Congrats again to Chris for achieving the 500 milestone. I've noticed an upswing in ferret traffic both here and on CompuServe -- it's really something! > I should point out that we're on autopilot now, every morning at 5:02am > an issue will go out if there's something to send. You'll see me from > time to time, but now it happens on its own. And I'm going to try > to keep it that way this time. Does that mean you've worked out the kinks in preventing "situations" arising from the posting of forged messages or bogus recipes? (Or some reasonable facsimile thereof?) :-) And that you still handle anonymous postings by hand? Just curious about the inner workings of my favorite newsletter! ******* > Date: Sat, 26 Jun 1993 12:54:52 -0400 > From: Nancy Hartman <[log in to unmask]> > > > From: [log in to unmask] (Katherine Fritz) > > To Nancy Hartman: > > ... > > post it on the listserver. Whatever annotation you do, please be sure to > > give credit to Pam Grant! (And I assume whatever updates you're making in > > the way of vet names and contacts you are also passing along to Pam on > > GEnie?) > > Didn't we already discuss this? Maybe it was Bill... Anyway, yes I > intend to give full credit to STAR*ferrets, and will put additional > information indented to make it obvious as to what is mine. Didn't mean to ruffle any fur or feathers here! :-) I apologize for any misunderstanding -- I use the STAR listing in my work as a Compuserve section leader on the Pets Forum, and recently got a stern reminder of the importance of giving Pam proper credit, so I was just feeling a little sensitized when I read your message, Nancy. Yes, we did talk about it before. I think your idea of providing your file as a separate list has merit, though. For one thing, then you won't have to worry about updating it everytime we get an update from Pam. And I believe she updates it quite frequently. Also, I'm pretty certain that Bill Gruber has gotten permission from Pam to post the list, as is, on the listserver. Correct me if I'm wrong, Bill! ******** Suki, I'm really impressed with the thoroughness of your list! I have a few comments, since you asked. :-) Under "get me to the vet," I would add: serious weight loss (esp. sudden) vulva swelling (both in neutered and unneutered females, esp. combined with noticeable hair loss) severe lethargy severe reaction following vaccination Under basic training tips, I would add: teaching your ferret not to bite litterbox training Under household hazards, I would add: plumbing access covers Under feeding, I would add: pros & cons of commercial cat, kitten & ferret foods why (some) ferrets don't like ferret food I think there also should be a section on choosing a new ferret -- pet stores vs. private breeder vs. shelter -- since we do see a fair number of people who haven't got a ferret yet, but want one. Also: ferrets and other pets, including introducing a new ferret to other ferrets/other animals, introducing a cat or dog to a ferret household, ferrets and cats, ferrets and dogs, ferrets and birds, ferrets and rabbits, ferrets and rodents (I get a lot of these questions on CompuServe, enough so that I'm starting to want a standard paragraph or three!). Did you have something about the merits/demerits of descenting? (Since virtually all pet store ferrets are descented, yet the common wisdom seems to be "don't descent if it can be otherwise avoided." Was there anything about dealing with ferrets who are climbers, jumpers or diggers? I'm talking about SERIOUS climbing, jumping & digging (as in the plants). Or transporting ferrets in a car, dealing with airlines, what kind of carriers are suitable, how often to feed & water while on a trip. Using a pet sitter when going away for the weekend, for a week or more. What to look for in a sitter. Pros & cons of using a kennel or cattery (I don't know any pros, myself! <g>) I think that's enough for now! :-) Let me know if I can help in any way. Katie, Jeff, Bandit, Molly, Charlie, Pogo & Sigmund --------------------- Katie Fritz Small Mammals Section Leader/CompuServe Pets Forum Internet: [log in to unmask] CIS: 71257,3153 [Posted in FML issue 0505]