Hugs and Dooks to All!
 
Well.........the day has arrived.  We went and got a new fuzzy addition
to the family.  Buddy is a baby cinnamon sable..........about 11 weeks
old........we bought him at a very dirty, ignorant Petco in Fort Collins,
Colorado this past Thursday.  We stopped in for Litter, with our 11 month
old Trixie in tow..............and stopped to look at the ferrets.  Buddy
caught our eye and is now happily bouncing around his new home.
 
It really sickens me to see how ignorant these pet stores are.......
especially national chains.........when it comes to care of these animals.
At this particular Petco the employees didn't know how to tell the sex.....
the colorings..........the cage had old bedding all over the bottom.  The
ferrets had food/bedding imbedded in their feet.  They were filthy!  There
were 10 boys in the cage, and one tiny little skinny girl (black sable.)
I told the girl that she was literally skin and bones and shouldn't be in
there with the others.  The employee told me there was another baby girl of
the same size in the back that she would put them together and feed them.
She told me that she didn't know how to make them put on more weight
because they weren't eating.  I told her to add water to the food to make
it soft............(which, ironically, was the only way we could get Buddy
to eat once we got home.  He'll eat the hard stuff.........but he chows
down on it when it's soft!) and try to give them some ferretvite.  We also
had to share with the employee the "Ferretone" trick when clipping the
nails.  (She said they could never get them to hold still.......duh!!!)
Also, ironically, when we got Buddy home, bathed him and began the
clipping........he freaked and didn't like the ferretone!!!  But.......he
didn't eat at first either..........so anything that happened the first 48
hours we're chalking up to "New home syndrome."
 
And then there is Trixie.  Poor girl...............she's been a lone ferret
for a year now.  She's always enjoyed playing with other ferrets..........
but this one she just doesn't understand.  He just won't go away........he
won't quit following her........won't stop jumping on her and raiding her
stashes!  She's been pouting for two days.  We have hugged her, kissed
her........talked to her.......played with her........given her so much
attention!  And still, she pouts when Buddy is out.........and she rarely
plays with him.  She hisses at him a lot........can't seem to understand
why he always has to be jumping around the way that ferret babies do....
looks at him with the "how immature!!" look in her eyes.  Does anyone have
any tips in getting these two to like each other?  She is very Alpha.......
and he's a baby who hasn't "learned his place" yet.  When the two do
play...........she is gentle with him.........and she seems to start a lot
of it.  They seemed to like each other at the pet store!!!  We don't know
what to do...................any help???
 
We're happy to welcome Buddy to our home.....................though Trixie
is a little miffed about it so far!  He's a cutie!
 
Lots of Love to all.........
Shea, Trixie, & Buddy
[Posted in FML issue 3243]