I decided that all of the fuzzies needed to have all of there cage fabrics
(of various and sundry types) laundered.  OK...I let the fuzzies out to
play.  I then started unhooking things and removing them from the cages.
The fuzzies all stood on the floor staring at me like I was ripping all of
their housing apart.
 
I got hammocks, snuggle bag, sleeping tubes, old thermal shirts, ripped
shorts (from a previous girl caretaker), a large blanket and a sock!  After
taking all of these things out, I stopped and looked down.  All six fuzzies
were still staring, wonder what on earth I was doing!  I heading towards
the laundry room and the entire rodeo bunch trailed two feet behind me.  I
tossed everything into the washing machine and they all went nutz!  Ferrets
under the washer and dryer (it's sealed under both, so there is nothing to
worry about), ferrets under the wash sink, ferrets under (and around) my
feet, ferrets jumping up the sides of the equipment...FERRETS EVERYWHERE!
I would have *sworn* that they had magically tripled their numbers!
 
Anyway, I got the laundry soap in and started the machine.  All of the
ferrets stopped what they were doing and sat in the middle of the laundry
room, watching the washing machine do it's thing (all of the extra ferrets
went home, I think).  I went about my daily business and came back about an
hour later to check on the progress of the ferret stuph.  All the ferrets
are *still* sitting there!  Yes, they are nosing each other, shifting
places, laying down or sitting up, or standing there, but they are all
pretty much in the same place they were to start with.
 
The wash cycle is done, so I remove the items and put them into the dryer.
The largest (and youngest!) ferret, Fuzzer, made several valiant attempts at
the Standing High Jump, trying to get into the dryer to check on the
progress of all of this crazy stuph with their snuggle things.  He didn't
succeed.  I got the dryer closed (counted the fuzzies first, to be sure they
were all still there!) and started it up.
 
About an hour later, I returned.  All but one of the fuzzies is STILL there!
The other one had gone off to find a litter box and returned shortly.  I
found the dryer cycle complete, but a check of the lint filter showed large
amounts of fuzzie hair.  I decided to do another round, but on fluff only
(no heat) to remove any remaining hairs in the stuph (hey, I'm trying to get
this stuph clean, remember?  :)).
 
The fuzzies can't stand it any more and start running madly all over the
kitchen and laundry room again.  Being very careful (and executing the
ferret shuffle), I was able to get out of the immediate area and get back
to what I was doing.
 
Dryer buzzes.  Cycle complete.  I head for the laundry room.  Checking the
filter shows that there is very little hair remaining on the stuph.  I pull
things out and look at them...nope, no more hairs!  I take everything out
(how did all of this stuph fit in there in the first place???) and start
shuffling back to the cages.  All the while, the fuzzies are trying to climb
my legs to get at their things.  I get to the luv seat and drop the load.
Six fuzzies *exploded* onto the luv seat and dove into the stuph!
 
I began putting things, one at a time, into the cages (there are two cages
here) and the fuzzies immediately jump into the cages to try out their newly
cleaned stuph.  They are in heaven!  They are squirming in and out of the
sleep tube, burrowing under the loose clothing and towels (Fuzzer got his
entire head inside the sock!) and over and around the hammocks.  Two fuzzies
dove into the snuggle sack and poked their heads back out.
 
In the other cage, the two that normally sleep there (both cages are open to
whomever wants to go in them while everyone is out, but the fuzzies are
separated into a 2/4 group when put back for bed) ran up to the top of their
cage as I was inserting their blanket (yes, an entire blanket!).  It wasn't
even completely in the cage when they were both buried somewhere within it's
folds!
 
Needless to say, getting them all in their cages for the night was no
problem at all...they were all already inside when it was time to close up
for the night!  There is probably a very good scientific explanation for all
of this (something to do with trying to get their own scents on everything
again, or something to that effect), but I'm not interested.  I was just
very happy to see the care and concern they showed for their belongings, and
the enthusiasm they showed when it all came back!  :)
 
Aren't fuzzies great? :):):)
 
Todd and the (newly laundered!) Fuzzbutt Rodeo Clowns!
 
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[Posted in FML issue 2269]