NAIL TRIMMING
To Steve Ferguson (hope I spelled it right): I have a female kit approx.  3
months old and she can be a terror at nail trimming time.  I think it was
the new experience that was a little scary for her.  If your ferret likes
ferretone or linatone or nutrical or petromalt, etc.  you can try rubbing
some on their belly and trim quickly while they lick it off (works well for
our two year old).  For our little one, we use the two person method.  (I
tried to do it by myself, but she got flustered and I got flustered, so I
decided I would just have to drag someone else to help me out.) One person
cradles her and tries to hold her still while the other holds the paw and
trims.  We talk to her softly and try to comfort her, and she gets some
nutrical when we are done.  We had the problem at first of her not being
interested in any treats that we offered her.  She was just too excited
about playing and exploring.  In order to expose her to the various treats
we have, we had to open her mouth and put some in it for her.  After a
couple of weeks she started to like some treats.  Now she'll try just about
anything we offer.  (Unfortunatley the treats don't work for her for nail
trimming) Good Luck!  There is hope!  Don't give up!  Now bathtime is
another story...:) BTW, thank you to everyone who responded to my nail
trimming questions -- turned out Daisy just needed some time to adjust to
the procedure.:)
 
BUGS
I used to work for a woman who owned a feed store.  She used peppermint oil
and lemon rind to repel ants and mice...I can't remember which remedy she
used for which pest, but she swore they worked.
 
                                        Lisa and Noah
                                        Daisy and Squirt
 
P.S.  Does anyone else out there have a ferret that REALLY likes catnip?
Daisy goes crazy over it (not quite like cats do, though).  She will bite
it and shake her head vigorously...dookdookdook:)
[Posted in FML issue 1646]