First a little history from my journal I keep on just the ferrets: "6-29-03 (update) Friday I picked up 3 ferrets to babysit. 3 girls, Shmitz (the biter with bright red, polished toenails so I can tell it s her), Quinn and Bandit. Now we have my Bandit I and the other Bandit II. They all get along great except for Goose. He hates the new girls and has been moved to a carrier by himself. It s a good thing he s a loner or I d feel bad for him. The new girls are a load of fun. The play, war dance and laugh with the rest. I trimmed toenails as soon as we got them home. Their toenails were TERRIBLE! Ears need to be done to, but I ll need help for that.. Shmitz is definitely a biter. She s nailed me once and got close a couple of times. She nailed a house guest this morning *chuckles*. Poor Mark. They have the most unusual facial markings. They must be out of the same litter with the mottled "freckles" from the top of the head to their cute little noses. They go back home on the 8th probably. I m going to miss them, but it will be business back as usual again." Remember "It s a good thing he s a loner or I d feel bad for him". Move up to the next and latest entry (as you can tell it's not an everyday thing): "7-18-03 (Goose s show of love) The girls went home on the 8th. As I said they would. Goose was put back with the others. No sooner had I put him back I heard screaming and fighting from Goose and Aaron and then a different ferret. I thought everything was going to be easy. Goose apparently still smelled the girls and now he was hunting down with the stealth of a plow and attacking the other ferrets. It was late evening no time to settle things. I put him back in time out. I was to give all the kids a bath so everyone smelled like everyone else the next day bedding changed cage wiped down. The next morning came around up at 5:00 am to go to work. Let kids out for an hour of play-time. I let Goose out with them for reasons unknown. I don t know why I thought it would be any different and I certainly wasn t disappointed. Again he went after Aaron. This time I was there to watch the beginning of the exchange. Now keep in mind Goose is nearly twice as big as the biggest of the business. He s a loner never playing with anyone. I have only just gotten him to play a little with me. He enjoys a little bit of love from the hoomans, but not much. He cuddles with the other 5 when it s time for bed, but that s the only real contact he has with them. So leave me to say that what I saw surprised me to say the least. Goose is not the loner I thought he was. Imagine a body twice your size and more for the littler ferrets coming upon you and forcing himself upon your body and doing a super-groom from head to toe or trying to. It s all a little overwhelming, I m sure. The others were bombarded by Goose hunting them down and telling them how happy he was to see them again and he missed them. They tried to fight the mush beast off. It broke my heart and warmed it at the same time. I m sure now that this was all he was trying to do to the girls. He was welcoming them in they were just completely overwhelmed by this big galoot. And now I know he is not a loner and craves the company of his cage-mates as much as they all crave each others. I put him in time out for a week for being nice. I gently squished Aaron to the floor as I would when scritching him (since he automatically flattens anyway when I try to pet him) and I let Goose do what he s been trying so hard to do all this time. Goose started with Aaron s tail and nee-need (like when they scratch an itch with their teeth) from end to end. As long as I kept Aaron occupied with my attentions he didn t mind Goose at all. Goose then went for the neck and nee-need there, too. He went deep into the small abyss of Aaron s ears like there was no tomorrow. The vigor in which he took to his task was admirable. He was in heaven he was back home he was a part of the family again. After each one done, there was another to groom until all five were properly groomed, ears cleaned, fur fluffed and all is now back to normal. Well, almost. He seems to play a little more with the others every now and again. He has gently played with the littlest one and has chased and war danced a bit with the others. He still doesn t play like the average everyday ferret, but he takes just a bit more time with the others and is weaved into the pile of fur so he touches as many as he can when sleeping. I learn more about these small companions all the time. I underestimated the love they have for me before. Now, again...I underestimated that same love...but it's the love they have for each other. Even the most aloof ferret can and does require the contact of another...especially when they share their lives so closely with the rest of the business... or whomever/whatever they choose to call companion." ...SO LOVE YOUR FUZZIES!! Veronica ,, /_^.)///////////,,,,, \\\_#_#_#_//_#_#_#_#_#_#_#_#_#_#_&_&_ _// _\\ Henry County Humane Society http://www.phchs.petfinder.org [Posted in FML issue 4213]