.
However, the info I got with him, including the spay/neuter/descent/health
guarantee, is from there.  (There is a specific note about tattoos in the
material.)  So, what could have happened?  Did he perhaps get missed, in
tattooing and/or the operations?  How can I tell at such a young age (other
than bringing him to a vet, which I will do very soon anyway) whether or not
he might have been left intact?  I can't seem to see any scars, but I don't
really know what to look for, since I don't have any intact ferrets.  I'll
call the store after the holiday and ask who their ferret supplier is - if
it's not MF, the guarantee is worthless.
 
Also, while I was at the store, I met a woman who wants to set up a
Madison-area ferret club, with frolics and the like.  She gave me her
business card and permission to tell area FMLers about this, as she doesn't
have net access.  If you're interested, E-mail me and I'll give you her
phone number (she's in the process of moving, but you'll at least find out
the new number if it's changed already).
 
Happy ferreting,
Denise and Gene, plus Rocko and Randall (1 yr old MF sable males), and
Spunky (~10 wk old MF? silver mitt?)
--
/\\    ____  ,^-o, Denise Voskuil - [log in to unmask]
  ``-,'    `-';~~     Brain: "Are you pondering what I'm pondering?"
    .',-'~`../        Pinky: "I think so, Brain, but if we didn't have
     `^^    `^^         ears we'd look like weasels." ("Animaniacs")
"Ferrets are kittens with leather jackets and no fear!" - John Reed
[Posted in FML issue 1244]