Hi again! This is Claire, of Josef&Claire&Peaches....
The Trick
-------
Thank you all for the wonderful advice about a vicious little play-nippy
ferret. It seems, thank goodness, that we won't have to use most of it.
Most people suggested corporal punishments, despite my explanation of its
repeated failure. Someone else suggested that we make our hands taste
terrible with Bitter Apple for bites, and make them scrumptious with
Ferretone for licks, but we can't get either of these chemicals very easily
(we live on a university campus with no car), and couldn't think of how to
predict which to put on our hands and what times. Other people suggested
closing our hands over her head and shaking her, or scruffing her, and most
everyone thought that loud yellings of "NO!" were good for emphasis. But in
the end, we figured out our own trick. Peaches is sociable, and loves our
company. She comes with us everywhere, sits on our feet, snuggles with us
in bed, and is generally like a little puppy. When she's play-nipping at
us, then, the very worst punishment seems to be CEASING to play with her.
If she bites us too hard, we say "ouch!" to her very loudly, and withdraw
our hands. After a minute or two, we might return to playing with her, and
she's always more gentle. Over the past 5 or 6 days, she's calmed down
immensely. She still does her bite-and-shakeshakeshake routine, but only
through a towel, glove, or sleeve, which we're fine with.
The Treat
-------
Also, we found a treat that she loves! Amazingly, she goes bonkers for
Ocean Spray Cranberry Juice. A little drop on a fingertip sends her
licking and chuckling happily, and given half the chance she'll go swimming
in our glass of it, drinking until she has the hiccups. We're sure not to
give her too much, but even after her first binge her stool and urine seem
normal, which makes me think its not at all unhealthy. Just a whiff of the
stuff these days and she's pawing happily to get a sip. It's nice to have
something she loves, but now we don't whether she's being affectionate
because she wants *us*, or the cranberry juice. >grin< Oh well. Having a
treat like this should come in very handy.
A Question
--------
And a question: What *about* these hiccups? She gets them all the time.
Her whole body jerks a little when it happens. I usually roll her over and
gently stroke her tummy, and if she lies still long enough, this seems to
make them go away. But, obviously, she doesn't often lie still long
enough. She goes wandering around the house walking into things cutely and
sneezing because her hiccups send her an extra unwanted paw-step off to the
left or right as she makes her way to wherever she's going. Should I
worry? It doesn't seem to worry her. :-)
Happy Halloween, everyone!
~ Claire the Correspondant
Peaches the Terrible
Josef the "Hush, I'm Trying to Nap"
[Posted in FML issue 0994]
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