Buttercup's owner: > the second paragraph for the cute story--I have just noticed that > our young female (Buttercup, about 1 1/3 yrs) has a swollen vulva. > Yes, she is a Marshall Farms convenience kit, but she is showing Given her age and the time of year, I would suspect it is a botched spay, or maybe even she was "missed". This is the time of year that females generally go into heat, and she would have been too young last year. I wouldn't completely discount an adrenal tumor. But I sort of doubt it, given her age. Take her to the vet and have them run some tests. If she is in heat, you'll have to have her taken out or else she'll most likely die of aplastic anemia. (usually takes 2-3 months, not a panic situation yet) It could also be as simple as a vaginal infection. But you should definately have someone give her a look. > From: <[log in to unmask]> > Well, first off I would like to discourage anyone living in the > Seattle vicinity from purchasing ferrets from Doktor Pets at Bellevue I've had several rounds with our local Doktor Pet here. Every time they say "Oh, I didn't know that, we'll fix it right away", but of course, they never do. They're just placating me to get me out of there. (But I've never been nasty with them. Always very nice and professional.) Do you know that Doktor Pet actually has literature that they hand out saying to use wood chips!!! Yet another case of trying to make a buck at the expense of our pets well being... :( Personally, I would never spend a dime in a Doctor Pet. I would rather go completely out of my way to go to another pet store than fund their terrible practices!!! > We are going to be getting a playmate for Cleo soon we hope. I am ... > fallen a little behind-- I saw a silver mitt the other day and thought she > was just adorable... I am wondering if the breeding it takes to get these > marks makes much of a difference in the ferrets personality for better or > for worse. I am also wondering how Cleo will adapt to sharing space with > another ferret-- is this even a good idea when she has been raised as an > only-ferret? I don't know that coloring really makes much difference with personality. There are a few stereotypes (i.e. "albinos are mean" - well my Popcorn is about as sweet as they come. And I've met lots and lots of wonderful albinos - no "mean" ones...), but they generally don't hold any water. When it comes to the weird markings, you very often find genetic flaws (i.e. many (most?) badger marked ferrets have a fused tail). And, sometimes you will find that when any specific trait is specifically bred for (with inbreeding) you can have problems. (case in point: Suki's mentally deficient ferret - bred for a short face) As a whole, I don't think silver mitts have any stereotypical problems associated with them. But, it ultimately depends on that ferret's specific lineage. As to whether Cleo will get along with a new ferret, it depends on her personality. If she is still young, she will probably enjoy company. Elderly ferrets (especially females) tend to get very set in their ways, and will NOT accept a new ferret. Also, there are some ferrets who just will not get along with anyone else, no matter what you do. But even those you can generally eventually find a "soulmate" for if you try long enough. If you go through a shelter, they are generally very good about letting you bring your ferret in to see if she likes (or at least "doesn't try to kill") the new ferret. Shelters will also take ferrets back if it doesn't work out, unlike pet stores. - Nancy Nancy Hartman CIS graduate student [log in to unmask] U. of Delaware President and founder, Delaware Valley Ferret Club Owner of Percy, Bree, & Popcorn, the ferrets [Posted in FML issue 0471]