I'm originally a Wisconsinite from Marinette, but couldn't stand the could
so moved to sunny & too hot Florida.  I live in an area in Pasco County
called Shady Hills.  Yes Florida isn't all flat.  Possibly looking for a
climate that isn't too cold or too hot, but have to have land.
 
My first ferret sighting, I am not sure of.  It was one of 2 things.  It
was either a friend or a friend who baby sat my oldest grandson when I had
to have surgery, who had several ferrets or just seeing them in pet stores
the last several years.  At any rate they never made a big impression on
me.  Didn't know what the hoopla was about.  After all they were just
*gasp* weasels.  Weasels which I had been told, were mean vicious blood
thirsty, killing machines.  Was also told that about mink.
 
During winter a few years ago we were invaded by rats.  They were just
all the place & nesting & breeding under the chicken coops, the peacock
enclosure & in my aviary.  One got in the house & was destroying everything
it could get to.  Got in a expensive kitchen range that I was going to
replace my little cheapie one with & totally destroyed it.  Holes in walls
& sides of cabinets, terrorized baby birds, made nests all over, got into
the walls.  Wouldn't go into any kind of a trap & I tried them all except
the ones that are sticky with glue or whatever, & wouldn't take any kind of
poison.  Finally got rid of it by putting the good range out on the porch
during the day when it was sleeping in it.
 
I wanted something that would be able get into small places where I or my
dog couldn't get to if another one ever got in, have no idea why I thought
of ferrets but when my youngest son built me my handy dandy PC & I could
get on the Internet I investigated ferrets.  I had a ad in the pare selling
my birds & got a call from someone who wanted to trade a ferret for a bird,
my husband who I am separated from now, took the call & was telling the guy
that I wouldn't be interested in a trade, I took the phone & found out what
he wanted to trade & it was a done deal!
 
Enter Rosie, a sweet MF, tiny sable.  I had stopped in Pet Supermarket &
bought every magazine & book I could find on ferrets before coming home
with her.  When I saw you could take them out for walks I wanted to the
same with her.  The second she was put in the ground in her beautiful new
harness, she did a few hops, flips & somersaults & was out of the harness.
Maybe 5 seconds at the most.  She was war dancing all over & hissing at me.
My very first thought was, "What have I done?"  I was a little afraid to
grab her as I thought she might "turn vicious" but wasn't going to let her
get away so made a dive & grab & got her.  Hey she didn't bite!
 
On the way home from the vet after getting her shots, I stopped at Pet
Supermarket to get some food for her & took her in.  One of the sales
clerks said I ought to get her a friend as they did better when they
weren't alone.  Said I couldn't afford what they were selling theirs for.
Told me to put a card up on their message board saying I would give an
unwanted ferret a home, because many people wanted to bring those that they
bought from the store, back once they found out it was too much for them.
Did that.  From that one card, within 1 month I got Blossom, George, QT,
Sadie, Cocoa & Caffie.  Actually Caffie came after I took the card down
but was from a woman who had written my number down earlier.  I was
flabbergasted that people would just give away these wonderful, beautiful
animals.
 
It didn't stop there but several more have found their first & last homes
here.  Some people say "Why so many?" Some say they are, "Too many".  I
know I can't give them all the special care they would have if I didn't
have so many, & I know that there will be money problems down the road from
medical bills, but have a wonderful vet that lets me pay on time, Dr. Joel
Murphy in Palm Harbor.  They all do get all the loving, kissing & hugging
they can stand or want.  Why so many?  I am a sucker!  I have compassion
for the ones no one wants.  I tell myself no more but then read where some
shelter is so over crowded, or where one desperately needs a new home & I
look around & think, "Well we have room for one or two more", so they come.
I have GOT to STOP reading about homeless, abandoned, unwanted fuzzies.
 
One side benefit is that I sure am ending up having a lot of mulch from
used litter!
 
Lynn
[Posted in FML issue 2921]