Part one of three:
 
Gus is probably one of the most interesting ferrets that I have had the
good fortune to be owned by.  He came into our lives two summers ago
with one of those phone calls that says simply that the person has found
a ferret, it is in a box on my driveway, and if you want 'it' come pick
it up.
 
Upon arrival I found an upside down blue plastic tub which had been used
to mix rat poison.  The 'ferret' had been placed under the bucket in the
sun along with a Styrofoam dish of water.  There was a jug of the poison
on top to keep the ferret in place, but the water had long since been
up-ended and was rapidly evaporating in the growing mid morning heat.
Temperature outside was already eighty degrees, and the little guy was
nauseous and quite lethargic.  Don't think that he would have lasted
another hour.
 
After a period of rest and isolation, during which I removed 30-35
ticks & lice per day (by count) for nearly two weeks, he went in to see
the good vet for some shots, and get entered into the 'system' as a good
citizen ferret.  She pronounced him in excellent health and we estimated
that he was a little more than a year old.
 
Now I tend to let my (two) ferrets have the run of the house when it is
possible, and when not they have at least two rooms in the basement with
several levels for climbing and with places for sleeping.  As a result
they tend to get lots of exercise, and also (perhaps because) to enjoy
being around people.  Gus really enjoyed the freedom and often followed
me upstairs if I was heading for coffee, which is (coincidentally) not
too far from the raisin box.  It was a real joy watching him ascend like
superman with his tail flowing behind him.  A month ago at the vets he
weighed 3 1/2 lbs, most of it muscle.
 
A favorite activity is stealing kibble from our dog Poppie
(snauzer-poodle mix), and then scooting 'quick as a ferret', off
under the couch to enjoy it.  Another is riding in the car...
 
I frequently am on the road before dawn to do computer work before
clients arrive to start their day and Gus often goes along for the ride.
Since there is very little traffic at that hour, (I may see 2-3 cars in
45 minutes), he often is allowed to get out of his carry cage.  Speed
limit is also 25 mph, I can stop or pull over at any time, and I keep my
left foot above the brake pedal, so it seemed pretty safe overall.  A few
weeks ago, I allowed him up on the very wide dashboad for a bit and I'm
sure that it seemed like Star Trek with all of the lights going by.
There was a light rain and the occasional windshield wipers sweeping
overhead were a real sensation for him.  We've also gone through the car
wash together... But that is another story.
 
Continued tomorrow....
[Posted in FML issue 4270]