Buster came to me, or should I say, I came to him just under five years ago.
I saw him in the pet store I frequented and I knew he had been there for
quite awhile.  He would have been about 14 weeks old when I finally begged
my then roommate to let me bring him home, bringing my total to three
ferrets.  He was *very* nippy at first and absolutely a terror with my
roommate - he just wouldn't let go of him sometimes!!  It took months before
I got him to stop biting me hard and another few months or so before he
really started to understand that OUCH!  meant OUCH!!!  What worked actually
was scruffing him when he bit, then biting him back on the back of the neck
then grounding him in the "Bad Boy Box" for about ten minutes.  The
occasional bit of fur in my mouth was worth it, because he ended up really
becoming mommy's boy.  He was still bad with strangers, especially men (I
wonder if a male employee at the pet store treated him badly...) but he
became a real suck with me.  The 'nip and tuck' routine worked just
perfectly for Jasper when we started dating a year ago and after about two
or three episodes, Jasper and Buster became good friends.
 
Buster was the most vocal of my tribe - he giggled alot - it wasn't a
regular dooking sound and it wasn't exactly a chuckle either.  I loved it!
He always sounded so happy just to be alive.  Whenever I was having a crappy
day, I'd come home and hear that little voice, it'd make me smile!  He loved
to bounce and wardance and we used to play a game on the tile floor of the
kitchen.  I'd slide him along the floor and he'd come racing back again for
me to slide him again, over and over - all the time bouncing and giggling
his little brains out!  It earned him the nickname of "Burrito Boy" because
'he kept coming back like a bad burrito'!  He also had the nickname of Rat
Boy because he would get into *EVERYTHING*!!  He also loved stealing shoes
and wallets - had a leather and rubber fetish and we used to joke that he
was into B&D in a past life.
 
In his last week with us, he became a little more clingy, sleeping on my
chest for hours at a time - I think he was letting me know that it was okay
and he was tired of it all and that it was time.  We'll miss him madly but
we know he's in a much better place now where there's no pain or discomfort.
 
To all of those that I have been neglecting over the past few months, my
sincere apologies.  I will get myself more organized over the next while -
promise!!  Take care and thanks to all of you - you have been very helpful
and supportive - I couldn't ask for more.  Hugs to all!  oxoxoxo
 
Love, George, Jasper and the Tribe
 
************************************************************************
 
Georgette Peters                            Nothing is fool-proof to a
Steacie Science Library                     sufficiently talented fool.
York University
4700 Keele Street                                     *****
North York, Ontario                                 *********
M3J 1P3                                               *****
(416)736-5084
                                             Dook, dook, bjork, bjork!
e-mail - [log in to unmask]                        - Swedish Ferret
 
************************************************************************
[Posted in FML issue 2342]